Chicago Bears' Offseason Analysis: The Quarterbacks

Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play baseball in the major leagues.

World War II.

"Crazy man, Crazy" becomes Americas first rock and roll hit, the Cuban missile crisis, John F. Kennedy is assassinated.

The Beatles arrive in America, Apollo 11 lands on the moon, the first apple home computer is sold, the AIDS virus was discovered.

These are all just a few things that have happened since the last time the Chicago Bears had a hall of fame quarterback.

If you didn't know already the man I was referring to in the reference above was none other then legendary quarterback Sid Luckman

Now, as much as I hate Sid Luckman references and cliches, it's a sad reality to one of the most inconsistent positions in the entire history of the Bears.

The quarterback position for the Bears is one of the most debated and controversial positions on the roster and not exactly a "Bright" spot of many conversations.

If your reading this and are a Bears fan then you know what its like to hear other teams mention how well their Brady, Manning brothers, McNabb, Rivers, Brees, Warner, etc did on Sunday's game.

You also then know what it's like to feel more left out than a salad on Rosie O' Donnell's dinner plate.

Since 1979, there have been more than 70 quarterback changes for the Bears and 55 changes since the '85 Bears won the Super Bowl.

In our next session of the Bears' offseason analysis, we will wrap up the offensive side of the ball with a look at the quarterbacks on the roster headed into 2009.

Look for the Bears to possibly draft a QB in April's draft towards the later rounds to compete for the third string job or add depth in the practice squad.

2009 will be the first year that Rex Grossman will not be competing in a Bears uniform, thus ending the "Sexy Rexy" era.

Please let us bow our heads and take a moment of silence marking the end of this majestical journey.

R.I.P.   Rex Grossman    2003-2008

"May your next adventure with the Lions, Bengals, or sizzler be a joyful one."

We will start our quarterback analysis with the first string down to the third string.

Kyle Orton No. 18         6'4"         College-Purdue

Orton will be looking to come into the league as the Bears starter for the second year in a row.

In his first game as the season's starter, Oton led the Bears to a 29-13 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Orton was picked up by the Bears in the fourth round in the 2005 draft.

Many fans remember Kyle getting to see the field early because of Grossman's injured ankle. Orton threw for 1,869 yards that year with 9 TDs and 13 INTs.

Orton became only the second rookie quarterback since 1970 to win 10 starts.

Let's not forget that those wins were mainly because Orton had a Bears defense that ranked as high as second in the NFL that year.

In Kyle's first season as a starter, in 2008, he threw for a career high 2,972 yards with 18 TDs and 12 INTs.

Kyle's mechanics were much improved from his previous seasons and seemed to be more comfortable in the pocket. Although Kyle's skills have improved, he has been criticized over the season for his lack of ability to throw the deep ball.

I'm not a strength-and-conditioning coach, but hopefully for fans and his WR's this a skill that can be developed in the offseason.

As Matt pointed out in our previous WR analysis, Orton will have the same TE pair but some new faces to throw to next season with Hester looking to be his No. 1 target.   

Kyle has a 21-12 win loss record with the Bears and looks to solidify his career in 2009 with the Bears.

The 2009 season will look to be a make or break for not just Kyle but for the entire Bears organization.

With only one year remaining on his contract Orton will look to prove to his team, coaches and fans that he can be the No. 1 guy for many years to come.

Now, if this happens or not will remain to be seen.

Caleb Hanie No. 12     6'2"  225 lbs      College-Colorado state

This link is Caleb Hanie's NFL preseason debut.

Caleb Hanie was signed by the Bears as an un drafted free agent in 2008.

Colorado state fans know Caleb very well for his 6,337 career passing yards and 39 TDs.

In his last year at Colorado State, Hanie threw for 2,455 yards with 18 TDs and 15 INTs.

Although Hanie did not see the field as the third sting quarterback in 2008 he showed signs of promise in the 2008 pre season.

Hanie brings a mobile type quarterback to the roster in '09.

In his preseason debut against the Chiefs, Haine had two rushes for 21 yards. That was more than all three fullbacks and three yards shy of Matt Forte's performance that game.

Hanie finished out his preseason with 321 yards passing with 2 TDs and 2 INTs.

Hanie could have a chance to see the field in '09 if we wins the No. 2 spot, barring any injury to Orton.

Hanie will need to work on his timing routes with the wide outs and fine tune his accuracy.

Caleb will look to continue developing as a young quarterback in the NFL and will battle our next quarterback in our analysis for the No.  2 spot.

Brett Basanez  No.14    6'2"   210 lbs      College-Northwestern                

Brett was signed by the Bears in February of the 2008 offseason. Basanez was an undrafted free agent signed by the Carolina Panthers in 2006.

In three seasons in the NFL, Brett has only played one game.

Brett made his NFL debut in a loss against the Steelers going 6-for-11 with 56 yards passing and one INT.

Although Brett has set many college records at Northwestern he has yet to carry that success over into the NFL.

It's obvious that Angelo sees something in Brett that he thinks he can develop. (I know I could go many ways with that thought, but I'll save it for another time.)

Basanez spent last season on the Panthers practice squad and will be looking for a change with the Bears in '09.

Brett will be looking to battle Hanie for the second string spot on the roster but will most likely end up third.

As we wrap up the offensive side of the off season analysis for the Bears, 2009 will look to definitely be a very high or low year for the Bears.

The Bears will be looking to get back into the playoffs since their Super Bowl appearance in 2006.

Do they have they right players to make an impact on offense?

Will they choose they right players in the draft?

Will Kyle Orton finally silence his critics?

Only time will tell.

In our next offseason analysis Matt will begin on the defensive side of the ball with the D-line.