DLK150
The Quiet Man
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I thought we had it bad. They've started 3 QBs a year in 5 out of the last 6 years, and have had 26 quarterback changes in the past 87 games. Lord.
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Hutchinson expected to be named starter
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November 28, 2004
BY BRAD BIGGS Staff Reporter !
The joke going around Friday was that the turning point in Thursday's offenseless 21-7 loss to the Dallas Cowboys came when Rex Grossman blew out his knee two months ago in Minnesota.
What little spark Craig Krenzel provided as the starting quarterback during a three-game winning streak that seems like a distant memory is long gone. That's more than can be said for Jonathan Quinn, who has played about how you would expect someone lured with a $200,000 signing bonus to play. The unfortunate thing for Quinn is now that he has played -- or been exposed, depending on how you look at it -- his gig as an NFL backup is probably over soon unless offensive coordinator Terry Shea is hired somewhere as a general manager.
So the Bears are expected to spin the quarterback carousel Monday and produce their 26th change at starting quarterback in 87 games by naming Chad Hutchinson the starter when the Minnesota Vikings come to Soldier Field next Sunday. Fox went into great detail during its telecast Thursday to show how the Cowboys have struggled to replace Troy Aikman the last four seasons, but it's nothing compared to the Bears' search.
Hutchinson will be the fourth starter this season, and the belief is like it was when Krenzel replaced Quinn -- it can't possibly be any worse. Just in case, the Bears have given Jeff George a physical and are expected to sign him Monday.
General manager Jerry Angelo is going to make fixing the Bears' quarterback situation his single most important offseason task. It was reported last week that Grossman's recovery is going well, but Angelo has pledged not to make the same mistake twice. The free-agent quarterback market is going to be thin, so the possibility exists that the Bears could spend a high draft pick to ensure Grossman isn't the only capable option.
In going to Hutchinson, the Bears have outdone themselves, as tradition dictates they use three starters a year, something they've been forced to do five of the last six seasons. Now coach Lovie Smith has a feel for what the organization has come to know as routine.
"I don't think I've learned a lot more from the depth at quarterback than what I thought going into the season,'' Smith said. "Look at any team in the league right now. Very few have two they feel like really have starting-type ability. If your starter goes down, you're in a little bit of trouble. I knew that before the season, and that is the case right now.
"If you get down to your third quarterback, you're in trouble and you have to make the best of that situation and you just have to regroup and go from there. That's what we've done as a team.''
Hutchinson's role in practice the last two months has been minimal, so the Bears will only have four practices to prepare him. He's going to be more of a sitting target than Krenzel and Quinn in the pocket, which could be problematic for an offensive line that has allowed 43 sacks and is on pace to set a team record.
"I'm ready,'' Hutchinson said. "The NFL is a tough game. It's a team game, too. It's not just the quarterback, it's everybody, and granted we need to do some things better at our position. [Krenzel and Quinn] are preparing as well as they can, and I don't think you guys see exactly how late they stay and how hard they're working on this, but they're preparing the best they can and then it's just not falling in the right places right now.''
Smith said Friday a decision was still being formulated, but with Krenzel sidelined up to a month with a sprained right ankle, he doesn't really have a choice. He can't return to Quinn and keep the locker room that doubted the journeyman from the beginning. One player said two days before Quinn's first start against Philadelphia that the team was "terrified,'' and their worst fears were realized.
"I think [Hutchinson] feels like he's ready to go,'' Smith said. "If we go in that direction, we'll feel the same way.''
But to think Hutchinson is going to be a vast improvement over what the team has seen since Grossman was injured in Week 3 is probably unrealistic. He was cast off by the Cowboys, and Bill Parcells isn't prone to personnel blunders.
"I would say his physical skills are good,'' Smith said. "You know he was a pitcher in baseball, a fastball thrower and all that good stuff. He can throw the ball. He's got good size, so I think physically he definitely has enough ability to do it, but you know there's some other things that come into play, too.''
Those things are his immobility and inexperience in the system. No one has been particularly eager to reach this point because Hutchinson has only been drilled on the offense in meetings. That, more than anything, should tell you what the expectations are. "I haven't run any plays out there, but I feel good with it on paper,'' he said. "I've had two months to look at it and to take mental reps, and now it's a matter of taking physical reps. Whatever role (There's that word again.) they give me, I'm going to do my best at.''
http://www.suntimes.com/output/bears/cst-spt-bear28.html
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___________________________________________________________________
Hutchinson expected to be named starter
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]
November 28, 2004
BY BRAD BIGGS Staff Reporter !
The joke going around Friday was that the turning point in Thursday's offenseless 21-7 loss to the Dallas Cowboys came when Rex Grossman blew out his knee two months ago in Minnesota.
What little spark Craig Krenzel provided as the starting quarterback during a three-game winning streak that seems like a distant memory is long gone. That's more than can be said for Jonathan Quinn, who has played about how you would expect someone lured with a $200,000 signing bonus to play. The unfortunate thing for Quinn is now that he has played -- or been exposed, depending on how you look at it -- his gig as an NFL backup is probably over soon unless offensive coordinator Terry Shea is hired somewhere as a general manager.
So the Bears are expected to spin the quarterback carousel Monday and produce their 26th change at starting quarterback in 87 games by naming Chad Hutchinson the starter when the Minnesota Vikings come to Soldier Field next Sunday. Fox went into great detail during its telecast Thursday to show how the Cowboys have struggled to replace Troy Aikman the last four seasons, but it's nothing compared to the Bears' search.
Hutchinson will be the fourth starter this season, and the belief is like it was when Krenzel replaced Quinn -- it can't possibly be any worse. Just in case, the Bears have given Jeff George a physical and are expected to sign him Monday.
General manager Jerry Angelo is going to make fixing the Bears' quarterback situation his single most important offseason task. It was reported last week that Grossman's recovery is going well, but Angelo has pledged not to make the same mistake twice. The free-agent quarterback market is going to be thin, so the possibility exists that the Bears could spend a high draft pick to ensure Grossman isn't the only capable option.
In going to Hutchinson, the Bears have outdone themselves, as tradition dictates they use three starters a year, something they've been forced to do five of the last six seasons. Now coach Lovie Smith has a feel for what the organization has come to know as routine.
"I don't think I've learned a lot more from the depth at quarterback than what I thought going into the season,'' Smith said. "Look at any team in the league right now. Very few have two they feel like really have starting-type ability. If your starter goes down, you're in a little bit of trouble. I knew that before the season, and that is the case right now.
"If you get down to your third quarterback, you're in trouble and you have to make the best of that situation and you just have to regroup and go from there. That's what we've done as a team.''
Hutchinson's role in practice the last two months has been minimal, so the Bears will only have four practices to prepare him. He's going to be more of a sitting target than Krenzel and Quinn in the pocket, which could be problematic for an offensive line that has allowed 43 sacks and is on pace to set a team record.
"I'm ready,'' Hutchinson said. "The NFL is a tough game. It's a team game, too. It's not just the quarterback, it's everybody, and granted we need to do some things better at our position. [Krenzel and Quinn] are preparing as well as they can, and I don't think you guys see exactly how late they stay and how hard they're working on this, but they're preparing the best they can and then it's just not falling in the right places right now.''
Smith said Friday a decision was still being formulated, but with Krenzel sidelined up to a month with a sprained right ankle, he doesn't really have a choice. He can't return to Quinn and keep the locker room that doubted the journeyman from the beginning. One player said two days before Quinn's first start against Philadelphia that the team was "terrified,'' and their worst fears were realized.
"I think [Hutchinson] feels like he's ready to go,'' Smith said. "If we go in that direction, we'll feel the same way.''
But to think Hutchinson is going to be a vast improvement over what the team has seen since Grossman was injured in Week 3 is probably unrealistic. He was cast off by the Cowboys, and Bill Parcells isn't prone to personnel blunders.
"I would say his physical skills are good,'' Smith said. "You know he was a pitcher in baseball, a fastball thrower and all that good stuff. He can throw the ball. He's got good size, so I think physically he definitely has enough ability to do it, but you know there's some other things that come into play, too.''
Those things are his immobility and inexperience in the system. No one has been particularly eager to reach this point because Hutchinson has only been drilled on the offense in meetings. That, more than anything, should tell you what the expectations are. "I haven't run any plays out there, but I feel good with it on paper,'' he said. "I've had two months to look at it and to take mental reps, and now it's a matter of taking physical reps. Whatever role (There's that word again.) they give me, I'm going to do my best at.''
http://www.suntimes.com/output/bears/cst-spt-bear28.html
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