LAKE FOREST, Ill. - The jabs kept coming from Lovie Smith, and all Lance Briggs wanted to do was prove his new coach wrong. A decade later, the seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker smiled as he looked back.It was 2004. Briggs was in his second year and Smith was in his first as Chicago Bears coach.He challenged me all the time, Briggs said. It was always, Lance, youre not gonna make that play or hell never make that play. Hed always talk to Brian (Urlacher). Hed talk to some of the other guys, like, Lance cant make that play.There was plenty of reflecting Wednesday as the Bears prepared to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Smiths first game against them since he was fired two years ago.Briggs recalled earning Smiths respect and the change in tone over the years. It went from those motivational shots to the coach expressing faith in his linebackers ability to make plays, to help shut down opponents.Briggs insisted Smith should be remembered as one of the great coaches of Chicago along with George Halas and Mike Ditka.But its not that simple.Smith guided the Bears to an 81-63 record during a nine-season run from 2004-12 that produced three playoff appearances and a trip to the Super Bowl. But his stubbornness at times was a source of frustration in Chicago. So were the struggles in the second halves in each of his final two seasons that kept the Bears out of the playoffs.While his defence consistently excelled, Smith could never solve the problems on offence.That, along with the playoff misses ultimately led to his downfall, with the Bears firing him after they missed the post-season despite winning 10 games in 2012.Theyre 12-14 under Marc Trestman, and at 4-6, they will likely miss the post-season for the seventh time in eight years. Smith, meanwhile, is trying to build a winner in Tampa Bay after a year out of the league.The Buccaneers are 2-8 but just two games off the NFC South lead heading into Sundays game. As much as Smith insisted hes simply another coach trying to win at Soldier Field, even he could not avoid reflecting just a little on his time in Chicago.He called coaching there a dream come true. He said he was proud of everything we were able to do.Only Halas and Ditka coached the Bears longer and won more games than Smith, who had never been a head coach. Before that, he was an assistant on Tony Dungys staff in Tampa Bay and defensive co-ordinator in St. Louis.Being my first head coaching job, all of my philosophies and things that I thought I believed in, I got a chance to see, he said. Every imaginable situation you can be in as a head football coach, I feel like I had a chance to be in there (in Chicago). Just about any game — coaching the Hall of Fame game to a Super Bowl. Besides winning a Super Bowl, I think as a coach I got a chance to witness and be a part of just about everything you could want to as a coach. So there were a lot of things that came around.Smith said he loved the organization. He mentioned the players and the lifetime memories, the lifetime relationships he forged with the Bears.He did not seem too concerned about fans reactions on Sunday.I dont need anything validated this week, he said. Fans were great to me and my family while we were there, administration was.Players remain loyal, too.Bears defensive tackle Stephen Paea appreciated Smiths honesty. He also remembered getting the call from the Bears when they drafted him in 2011. On the other end was Smith, and the coach had a question for him.First thing he told me — How does it feel to play by Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher? Paea said. I was like, Hell, yeah, Ill come to Chicago and play.Its gonna be an exciting game for us.NOTES: The Bears downplayed a players-only video session held last week. DE Jared Allen said defensive co-ordinator Mel Tucker approached him about holding one to give us an opportunity to take over as leaders and add some accountability to the defence. ... Briggs, RB Matt Forte and DT Jeremiah Ratliff sat out Wednesdays practice for non-injury reasons. DT Ego Ferguson (illness), WR Alshon Jeffery (hamstring), WR Brandon Marshall (ankle), DE Trevor Scott (knee), LB Darryl Sharpton (hamstring) and WR Chris Williams (hamstring) did not participate. OL Eben Britton (illness), RT Jordan Mills (ribs) and WR Josh Morgan (shoulder) were limited.___AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Vapormax Clearance Sale . Many of those eyes are in the United States of America, a country that the sport has wanted on its side for some time. On Sunday the football Gods delivered once again, only this time it was time for good old USA to experience as much heartache as joy. Vapormax 95 Sale . But luckily for the Canadian squad, one goal was all it needed. Winnipegs Sophie Schmidt scored the winner off a Diana Matheson corner kick to seal Canadas third-place spot in the Torneio Internacional de Futebol Feminino in Brazil on Sunday. http://www.airvapormaxcanada.com/. Ramirez is still hitting behind Puig, only now they are in the third and fourth spots, and the change is starting to generate positive results for manager Don Mattingly. Nike Vapormax Clearance . PAUL, Minn. Vapormax Flyknit Canada . Wheeler scored two goals, including the winner, as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Minnesota Wild 6-4 on Friday in a game that featured a seven-goal first period.TORONTO - The Toronto Argonauts have named former CFL all-star Bryan Chiu as their offensive line coach. Chiu spent his entire 13-year CFL career as a centre with the Montreal Alouettes. He was named a CFL all-star seven times, the leagues outstanding lineman in 2002, and helped the Alouettes earn Grey Cup titles in 2002 and 2009. The Vancouver native retired as a Grey Cup champion before the 2010 season. "I am very excited that Bryan Chiu was available to join our staff," Argos head coach Scott Milanovich said in a statement. "Bryan is a competitor whose 13 years of playing experience and winning approach will provve invaluable to our offensive line.dddddddddddd" Chiu was most recently a member of the Concordia Stingers coaching staff, serving as offensive line coach and assistant offensive co-ordinator. "I am thrilled for the opportunity to come to Toronto and work with the entire coaching staff, especially Scott Milanovich and (GM) Jim Barker," Chiu said. "These two men were each, at different times, instrumental in the Grey Cup championship teams I was part of as a player. I want to thank the Argonauts organization for believing in me and I look forward to meeting the players and getting to work." ' ' '