Unwittingly, Will Furrer is becoming one of Chicago`s ”fair-haired”
quarterbacks.
That`s what Bears coach Mike Ditka calls any of the backups to the starting quarterback.
The starter, in Ditka parlance, is known as the ”culprit” in the eyes of many insatiable Bears fans.
A fourth-round draft pick from Virginia Tech, Furrer, 24, has performed well in second-half preseason duty the last two weeks, completing 6 of 9 passes for 94 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The 6-foot, 3-inch, 208-pound lefthander was 3-for-5 for 63 yards and 1 TD against New Orleans, and then drilled 3-of-4 for 31 yards and 1 TD last Saturday night in Phoenix.
But he seems genuinely embarrassed-if not dutifully subservient-by the fan support and attention he is receiving as a reliever to starter Jim Harbaugh and incumbent backups Peter Tom Willis and Paul Justin.
”That`s a real problem,” Furrer said Wednesday during a break in two-a- day practices behind Halas Hall. ”I don`t think that is the way it should be. I am not the guy who is out there when the real, real pressure is on. I would advise fans to support the starting quarterback. The starting quarterback needs the support.
”I felt that way in college. Everyone liked the backup quarterback, the guy who was behind me. But I think that when the fans will really get behind a starter, then you will have a great season. A backup quarterback might win one game for somebody. And I am still not even in that role. That`s Peter Tom`s role. So I would hope people would support those two. Hopefully, someday, that will be me.”
Harbaugh, a former backup to Jim McMahon and Mike Tomczak, knows the attitude of some fickle fans.
”I get the cheers, too,” said Harbaugh. ”Chicago fans have always been pretty good to me. I hope everybody gets cheers. That`s the way it should be. I`m cheering for Will and P.T. and for Paul when they go in, so I wouldn`t expect anyone else not to.
”I think Will is doing an outstanding job. He has got his head together really well. I have been impressed by everything he has done and I look forward to watching him again this week.”
Willis practiced Wednesday afternoon after undergoing more tests to determine the cause of his fainting spell last Friday night in Phoenix.
Ditka said Harbaugh will start and play about 1 1/2 quarters Sunday night against Pittsburgh. Willis is slated to play the next 1 1/2 quarters before Justin and Furrer finish up again.
”I am not really sure how that will work out. I will leave that to coach (Greg) Landry,” said Furrer of the Bears` offensive coordinator. ”If they would like to put me in earlier, then that is fine.
”Everything has really gone well. I have had great pass protection and I have had great guys playing with me.
”I think coach Landry has done a great job of keeping me comfortable. He has not thrown everything at me at once. He is keeping things relatively simple. I think that is what you have to do with a young quarterback. If you try to throw everything at them right away, you are going to have confusion and you are not going to have good execution. I have been really lucky so far.”
Furrer completed 494 of 920 passes (53.7 percent) for 5,915 yards and 43 TDs at Virginia Tech. He was intercepted 44 times.
Furrer acknowledges his shortcomings as a Bears rookie.
”The vocabulary and terminology are still giving me trouble,” he said.
”We call some real long plays and until it becomes natural and before I can feel the offense rather than just say it, I think it is going to be tough here. I hope I catch on to things.”
If Furrer is unable to beat out Justin for the third-string job, he could be destined for the five-man developmental squad reserved for rookies or players with less than three NFL games` experience.
”I would like to be along for the ride initially. If that works out, then we will take things from there,” he said.
Furrer was redshirted his freshman year because of a separated left shoulder. He tore a ligament in his right knee as a sophomore. And he missed two games with a knee injury as a senior.
”The health problems in the past came after many games and many blind-side shots. I haven`t had to take too many of those so far,” said Furrer.
”I have been relatively lucky here because we are the scrub squad and we come in late in the game. We are doing a great job up front. I look those guys in the eye-my five offensive linemen-and they just smile at me and say, `Let`s do it again.` They are doing a great job for me and I think that makes my job easier. We just play for fun. We are all fighting for jobs and you just play as hard as you can.”
Furrer and Ditka seem to be on the same page so far.
”I think he`s great. You need to have a coach at this level who will set things straight. He will be honest with you and up front and look you in the eye when he talks to you. Those are characteristics I like in any person,”
Furrer said.
