Bears Blitz

Published by Jim Poljak on December 1, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

I never thought my fingers would produce those words without them being the punchline to a joke, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. The Chicago Bears would be better off if they gave the keys to the offense to Caleb Hanie for the rest of the year, even if Jay Cutler is cleared to play.

Cutler is an infinitely better quarterback than Caleb Hanie.  He has better vision, a stronger arm and makes quicker reads.  He is the leader of the Bears and one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.  He also just had two pins and three screws inserted into his hyper-extended, dislocated and fractured thumb (still want to question his toughness?).

The best-case scenario for Cutler’s return would be the last week of the regular season or the first week of the playoffs, assuming the Bears make it.  That would be six to seven weeks after the injury occurred and would propel Bears’ fans into a frenzy to have their pro-bowl caliber quarterback under center once again.

Giving in to that fan-frenzied excitement would be the worst thing the Bears could do.  Even if Cutler is cleared to play, he is going to have to overcome a lot more than worrying about his thumb every time he gets hit.

For starters, he will not be in football shape.  Running on a treadmill, riding an exercise bike, lifting weights and running sprints/suicides don’t make a football player conditioned to play in a game. He needs to get out there in game situations, take a couple of hits and push himself harder than training will allow.

Then there will be his throwing motion and grip.  He is going to need time to become comfortable with the three screws that will stay in his surgically repaired thumb and trust that he can put the ball where he wants to like he did before the injury.

His velocity will also be down from not throwing for over a month and his timing with the receivers will need to be worked on again.  There are just too many factors that need to come together for Jay Cutler to come back this year and be close to what he was before he injured his thumb.

Caleb Hanie will have five starts under his belt by Week 17 and will have developed a rapport and chemistry with the receivers and have time to fix the timing issues that plagued him against Oakland. 

I think it should have been understood that his first career start was going to be on the ugly side. He made some poor decisions and turned the ball over too many times.  But despite how bad he looked in that game, Hanie still brought the Bears down the field and gave them a chance to win in the fourth quarter. 

His final stat line was respectable (254 yards, two TDs, three INTs) and with a week to go over game film and time to clear his nerves, Hanie will bounce back to have a better game against the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend.

The Bears are still a good enough team to make the playoffs and even win a game or two.  They will need to rely on the formula Lovie Smith has been preaching about since he took over as head coach.  Running the ball, controlling the clock and winning the battle on defense and special teams.  That is how this team is going to do their damage the rest of the way.  All Caleb Hanie has to do is not lose any games for them along the way.

Like Jay Cutler said at his Wednesday press conference, “I’ve got to be smart about it. Obviously, I’d want to play next week if they let me, but I don’t think that’s going to be in the cards, so it could be I’m done for the season. I have to realize there’s a long-term picture here.”

The Bears need to realize the long-term picture in this, too.  The best move for them is to ride out Caleb Hanie as the quarterback this year and let their franchise quarterback for years to come fully recover from his injury and take over again next season. 

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