Lovie says Bears just want to get to game in turning down NBC

Lovie Smith says the Bears just want to get to Sunday night’s game with the Philadelphia Eagles, and that they’re ready to circle the wagons after fulfilling media obligations Friday following practice. (Or as Alonzo Spellman famously once said, “circle the horses.”)

The Sun-Times reported today that Smith, general manager Jerry Angelo and quarterback Jay Cutler will not be made available for NBC’s “Football Night in America” show, the pregame program that leads into the game with the Eagles.

“I’m trying to figure out where that all came from,” Smith said. “We try to do whatever we can for anyone that’s coming in. We’ve played quite a few Sunday night games. There’s not a whole lot more to talk about. We’re making our players available right up until game time. But as far as participating an awful lot right now it’s kind of time for us to play football. We try to do as many interviews as we can during game week but once you get a little bit closer to it you’re kind of reeling things in a little bit.”

So Smith is tired about talking about playing, and just wants to play?

“That’s definitely the message that we’re trying to portray,” he said. “I think you’re getting that from all of our guys. It is time for that. There’s nothing else to say. Right now we’re disappointed with where we are right now at this point in our season. We’re anxious to play this game this week. We need to get to the game.”