Sunday, December 15, 2013

Bears auditioning QBs for the Browns today?

Bear with me here. (No pun intended.) I live in Chicago, so am subjected to nonstop Bears, Blackhawks, and Bulls chatter in the local media and around all my Chicago-based friends and coworkers. (Those who aren't talking about the Packers, Lions, Tigers, Brewers, Cardinals, Indians, Buckeyes, Boilermakers, Badgers, Wolverines, Spartans, or Rams non-stop, which now that I think about it in this melting pot of the midwest, is only about 40% of them.)


And trust me, the Bears fan base is just about done with Jay Cutler. Personally, I find that hard to believe, because every time I watch him play (and I've seen him a couple times from the upper deck of Soldier Field,) I had been marveling over his arm strength, particularly when compared to the nonstop parade of dink-and-dunk Browns QBs, culminating most recently in Colt McCoy. I'd say watching Cutler made me most optimistic about the drafting of Brandon Weeden last year, for arm strength alone. Of course, it hasn't worked out that way for Weeden. But in many ways, it hasn't worked out that way for Cutler either.

It's, of course, not that Jay Cutler hasn't gotten some success in Chicago--he just hasn't quite led them to the promised land. Of course he is beaten like a rented mule most times he gets behind the shoddy Bears offensive line, and he has suffered his share of injuries. Yet the fans (and other players) relentlessly pile on him, even when injured, most famously when he was injured in the NFC Championship game vs. the Packers in January 2011, didn't return, and sat on the bench with a case of Jay Cutler Face, taking hits from other players and fans through social media. Turns out, he also had a case of a sprained MCL. Since then, he has broken his thumb, suffered concussions, and torn his groin. But he always smiles through it. (Note: no he doesn't. See above for the closest he gets to a smile.)

Anyway--even more than his face, his turnovers are what have Bears fans ready to turn the page, and specifically turn it to backup Josh McCown. I don't think the Bears' front office is on that train yet...but rushing Cutler back, against a suffering opponent in the form of our Browns....seems like the Bears wouldn't mind if the Browns front office considers a little Cutler infusion to help their QB situation in 2014. Although, to that end, they should probably run McCown out there for a few series, as Mike Lombardi might want to get first-hand eyes on him as well. 

Well shoot, I am not even close to convinced any of the QBs in the draft is the answer for Cleveland--at least not in a top-five spot. So might as well get the binoculars and the tape machine out, Mike.