Hanie: Chicago's best shot at victory Sunday

In the end, it played out as expected: when it mattered most, one team played with poise, with purpose, and maintained control throughout the game.  The other team came out embarrassingly flat, dug itself a hole, seemingly found some late inspiration in an attempt to save face, but it was too little, too late.  Bears fans have seen this scenario too many times before.

Did the defense play well?  Yes, but not until they failed to show up for the first two minutes of the game as Aaron Rodgers methodically picked apart Chicago on the first drive resulting in a clean, efficient, quick score which showed the home team that the Packers were well prepared.  Playing from behind is never a recipe for success, so as much as the defense did to stabilize the game the rest of the way (only allowing one more TD), they put the offense in an uphill position before they held the ball.

Now for Cutler and the offense.  I see no need to comment on Jay Cutler’s injured knee because, for one, it’s pure speculation at this point (although an MCL injury seems to be the latest word), and two, if there’s one thing Cutler has shown over time is the ability to stay on the field.  Therefore, I can only comment on Cutler’s play in the NFC Championship Game.  One word comes to mind: poop.  In one half, Jay Cutler demonstrated everything that makes him frustrating, specifically incredible inconsistency when accuracy is most needed.

You don’t have to be an NFL analyst to see that Cutler was throwing off his heels, making ill advised throws (some seemed like bail out “lobs”), and showing a general disinterest.  His mood and mindset is irrelevant if his play is akin to his perceived talent, but the truth is that Cutler threw several balls asking to be intercepted but was lucky his numbers weren’t even worse than the end result.  Injury or not, the Bears were better off without Cutler in the second half.

Think about the last statement: the Bears were better off without Cutler in the second half. Not matter how much a Cutler fan you might be, it’s hard to argue against that statement.  In the NFC Championship Game, the Chicago Bears had a better chance of coming from behind and stealing a victory with Caleb Hanie behind center than Jay Cutler, healthy or otherwise.  Let that sink in for awhile, and readers will suddenly understand the point of this website.  Would that ever be the case with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers?  Never, but many people want to put Cutler at the same level as Rodgers and others and it’s simply not the case.

It’s not that a QB isn’t allowed to have a bad game (even the “unstoppable” Tom Brady and the Patriots failed to sniff the AFC Championship Game), but it’s Cutler’s overall decision-making and attitude in his “bad” games that make it obvious that his team is not going to win on that day.

Cutler was far from the only reason the Bears lost yesterday.  The lack of any offensive playmakers outside of Matt Forte was reason enough to think back about the early round picks Chicago could have used on developing the offense and the line while letting a QB like Kyle Orton carry the current team to its potential.  Fans, even Rex Grossman carried the Bears to a Super Bowl matchup, so don’t fire back that Orton couldn’t have done the same.  If you have the opportunity to get an elite QB like Manning, Brady, Brees, Rodgers, etc., I am all for making the deal to get it done.  Unfortunately, Jay Cutler proved that he isn’t one of those on Sunday.

Wrong Richter

6.3.  That sounds more like a Richter Scale reading than a QB Rating, but that was the best Todd Collins could muster yesterday.  HOWEVER, the Bears won which once again illustrates my point that while it’s great to have a guy behind center capable of completing a pass, there are so many more needs that go into developing a playoff caliber NFL team. 

Would the Bears have beaten Carolina with Jay Cutler at quarterback?  Sure.  Kyle Orton?  Definitely.  Rex Grossman?  Yes… provided he didn’t fumble the snap more than three times.  In short, Chicago has enough talent (particularly on defense and a career day from Matt Forte) to beat really bad teams regardless of the starting quarterback.  Using that same logic, though, the Bears are going to be hard pressed to beat playoff bound teams like New York (Jets), New England, and Minnesota even WITH Jay Cutler. 

An offensive line will give an NFL team protection, making even a mediocre quarterback capable of beating better teams.  Without protection, however, the QB is irrelevant.  In fact, the Bears probably would have won if they immediately went to a wildcat formation and alternated Forte and Taylor behind center.

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I knew there was a reason I had to reintroduce you to Todd Collins 6 weeks ago.  Thanks to the brain scramble suffered by Chicago’s anointed franchise quarterback, Jay Cutler will ride some pine in Carolina while “veteran” Todd Collins takes control of the offense for the time being.

Carolina’s defense is far from Pittsburgh-esque, but Todd Collins will still have his hands full with a shaky O-line and an OC who forgot what running the ball meant.

Goooooooo Todd!

Answer: the smartest player on the Chicago Bears.  Why? Because he used his noodle and listened to his agent, waiting to get a guaranteed deal (rumored to be around $100,000 even if he gets cut) rather than taking the first offer the Bears threw at him which would have let him loose to the wolves and left with him very little if Caleb Hanie heals quickly and Chicago decides to part with him.

Now, the risk and reward are at least a little closer in line.  Todd Collins will sacrifice his brain and his 38-year-old body behind a questionable offensive line and in return will earn some dough to pay off the mortgage a little.

Starting to get your Todds confused with your Kerrys when it comes to Collins?  Todd Collins played for the University of Michigan and was drafted in 1995.  He has been a perennial backup QB, hanging around the league for 15 seasons (this will be his 16^th) and only starting 20 games in his career.

The scary thing about being a backup QB?  When you finally get in the game, it’s usually because the guys protecting you didn’t do a good enough job with the first guy.  Good luck, Todd!  I hope we never see you on the field, but I’m guessing we might be a little too familiar with you come midseason.

NFL.com – Todd Collins career stats

Chicago's best bet for a backup QB?

As if this came to a shock to any Bears fans, Jay Cutler was sacked FIVE TIMES in one half of a preseason game.  Against the RAIDERS!!  For the millionth time, it’s not a knock on the QB, but rather the complete lack of depth and talent around the QB… which came about because they traded for this specific QB!!  It was an exercise in failed circular logic that was doomed from the start, and now we get to watch the results mercifully play out in front of our eyes this season.

Rather that sign veteran Todd Collins as a backup for Cutler, the Bears should have looked for a better option, like Usain Bolt, because it’s going to take world class speed behind center to avoid a weekly punishing this season.  Prepare yourselves, Bears fans, the odds of the chosen one staying healthy for double digit games this year is looking bleak!

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