For much of the offseason, the Bears were actively pursuing a veteran quarterback to back up Jay Cutler and after Todd Collins’ performance last night in Chicago’s 17-3 loss to the Giants, they might want to keep searching.
The Bears knew they weren’t getting much when they signed Collins two weeks before the season started. But they hoped that a) they would never have to play him and b) if they did, he would show some of the veteran poise that made him a reliable backup in other cities.
Unfortunately the Bears did have to play Collins last night and even more unfortunate was how he fared. He completed just 4-of-11 passes for 36 yards and was intercepted once before leaving the game late in the fourth quarter after taking a shot from a defender.
His performance was a painful reminder for the Bears about how unsettled the backup position is behind Cutler. They had drafted former Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour in April, but he failed to impress this spring and was eventually claimed off waivers by the Bengals. That leaves Chicago with Collins, who had to play last night because Jay Cutler was suffering from concussion-like symptoms at halftime, and No. 3 Caleb Hanie.
At this point, the Bears don’t have many options (we’re talking the Brian St. Pierre’s of the world), which is troubling to say the least. Cutler’s injury isn’t believed to be serious, but with the new concussion rules that the NFL has, who knows if he’ll be medically cleared to play for Chicago’s next game. And if he can’t go, that means another four-plus quarters of Collins.
Granted, the Giants’ pass rush is fierce and it was Collins’ first game in quite some time. But nobody wants to see that again. Not Bear fans. Not NFL fans. Not even Todd Collins fans.
Suddenly Brian St. Pierre doesn’t sound that bad.
