Bears Blitz

Published by Bryan Dietzler on May 18, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Entering last year’s preseason , the Bears had no veteran quarterbacks to back up starter Jay Cutler.  They went into camp with Cutler, second stringer Caleb Hanie and rookie Dan LeFevour and didn’t think that they needed to sign a veteran.

Hanie was injured early in the preseason and the Bears realized they needed and experienced quarterback to back up Cutler even when Hanie came back healthy.

Matt Gutierrez was their first choice, but he wasn’t much of an insurance policy given his lack experience.

After a battle over money, the Bears brought in Todd Collins to backup Cutler and their roster was set.  They had Cutler starting, Collins as the second string quarterback and Hanie as their third stringer.  With Cutler’s ability to stay healthy prior to last season, the coaching staff didn’t feel that they would need to use either Collins or Hanie.

After Cutler was knocked out of the Giants game, the Bears were forced to turn to Collins.  Even though he helped them win their next game against the Carolina Panthers, he did not meet anyone’s standards for a second stringer.

In fact, his play was downright scary.  Collins failed to do anything in the NFC Championship game, and gave way to Hanie, who at least kept it close for little while before they finally succumbed to mistakes.

As it stands right now, the Bears have Cutler, Hanie, Collins, Gutierrez and the newly drafted Nathan Enderle on their roster.  It’s doubtful that Collins is going to be back and Gutierrez is going to be a victim of the numbers game.  Enderle probably won’t go anywhere after what happened to the Bears last year with rookie quarterback Dan LeFevour (they thought stashing him on the practice squad would be a good bet but he was signed away from the team by the Cincinnati Bengals).

Simply put, it doesn’t look like the Bears are going to sign a veteran quarterback at least in the preseason.  They will probably go with what they have on the roster right now and worry about signing a veteran if an injury occurs.

Is the lack of a true veteran quarterback opening the door for problems further down the road?

Not if the Bears are able to keep Cutler protected. 

Chicago did go out and solidify a portion of their offensive line, which will give Cutler some extra time and keep him off his back.  So that’s one step in the right direction towards not needing a veteran quarterback.

Is Hanie the Answer at the Second Spot?

We all saw what Hanie was able to do after Cutler went out of the NFC Championship game with an injury.  He almost got the Bears into the Super Bowl with his stellar play (until that game clinching interception).  Hanie has quietly been a nice backup to Cutler, but can he cut it if he’s called upon for longer than one game?

Either way, he’s definitely a better option than Collins.

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