Bears Blitz

Published by Tyler Conway on January 18, 2013
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

New Chicago Bears head coach Marc Trestman loves him some Tim Tebow. The former Montreal Alouettes coach made that readily apparent in 2010, where he compared Tebow to Anthony Calvillo, his quarterback in the CFL:

Here is Trestman’s quote, via Mark Masters of the National Post:

When you’re an accurate passer and you have the intangibles that go along with that, you can figure it out and make it work and, whether Tim changed his motion or not, I believed he would figure it out and I don’t have any doubt that he’ll be very, very successful.

We also know that Tebow is not long for the New York Jets. He’s expected to be traded or released by the team in the offseason, culminating a 2012 campaign that saw Tebow make exponentially more headlines off the field than on it. 

Could, then, Tebow find salvation in a Bears uniform? USA Today’s Dan Shanoff doesn’t think it’s an unreasonable notion and asserts that Chicago should be one of the teams mentioned alongside Arizona and Jacksonville as one of the favorites for the 25-year-old quarterback.

Shanoff isn’t incorrect. Trestman’s affinity for Tebow and his ability to handle non-traditional quarterbacks make the Bears a pretty solid fit for the controversial figure. But if Trestman enjoys his job security stateside, he’ll avoid Tebow like the bubonic plague.

While Trestman certainly excelled with Calvillo in Montreal, he already has a quarterback the Bears paid a king’s ransom for in Jay Cutler. Though Cutler hasn’t proved to be the superstar Chicago hoped when it acquired him from the Denver Broncos, 2012 was the first season he even approached below replacement-level numbers.

Cutler is also far from the Bears’ biggest problem on offense. 

In fact, it’s a completely reasonable assertion that the Bears’ porous offensive line is the overarching reason for Cutler’s struggles. Since arriving in the Windy City, Cutler has seen a never-ending stream of defensive linemen in his face due to the incompetence of his blockers.

Just for quick reference, here is a look at a simple chart of where Cutler has ranked among the most-pressured quarterbacks over the past three seasons (per Pro Football Focus):

According to Pro Football Focus’ calculations, only Cutler and Michael Vick have ranked inside the top seven in each of the past three seasons. Considering Cutler faced very little pressure his final season in Denver, it stands to reason that his Chicago numbers aren’t indicative of a ball-holding habit.

Instead of blaming Cutler (or Lovie Smith, as the Bears did), they need to start adding offensive line personnel, the same way they added a skill-position player like Brandon Marshall last offseason.

Adding Tebow over fixing those offensive line issues would be carbon copy of what the Jets did this past season. Rather than making smart, level-headed personnel decisions and improving its skill positions, New York ignored those problems and went for headlines.

Granted, the two aren’t mutually exclusive, and Trestman could theoretically bring Tebow in while also bringing in new offensive linemen. And to his credit, the new Chicago coach seems focused on protecting Cutler. 

According to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Sean Jensen, the Bears head coach made that a point of emphasis in his introductory press conference: 

Marc Trestman: “On the offensive side, it starts and ends with the quarterback. We got to protect our quarterback and keep him safe.”

— Sean Jensen (@seankjensen) January 17, 2013

But if the Bears’ plan is to bring back most of their personnel next season with some coaching and offensive line adjustments, then what purpose does Tebow serve?

If he’s not a starting quarterback with a system curtailed to his skill sets, his time with the Jets proved that he serves little purpose on an NFL roster. The Wildcat is already a craven formation, one that once looked innovative but now is irrelevant. And in the event that Cutler gets hurt, is anyone really more comfortable with Tebow under center than Jason Campbell?

Tebow is simply a headache waiting to happen. He’s a man with legions of voracious fans who will defend his honor down to their last breath, as the media pounces on every opportunity to cover the cult-like atmosphere.

Tebow would be a distraction from the moment he enters camp until the very second he leaves, with very little of it being his own fault. That doesn’t change the fact that bringing in Tebow is asking for a glaring microscope on Trestman, a coach who is already going to have to adjust from the CFL to the NFL.

Trestman is taking over a 10-6 NFL football team—not Ringling Brothers. It’d be best for him to keep it that way and avoid Tebowmania at all costs. 

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