Knudson: Maybe the Bears Started the Wrong QB?
FacebookBy Mark Knudson, The Mtn. Insider
January 26, 2011
Coming in cold and leading a comeback is nothing new to Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Hanie.
The former Colorado State star began his career in Fort Collins in much the same manner as his most recent appearance in the last Sunday’s NFC Championship Game, coming in cold for an injured starter and bringing his team back.
Unlike his effort in his first college game, this time Hanie came up short trying to get the Bears to this year’s Super Bowl. He did show the nation why the Bears had enough faith in him as an undrafted free agent to keep him around while jettisoning other QB’s.
In many ways, Hanie has shown himself to be the anti-Jay Cutler. He was not a high draft pick. He hasn’t had things handed to him. He hasn’t alienated teammates, fans and media members with a smug attitude and questionable personal habits.
All Hanie has done since arriving in Chicago is work his behind off to make the team and be able to produce when he got the chance.
Mission accomplished. So far.
When Hanie arrived to play for Sonny Lubick at CSU in 2004, the Rams had their own “franchise quarterback” on the scene in Justin Holland, a gifted passer with limited mobility who was having trouble meeting expectations. When Holland was injured against San Diego State, Hanie came off the bench as a true freshman to engineer a come-from-behind 21-17 win, going 12 of 19 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown.
In his first start the following week, Hanie led the Rams over Wyoming 30-7 in their most impressive win of the year. Hanie instantly reminded Rams fans of the recently departed Bradlee Van Pelt, one of the greatest QB’s in CSU history. His mobility and hard-nosed play was something CSU fans instantly took to.
Hanie didn’t get the starting job full time until he was a junior and he made the most of his two seasons as the main man. His teammates voted him captain. He started all 24 games his last two years, and as a senior, he led the MWC in passing efficiency (144.6) and finished 19th nationally. Hanie completed 188 of 293 passes (64.2 percent) for 2,455 yards and 18 TDs.
Still, CSU had a poor season and Hanie went undrafted. Most people were surprised when Bears signed him and kept him on the roster. He more than validated the club’s belief in him with his performance off the bench against Green Bay last Sunday.
Now the question they should be asking around Chicago: Hanie or Cutler as your 2011 starter?
One quarter of impressive play, which included a couple big mistakes as well as engineering the Bears only two scoring drives of the day, is not a large body of work to evaluate a player on. Still, Hanie demonstrated he can and will do things Cutler won’t do. His passionate play and exuberance lit a fire under a demoralized team. He produced in the clutch.
It would have been a very interesting couple of weeks in Dallas if the Bears had finished the comeback and made it to the Super Bowl. Would Cutler have been able to go? Would his sprained knee have kept him on the sidelines again? And would the undrafted free agent from Colorado State with the heart of a lion be starting in the Super Bowl against the Steelers?
We’ll never know.
But if I were a Bears fan right now, I’d be asking a lot of hard questions and wondering out loud if they’ve been starting the wrong quarterback all along.
ALL TIMES MOUNTAIN
