Bears Blitz

Published by Ed Leiser on April 7, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

In 15 days, the NFL draft will begin its new three-day format, and disgruntled New York Jets fans will once again flood Radio City Music Hall in New York City screaming, “Why?!?!?” after every Jets’ pick.

For some teams, this year’s draft will be much less meaningful; perhaps no team better sums up that statement than the Chicago Bears.

General Manager Jerry Angelo has dealt away his first two picks in previous trades for Jay Cutler and Gaines Adams, so Bears fans will have to wait until pick No. 76 to begin their arm-chair-general-manager game.

The Bears have many needs: offensive line, defensive line, safety, wide receiver, No. 5 starter, bullpen help, second baseman (whoops…I got the Cubs’ needs mixed up in there).

While addressing any of those needs with their first pick seems to be the idea, one position the Bears have little to no depth in is their quarterback position.

Yes, they have Jay Cutler, owner of 26 interceptions last season. I still believe in Jay Cutler, and I believe he still has a few Pro Bowls left in his tank.

What I don’t believe in, however, is the Bears’ other options at quarterback.

The Bears are one hit away from ending their season before it even starts. If Cutler were to go down for an extended period of time, the Bears would become the laughing stocks of the NFL (assuming they aren’t that already, of course).

Cutler has shown to be a very durable quarterback (he’s played in 16 games in each of the last three seasons), but there are only so many Brett Favres and Peyton Mannings out there—not every NFL quarterback is built the same.

Looking at the Bears’ depth chart from last season and seeing the names of Caleb Hanie and Brett Basanez backing up Cutler can bring chills down any Bears fan’s spine.

Knowing the dreary state of Bears’ quarterbacks then, could Florida Heisman Trophy winner (and future President of Planet Earth, as ESPN would have you believe) Tim Tebow be an option for the Bears?

Tebow, projected at the moment to be a second-round pick, may not be available when the Bears pick, so this idea could never materialize. 

But if he were to fall, or, say Jerry Angelo opted to trade up (as he’s done before), would Tim Tebow be an option for the Bears’ backup quarterback job?

I know there are millions of Tebow-doubters out there—his slow release, inaccurate ball, shotgun-style run-option offense in college, and his questionable footwork make him a less-than-appealing NFL quarterback prospect.

But I also know there are millions out there who can’t deny Tebow’s work ethic, leadership, and love of the game—all traits suitable for a long-tenured NFL quarterback.

By no means am I suggesting the Bears aggressively pursue Tebow (at least not any more aggressive than a key safety or offensive tackle, for example), but if he is there for the taking, Jerry Angelo might be so bold as to take a chance on Tim Tebow.

You must look at this from Angelo’s perspective.

2010 will likely be a make-or-break year for both him and Head Coach Lovie Smith, so they have to throw everything but the kitchen sink at this year’s roster and hope to steal a playoff bid.

Angelo and other Bears’ brass already opened up their checkbooks with the signings of Julius Peppers, Chester Taylor, and Brandon Manumaleuna, so it appears that—at least on the surface—the Bears are committed to winning this year.

Of course, the drafting of Tim Tebow will hardly make the Bears a winner this season, as he’ll likely need to be groomed for three or four seasons before he can take over as an everyday starter in the NFL.

But what can the Bears expect to get with just the No. 76 pick in this year’s draft?

With so many holes, the Bears will not be able to fill all of them with single picks in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds.

Had they not traded away first and second-round selections, they could draft an impact safety and franchise tackle early, and then fill key slots later.

Knowing that they likely won’t get the high-end players they covet, could they do any worse than taking a chance on a guy like Tebow?

It’ll be somewhat of a gamble at any rate with these selections, but Tebow will be one of the winningest, most-decorated athletes of all at this point in the draft.

And for Jerry Angelo, the best part of this is that if the Bears struggle yet again and are shut out of the playoffs, it’ll be someone else’s mess to clean up, because he’ll be out of town anyways.

Tebow’s development won’t cost Angelo a thing if he’s with another franchise.

Again, please don’t consider me to be Tim Tebow’s No. 1 fan (because I’m really not, although he can walk on water and move mountains with his fingertips, right ESPN ?).

The Bears are just in a curious position, and a guy like Tebow will, at the very least, raise even more eyebrows than the Bears have risen so far this offseason.

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