Come To Think Of It...Cheapskate Bears Lose Out On Matt Cassel

Back in December, Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo stated, in no uncertain terms, that the quarterback position was the team's top offseason priority.

Responding to media criticism about the Bears' lack of talented wideouts, Angelo said "I know that there's going to be a lot of talk about our No. 1 receiver [but] guys, it starts with the quarterback," Angelo said. "We have to get the quarterback position stabilized. And we're fixated on that."

So what did they do when the New England Patriots Matt Cassel becomes available?

Stand idly by and watch the Kansas City Chiefs acquire him.

So much for fixation.

Now, all of a sudden, Kyle Orton is their man. And Angelo is backtracking, saying things to the effect that he never meant to imply that he didn't have confidence in Orton.

Well, then, just what the hell was the purpose of that diatribe?

Look, there's no certainty that Orton won't develop into a decent starting quarterback. After all, he did pretty well until hurting his ankle. Then, after that, he was pretty bad. 

Likewise, there's no guarantee that Cassel will turn into The Next Big Thing at quarterback.

But, Cassel completed over 63 percent of his passes for 3,693 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions after taking over for Tom Brady.

And he played very well down the stretch, throwing eight touchdowns and just one interception as New England won its final four games to finish with an 11-5 record.

Hey, the Bears had to know that Cassel was available. By hanging the franchise tag on him, the Pats were on the hook for $14.65 million this year if they had kept him.

And, let's not forget, they have a certain quarterback you may have heard of, who's not so bad himself, in Tom Brady, coming back and hopefully healthy.

But here's the real kicker: The Kansas City Chiefs acquired Cassel and linebacker Mike Vrabel for a second round draft pick in this year's draft.

Granted, the Bears have a lot of needs that the draft could help fill, so a draft pick is important to them.

But there's no guarantee they will pick players that will have an immediate impact. Certainly not the immediate impact that Cassel would have provided.

You see, it's not only the $14 million and change that the Bears were unwilling to spend.

If they had acquired a real quarterback, they would have been under pressure to go out and acquire a true number one receiver. And that would have cost money and/or players too.

Lovie Smith recently said his team needs a number two. So I guess in his mind Devin Hester is a number one. Well, he could be. Maybe. Someday. But not now.

So if the Bears had actually made such a bold move to bring in a real QB, then they would need a real receiver.

Ah, but the Bears don't think boldly. They're content to wish and hope.

Meanwhile, we have Brett Basanez. Wake the neighbors, alert the media, the savior is here! 

Which will leave the Bears wondering "what if..." when the season ends, come to think of it.