Are Cutler’s Backups Good Enough?

Bears fans finally have a franchise quarterback to call their own. They don’t, however, have another quarterback on the roster with any meaningful NFL experience. Caleb Hanie has “clearly taken control” of the team’s backup quarterback competition over Brett Basanez. Combined, they have thrown 11 passes as pros, all by Basanez in Carolina. Hanie is a second year undrafted player who was responsible for Caleb “Hania” in Chicago last preseason, largely because of the city’s collective distaste for Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman. Offensive coordinator Ron Turner admits that Hanie and Basanez are also competing with a possible veteran addition. “They’re competing against each other first, but there are a lot of guys out there -- well, not a lot maybe. There are some guys out there.” The “guys out there” might be the problem. It would make sense to pair Cutler and Hanie with a sage veteran in the Mark Brunell phase of his career, but there aren’t many options. Gus Frerotte, Cleo Lemon, J.P. Losman, and Tim Rattay are among the best available. Considering those names, the Bears may simply roll with Cutler and pray for the best if Hanie has to play. This is the sort of high class problem the Bears haven’t worried about in a long time.