It wasn't that simple, of course. Smith's increased power that came with his new contract exposed his shortcomings as a talent evaluator. Had Smith stuck to coaching his team on Sundays instead of dabbling in personnel, he might have been able to build on the momentum of his first three seasons. But, for example, he pushed to acquire safety Adam Archuleta and endorsed Hester as a No. 1 wide receiver, which he wasn't. He once thought Jamar Williams made Lance Briggs expendable. He developed a blind spot for quarterbacks. And Babich bungled calling defenses badly enough that Smith took over those duties himself by 2009.