The Bears celebrated the Lovie Smith Centennial with a 37-23 victory over the Detroit Lions, winners of two of their past 32 games.

Yes, Smith coached his 100th game as Bears head coach, and as we’ve written here weeks ago, it likely won’t be his last. He’s 54-46 as Chicago’s coach, only the second Bears leader with a winning record (Mike Ditka was 112-68) since Papa Bear George Halas last roamed the sidelines in 1967.

Smith and the Bears finished a disappointing 7-9 in a season of high hopes with the arrival of new quarterback and savior Jay Cutler. But injuries, poor defensive play and some incredibly bad pass protection and play-calling doomed this team after a 3-1 start.

Smith has two years left on his Bears coaching contract, and despite rumors of Bill Cowher and Mike Shanahan getting a sniff, don’t look for the McCaskey family to drop major cash to buy out Smith and then hire a high-priced coach.

So we’re stuck with Smith for at least another season, more than likely. But we’d like to see him make some changes, starting with a new offensive coordinator and replacing himself as defensive coordinator. A couple of offensive linemen, a go-to-wide receiver and a couple of defensive backs would be nice, too.

Here are your final Bears grades from this frustrating and forgettable season, along with some game highlights from the NFL Network:

OFFENSE

That clown who ran out the stands and onto Ford Field was the best run we’ve seen all season during a Bears game, though Forte had a nifty 53-yard run in the fourth quarter to help the Bears ice the clock. The goof covered 100 yards (though Nick Roach could have clocked him) before the red-jacket security staff pinned him in the end zone. Score!

No, all season we saw Forte reluctantly step into holes that collapsed around him, Frank Omiyale jump offsides, Orlando Pace prep for retirement and Chris Williams struggle. And to top it all off, Olin Kreutz slammed the team after Week 16.

If nothing else, we’ve learned that the Bears have a fine collection of No. 3 wide receivers in Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, rookie Johnny Knox and the late-surging Devin Aromashodu. But there’s not a No. 1 receiver in the bunch, and the Bears will need to find one in the offseason. Tight end Greg Olsen led the team in receptions with 60.

Devin Aromashodu and Jay Cutler displayed some late-season chemistry that had Bears fans jumping for joy at times.

Then there’s Cutler, whose quarterback rating dropped by 12 points from last year in Denver. He threw for 27 touchdowns, 26 interceptions and had 900 fewer passing yards than last year. It took offensive coordinator Ron Turner only 15 weeks to figure out that putting Cutler on the move cut down on sacks and utilize his strengths. When he did, Cutler had eight touchdowns and one interception in his final two games.

Against the Lions, Cutler gave us a glimpse on a key series in the fourth quarter, after the Lions tied the score, 20-20. He hit Hester for 48 yards over the middle on third down and Olsen for 30 yards on the next play, then hit Desmond Clark for a 1-yard touchdown two plays later. Give Cutler protection, and he’ll carve teams up and shift the momentum of a game. We need to see more of this – and against better teams – next year. Game Grade: B-plus. Season Grade: C-minus

DEFENSE

Memo to Smith: Teams have figured out the Cover-2 and it’s time to start mixing up your coverages. We suggest finding a full-time defensive coordinator and you return to managing the team.

Injuries killed the defense: Brian Urlacher’s broken wrist, safeties Danieal Manning and Al Afalava, Tommie Harris’s knees are shot, Adewale Ogunleye. And for crying out loud, will somebody give Gaines Adams a sandwich? The guy looks underfed for a rush end. Get him in the weight room in the offseason.

And where was the Bears’ feared pass rush this season? Wasn’t Rod Marinelli brought in to teach them to play better? That’s all we heard through training camp. But name one defensive lineman who improved under him … we’re waiting … and waiting. It sure wasn’t rookie Jarron Gilbert, who didn’t even get on the field until the last two games of the season.

Afalava played well and was the steal of the Bears’ draft. Nathan Vasher’s done, Peanut Tillman’s hurting and Manning could be wearing another uniform next year. So the secondary has some re-tooling to do, likely through free agency.  

The Bears blew a 20-10 second-half lead to a team starting Daunte Culpepper and Maurice Morris, and had not won in more than a month. Zack Bowman had a first-quarter pick, but he was no answer for Calvin Johnson on an early fourth-quarter drive that tied it 20-20. Johnson had a reverse and four catches, including a 5-yard touchdown, with Bowman trying to keep up with him. Game Grade: D. Season Grade: D

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kudos to special teams coach Dave Toub, who did a great job in nearly every aspect of the game. Knox blossomed as a feared kick returner, Hester played well when healthy, Bennett filled in nicely and Manning was downright scary on kick returns. And Brad Maynard and Robbie Gould were steady and reliable. (Good grief, remember the “Beavis and Butthead” days of Kevin Butler and Todd Sauerbrun?) Nick Roach, Jamar Williams, Adrian Peterson (when healthy) also did yeoman’s work on special teams. 

Hester’s return from a calf injury was marked by a nice 44-yard kick return in the first half (that the Bears wasted) and a puzzling hesitant return in which he was leveled at the Bears 13 in the fourth quarter. Game Grade: B. Season Grade: B-plus

COACHING

Smith needs to hire a new offensive coordinator (hello Mike Martz) and replace himself as defensive coordinator. He’ll likely be looking for a new special teams coach, too, as Toub may get a lot of interest from other teams. Season Grade for Smith: C; Season Grade for Turner: F

-- MIKE REILLEY
 Follow him on Twitter @bearsblogblitz