Sculpt
Well-known member
- Joined:
- Aug 20, 2012
- Posts:
- 8,527
- Liked Posts:
- 2,909
Bears re-signed Connor Shaw. For those who watched his preseason games, you know there was a lot to like.
I just read a cool article that reveals he's been on a lot of teams' radar. I was hoping the Bears didn't leave him on the PS, but after reading this article, I wouldn't think it's likely. But then Sanchez happened, so who knows.
(also cool highlight vid of ill Shaw playing a great comeback against a good D)
I just read a cool article that reveals he's been on a lot of teams' radar. I was hoping the Bears didn't leave him on the PS, but after reading this article, I wouldn't think it's likely. But then Sanchez happened, so who knows.
(also cool highlight vid of ill Shaw playing a great comeback against a good D)
The Bear's Den: Friday, January 12a*, 2017 - Re-sign Connor Shaw?
by Ken Mitchell@WCGBearsDenDude Jan 12, 2017, 11:00pm CST http://www.windycitygridiron.com/20...n-friday-january-12a-2017-re-sign-connor-shaw
The Den will be taking a look at one of the Chicago Bears' 2017 unrestricted free agents (UFA's), restricted free agents (RFA's) and Exclusive rights free agents (ERFA) each day until we have knocked out the list.
I will be talking about the player, whether I personally would sign the player and to what contract, and what my best guess the Bears will do with him.
Today we look at what may be the easiest, most non-controversial "should we re-sign" question of all, ERFA Connor Shaw. (Note, I originally mistakenly had Shaw as a RFA not an ERFA, thanks to Doshi for the correction heads-up!)
Rather than reinventing the wheel, here's the scoop on ERFA's from Wikipedia: "Exclusive-rights free agents are players with two or fewer seasons of service time and whose contracts have expired. If their team tenders a qualifying offer (a one-year contract usually at league-minimum salary) the player has no negotiating rights with other teams, and must either sign the tender with the team or sit out the season.
Connor Shaw was went undrafted out of the University of South Carolina in 2014.
Personal story, here. I got free tickets to #5 Missouri vs #21 South Carolina in 2013, so I went. I'm not a Mizzou fan, but I'm not turning down free tix to an SEC team's home game when it's a 2-hour drive from me. Connor Shaw (who I had frankly never heard of) was the regular SC starter at quarterback, but he was ill so they opened up with another guy back there. Mizzou jumped out to a 17 point lead early, and we were all sitting around chatting because the game was basically over. Then Connor Shaw happened. He came into the game and provided an instant spark against a VERY tough Mizzou defense (E.J. Gaines, Markus Golden, Kony Ealy, Michael Sam, Shane Ray, Kentrell Brothers... that was the year just after Sheldon Richardson graduated, dang that was a good D unit) and lit them up, eventually bring SC all the way back and winning it in double overtime. Here are a couple of highlights from that game:
<font color="#3B3B3B"><span style="font-family: Georgia">[video=youtube;3dJIsx6g1xs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=3dJIsx6g1xs[/video]
Shaw was signed as a priority UDFA by the Cleveland Browns, and he went 8 for 9 for 123 in the preseason. Cleveland cut him in the cut down to their 53-man roster, but signed him to their practice squad once he cleared waivers.
During the 2014 season in Cleveland, Johnny Manziel happened. Manziel got injured/suspended/melted down/who really knows and Brian Hoyer (Cleveland's non-Johnny Football starter) got hurt, so Shaw was brought back up onto the 53 man. He started the final game of the season against Baltimore, where he went 14/28 for 177 with a long of 49 yards.
Shaw was in the mix in Cleveland in 2015. During a preseason game vs Washington, Shaw injured several ligaments in his throwing hand requiring surgery, so he spent the season on the Brown's IR.
Cleveland released Shaw before camp on June 30, 2016. Then, things got weird.
New Orleans sent in a claim notification for Shaw... or at least that's what they intended to do. Instead, whoever sent out the email accidentally sent it not to the league office in charge of claims, but rather all of the other teams in the league. The Bears, because of our higher waiver priority, jumped in line ahead of New Orleans and claimed Shaw.
By all accounts, Shaw looked very good in camp, and he also looked good in pre-season action. Shaw was 5 for 6 for 68 yards in pre-season against Kansas City, with one TD and a passer rating of 153.5. Then, something BAD happened, as Chiefsdefensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches folded Shaw's leg in a place it's not supposed to bend. Shaw spent the rest of 2016 on the Bears IR list.
Do I think Chicago should bring back Connor Shaw? As hard as it is to imagine wanting to bring back a quarterback who has spent most of his pro career on IR and who was cut by Cleveland, yes, not only do I think we should bring him back but I think it's a no-brainer. We have nothing but a big questionmark at all levels of the quarterbacking tree right now, and Connor Shaw has shown that he has a spark at the position. He's not our next franchise quarterback, but he is a guy we can have compete for a backup position who will cost very little money to the team.
Do I think the Bears will bring him back? Absolutely, for the reasons mentioned above and because we've heard them say many times that Shaw was in the mix at quarterback, that he was playing well enough to challenge for playing time up until his injury. Shaw has a much higher upside than a guy like David Fales, and perhaps more upside than any other quarterback that played for the Bears last year (after all, we pretty well know Jay Cutler and Brian Hoyer's ceilings, and Barkley didn't show better than Shaw).
