Shouldn’t the Bears be concerned about the backup quarterback situation? It’s apparent that this team is one Jay Cutler injury away from big trouble. Shouldn’t they sign a veteran like Indy just did with Kerry Collins?
— Jeff Bergstrom, Rockford
Just because a quarterback is experienced does not mean he is a better option than a quarterback who has not played a lot, like Caleb Hanie. The Bears are doing the right thing by making a commitment to Hanie. His performances have been a little uneven this year, but unless he gets on the field in games and makes mistakes the Bears will never know what he is capable of. If you look at the list of available veteran quarterbacks, you won’t be impressed. Aside from Marc Bulger, who is telling teams he won’t play anymore, there is nothing close to a quarterback you can count on. The bottom line is most teams are going to have a severe dropoff if the starting quarterback goes down. The Bears are probably going to be in that group.
I just finished reading your response to a question regarding Chris Williams moving back to left tackle and couldn’t help but wonder how he compares to the other tackles that were drafted in 2008. It looks as if Williams was third out of seven in the first round, but would he rank that high in hindsight?
— Greg, Chicago
Williams was the third tackle chosen that year. He was taken with the 14th pick, behind Jake Long, who went first, and Ryan Clady, who went 12th. Those two players clearly were the best two. If the Bears had been picking 12th instead of 14th, they would have had Clady. None of the offensive tackles taken after Williams have become stars, so it’s not like the Bears had an egregious oversight. You can make a case that the Bears would have been better served taking Jeff Otah, who went 19th to the Panthers and is an established right tackle, Sam Baker, who went 21st to the Falcons and is an established left tackle, or Duane Brown, who went 26th to the Texans and is an established left tackle. Brandon Albert and Gosder Cherlius also were chosen after Williams, Albert by the Chiefs at No. 15 and Cherlius by the Lions at No. 17, but both have had their ups and downs.
I agree with your recent comments regarding Roy Williams as a “role player” at WR, even though it appears the Bears brought him in to compete for a starting position. This all reminds me of David Terrell, who I think was miscast as a starter for the Bears a few years ago. Do you see any similarities between Williams and Terrell in their play, and do you agree that they were both miscast at starters in the NFL? Physically they appear similar in that they’re tall and athletic but appear to drop too many passes over the middle.
— Dean R., Champaign
It’s not a bad comparison, Dean. Both seem to have problems with their focus. I really believe Williams’ hands are pretty good. I just think he doesn’t concentrate enough. And he doesn’t work as hard as he should. Both players might have a little of the delusional receiver mentality that afflicts many big-name pass catchers in the NFL.
As a fan I am very pleased with the progress Mike Tice has made with the performance of the Bears’ offensive line, but am extremely disappointed in the lack of development of a reliable, over-the-top receiver, which seems imperative in Mike Martz’s offense. Do you feel the Bears can effectively compete this year without a reliable, over-the-top receiver emerging?
— Gerald Healy, Rugby, N.D
If I had to choose between the Bears developing the offensive line and the Bears developing a “reliable, over-the-top receiver,” I would choose the offensive line any day. They can go a lot farther with a line that can run block and pass protect. So far the offensive line results have been very encouraging. If the Bears continue to run block as well as they have, that will take pressure off the passing game and help open things up for the receivers. I’m not giving up on Johnny Knox yet, and I don’t think the Bears will, either. I expect that at some point, maybe very soon, Martz will build Knox back up again, embrace him and make him his guy.
Are the Bears giving any consideration to playing both Henry Melton and Amobi Okoye at the same time?
— Michael P. Shelley
Coaches are keeping that close to the vest, but if they aren’t considering playing Melton and Okoye at the same time, they should be in certain situations. Their best pass-rushing line on nickel downs looks like it will be Julius Peppers and Corey Wootton at the end positons with Melton and Okoye inside. That isn’t to discount the value of Anthony Adams, Matt Toeaina and others, but Melton and Okoye together inside would give the Bears more juice.
In last week’s mailbag you wrote about the retired-numbers situation. However, you neglected to mention the expanded rosters this season was a one-time deal. After this year, training camp rosters will go back a maximum of 80 so the Bears will have at least seven numbers available to retire, which they should. Did you know the Bears have more Hall of Famers than any other franchise in any of the three major professional American sports? We need to celebrate more of these legends with the ultimate honor of retiring their numbers so that Bears fans and non-Bears fans will be more informed about the incredible amount of greatness that has graced this franchise. My top candidates: 1. Mike Singletary (50) 2. Mike Ditka (89) 3. George Trafton (13) 4. Stan Jones (78) 5. Doug Atkins (81) 6. Dan Fortmann (21) 7. George Musso (16).
Singletary has a great chance since no Bears player has worn his number to my recollection since he retired. Do you know who makes the ultimate decision on retiring numbers? Is it Virginia McCaskey? Can Bears fans make a petition to someone in the organization?
— Joe Lyman, Akron, Ohio
Even with an 80-man roster, the Bears would be hard-pressed to retire more numbers, Joe. The problem is there are number restrictions — players at each position are supposed to wear a number within a range of numbers. So the more numbers you retire, the more limited you are. This is especially true of higher numbers, which are worn by offensive and defensive linemen, receivers and tight ends. With 13 numbers already retired, the Bears will be very judicious about retiring any more. And any decision about retiring a number is approved by team ownership. So if you want to petition someone, I would start with chairman of the board George McCaskey.
