It was a lazy (and very early) morning after reviewing the recording of the Bears game. That is, until Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune popped this eye opener into his article this morning (the emphasis is mine):
“If [Josh] McCown can be plugged into [Bears head coach Marc] Trestman‘s system and perform like this, who’s to say the Bears won’t opt to bring him back and draft a player for the quarterback whisperer to get his hands on? It would likely be a much cheaper option than re-signing [injured starting quarterback Jay] Cutler.
“One general manager texted during halftime Monday night and predicted just that — the Bears will look to re-sign McCown and draft a quarterback.“
I suppose you always take what league sources say with a grain of salt because they all have their own motives for feeding quotes to the press. But this one strikes too close to home to be dismissed. This anonymous general manager is echoing what many, if not most, Bears fans are thinking.
Cutler has a lot of talent. But he has a lot of limitations and the Bears offense will always be limited with him at quarterback as well. As has been documented over and over again, the Bears will likely have to take a big cap hit to keep him once he hits the open market.
It won’t be Teddy Bridgewater but the Bears could reach for a mighty good late first round/early second round-type quarterback from where they’ll probably be drafting. And it looks like they’ve finally got the kind of coaching staff that could develop him. Indeed, why else would you choose to go in the direction of a quarterback-freindly offensive head coach in the first place?
No matter the motives behind the comment, the GM is right. The Bears have been setting themselves up in order to be capable of drafting and developing a quarterback from the moment Trestman was hired. Economically and strategically it makes a lot of sense and they could very well go in this direction.
Bears fans react to Cutler starting at Cleveland
Read MoreFor More Great Chicago Sports Content
Get the latest Chicago sports news, analysis, and breaking stories on the Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, Cubs, White Sox, Sky, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, so you never miss a story on your favorite Chicago teams.
Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE
8 Comments
jay is still the first string QB and there is no question about that
this guy is an idiot. McCown is a good QB and everything but he doesn’t have the arm that Cutler does. the Bears lost to the vikings because of this
No question Cutler will start when he’s ready. I’m not entirely convinced that the plan will be to keep him in the offseason.
The Bears lost to the Viking because the defense decided to take the day off, plain and simple.
as long as we win…
Nope… This is a ploy to bring Cutler’s asking price down. Just like, I believe, it was Jay’s camp that released the “Titans interested in Cutler” stuff just awhile back. What if that miss on that QB pick? Take a look at the past 4-5 years of first round QB’s taken… not many are “sure fire” starters. (Bradford, Carr, RG3, Sanchez, Weeden, Smith, Manuel, Ponder, Gabbert, Freeman) do you feel comfortable with any of those guys? Nope…even guys like Newton and Tannehill are still question marks. The ones that are playing well are 2nd and 3rd rounders. Kapearnick, Russell: hidden gems. It’s HARD to find a quarterback for the NFL. I would take Jay Cutler over any of these guys. Go Bears.
Good points, Patrick. I’m actually less worried about the Bears missing on the pick than I am about them not getting the guy they want. The draft is, indeed, a lottery. So, no, I wouldn’t feel comfortable with those guys. But I would feel comfortable with McCown while they searched for their young QB. And I think they do need a young QB.
I also firmly believe that coaching and the players surrounding them have a lot to do with how those first round picks develop. Unlike the situation with many of the QBs you mention above, I think the guys the Bears have in place will put a young QB, no matter who it is, in a position to succeed.
Its not an easy problem. But it sure is going to be interesting to see what they do.
I feel like this is the best plan for sure. Jay has had time to prove his is that QB for the Bears. These last three weeks is his final chance to prove he deserves a paycheck and can be the franchise QB.