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| 7th January, 2006 - 3:50 pm |  AP - Lovie Smith was hired to resurrect a proud franchise in Chicago. He did such a strong job in 2005 that he was chosen The Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year on Saturday.
And he beat out his mentor, Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy, for the honor.
In his second season as Bears coach, Smith guided them to the NFC North title with an 11-5 record, earning a first-round playoff bye. Chicago had the league's stingiest defense, which figures because Smith made his reputation as a defensive mastermind, first in Tampa Bay under Dungy, then in St. Louis.
Now, he oversees a team that surged from 5-11 in his first year to a Super Bowl contender, armed with a defense that allowed only 202 points, just 61 of those at home.
"There are growing pains in anything worthwhile that I've seen," Smith said. "We definitely learned a lot from that experience last year. We definitely appreciate it right now.
"Our team having that bye week getting ready for this playoff game, I'm really excited about that. I'm also excited about the job our coaches were able to do. Our assistant coaches did a super job. To me, we are the team of the year."
If they aren't, then Dungy's Colts might be. Smith drew 24? votes from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL. Dungy was next with 20?.
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