Chicago Bears: Why Not Starting Nathan Enderle Is a Complete Mistake
Published by Bob Warja on December 22, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
If it’s true that Nathan Enderle is deemed not ready to play this Sunday vs. the Packers, then shame on Jerry Angelo, Lovie Smith and Mike Martz. This is simply inexcusable.
Enderle was the Chicago Bears‘ 2011 fifth-round draft choice out of Idaho, and will likely still be on the roster next year, especially if Martz returns. Meanwhile, Josh McCown, who was chosen to start on Sunday, is not likely to return.
And this makes the start for McCown that much more inexcusable to me.
Look, it’s not as if McCown is a veteran who used to be good (he has never been any good), or someone who is experienced at starting an NFL game (he hasn’t started since 2007).
To say that a guy who came in and threw two passes last weekend—one of which went for a pick-six—gives the Bears the best chance to win against the Packers is an indictment of the entire Chicago Bears football team.
Remember, this is the same brass that felt that Caleb Hanie was an NFL QB and that Todd Collins could still play. The fact that Enderle, who was Martz’s choice in last year’s draft, is not ready is a joke.
T.J. Yates was drafted just eight picks in front of Enderle in the fifth round, and he has looked good starting for the Texans.
So, either the Bears made a mistake in evaluation, or they didn’t develop Enderle as they should have. Either way, this makes the Bears look really bad.
It’s not as if the Bears would be expecting great things from their QB this late in the season. While not mathematically eliminated, the Bears are out of playoff contention by all rationale thinking.
And Enderle would be replacing a QB in Hanie who was not just bad, but awful. To think that Enderle—who has much more of a future in Chicago than McCown—couldn’t play at least as well as Hanie is ridiculous.
When they drafted Enderle, much was said and written about how Martz saw things he liked about the young QB that fit well into the style of offense he teaches.
Yet Enderle is not ready to play: It just does not pass the sniff test. Even if you are the most optimistic Bears fan on the planet, or Lovie Smith, you have to know that the Bears aren’t going to make the playoffs.
Hey, what is the downside of playing Enderle? That he will suck? Gee, that would be nothing new at the QB position ever since Jay Cutler got hurt.
We already know that McCown is a bad NFL QB. Why not find out if Enderle can play?
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