Caleb Hanie = Bears QB?

For the past two Sundays I have heard Bears fans piss and moan about the job that our back-up QB, Caleb Hanie's doing. There has been repeated attacks on his ability to do the job that Jay Cutler handed him when he broke his thumb in the game against the Chargers three weeks ago.

Seems to me that people are forgetting a few things.

Let's start with the obvious one: Hanie's the BACK-UP! That means he's not gotten the reps/snaps that Cutler, as the starter, has gotten. Yes, I know that Hanie came into the Championship Game last year when Cutler got hurt. He did a great job, pulling us within one score. Truth? Without Cutler, we would NOT have won the Super Bowl. I realize that we are 0-2 with Hanie at the helm, but I'm not worried. He's a good young QB and he's doing the job at hand. And, despite the lack of reps/snaps, he's doing pretty good. Does he need to improve? Yes. Can he get better? Absolutely. Hanie's a quick young learner. But, remember he's the back up. NFL teams don't have the depth that college teams have, so his time actually taking snaps has been limited. Don't forget that.

Second, I'm beginning to think that without Cutler, Mike Martz has already checked out. There are rumours he's not coming back next season. So, maybe he doesn't think that he needs to spend much time with our young back up? I'm not the only one who is speculating that Martz has his mind elsewhere. Maybe that's been the success to Cutler lately? haahaa Seriously, the idea that Martz may have checked out doesn't help Hanie. Martz may be an egotistical asshole, but he needs to be there for his offense UNTIL (if) he leaves. To do otherwise does the Bears a disservice and shows how egotistical he really is.

Third, the people crying for Jay Cutler's return are the SAME PEOPLE WHO BURNED HIS JERSEY after the Championship Game last year. What? Suddenly you realize what he brings to the table? How important he is to the team? Do you believe he's really injured this time because of the cast on his thumb? What's changed your mind? Wait. That's right. MOST OF YOU ARE BANDWAGGONERS! Not all who want him back are bandwaggoners or fair weather fans, but they are the ones that are being very vocal about Jay Cutler's return. The die hard fans - the ones who actually bleed blue and orange - are supporting Caleb Hanie, even if they are a little disappointed with how he's played.

Granted - Hanie hasn't played at the level he's fully capable of, but how many of us have been in the position he's in now? I'm sure there's a little nervousness involved and maybe he's worried he won't be the QB the Bears need.

Caleb Hanie is the QB that the Bears need during Cutler's absence. You may not think we've got time, but we do. We are more than just our QB. He's not the one to solely blame for the losses. Passes were right on the money, but they were dropped.

Could the offense be psychology affected by Cutler's absence that they need time to fully grasp the guy under center is Hanie, even though they believe in him and that he can get the job done? Possibly. It's an adjustment for everyone involved. Hanie throws the ball just different enough from Cutler to confuse the receivers.

Just give Caleb Hanie a break. He's not been the starter for a while and he's going to have to feel his way back to it and I think that he's doing the job we need him to do.

It's the rest of the offense that needs to pick it up.