Baffoe: Remain Calm, Bears Fans, All Is Well
By Tim Baffoe-
(CBS) I feel a bit like Kevin Bacon's character, Chip Diller, in the film Animal House, and not just because I'm a snooty jerk who knows he's better than you and may or may not have a fetish for corporal punishment initiation ceremonies.
Bedlam has gripped Bears fans as Jay Cutler's thumb injury now puts their team's season on the brink of destruction. Those fans are running through the streets in every which direction with no regard for looking at the situation logically, and I stand amid them begging, pleading for them to remain calm and that all is well.
I think. Here's why.
The Cutler injury is no death sentence for the Bears. If the injury had to occur, doing so when the Bears are 7-3 would be the most opportune time. That's a fairly comfortable record for a team to have, and four of the Bears next six games are against Kansas City, Denver, Seattle, and Minnesota, and they have a combined record of 15-24. That's bad football.
Thank you, sir. May I have another?
Well, Oakland is up next, and while they have played some good football since Carson Palmer took over as quarterback, they are certainly no juggernaut. Palmer, in fact, has a worse completion percentage this year and more interceptions in two fewer games than the injured Jason Campbell, whom many regard as average at best.
For a defense that has played well of late, Oakland still gives up the sixth most points per game in the league and the ninth most yards per game. As long as the Bears can do their bend-don't-break thing on defense, beating the Raiders is very much realistic.
Thank you, sir. May I have another?
The Packers are the other opponent of those remaining six games, and the Bears travel to Lambeau for the second to last game of the season. With their 10-0 record they are a lock for winning the NFC North and will most likely have home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The only laurel that team might be concerned with now is an undefeated regular season. Playing on the road versus the Lions and Giants the next two games poses a serious threat to that. Even if the Pack has no losses by the time the Bears show up, though, I feel like Mike McCarthy, a very good and intelligent coach, may favor resting his starters over something essentially meaningless like 16-0. The Bears could get very lucky in that sense.
Three to four wins is very, very possible for the Cutler-less Bears, folks. Hell, if Tim Tebow can win NFL games, Caleb Hanie certainly can.
Thank you, sir. May I have another?
Ah, yes, Mr. Hanie. The backup that several fans said during the offseason and preseason should "get a shot" -- as stupid fans tend to do concerning backup quarterbacks.
We saw Hanie hold his own overall when he had to take over for an injured Cutler against the Packers in last season's NFC Championship. He was by no means perfect, but he certainly was not the Abortion of Todd Collins (great punk band, by the way).
Hanie is a capable backup quarterback and is more than able to lead this team to wins, or at least not cause them losses. How do I know this other than the NFC Championship evidence?
Mike Martz doesn't like him, and he's still on the team. Having a roster spot when your coach does not want you and you don't have a humongous contract says something.
Also, remember the last time a Bears quarterback was anti Martz? It was Jay Cutler a few weeks ago. After Cutler told Martz to go bleep himself and made it clear that changes to the offense had to be made, that was when Cutler became the quarterback the Bears traded for.
Why can't Hanie, another non-Martz ideal guy, do good things until Cutler returns, as Lovie Smith has said Cutler will? Especially when the offensive line seems to finally be playing the way a pro one should, and the receiving corps is not actually looking like the joke everyone assumed they were. Having Matt Forte is a nice little safety blanket as well.
So, again, remain calm. All is well… probably. And I would appreciate you not trampling me or anyone else thinking about Thumbpocalypse rationally.
Tim Baffoe attended the University of Iowa and Governors State University and began blogging at The Score after winning the 2011 Pepsi Max Score Search. He enjoys writing things about stuff, but not so much stuff about things. When not writing for 670TheScore.com, Tim corrupts America's youth as a high school English teacher and provides a great service to his South Side community delivering pizzas (please tip him and his colleagues well). You can follow Tim's inappropriate brain droppings on Twitter @Ten_Foot_Midget , but please don't follow him in real life. He grew up in Chicago's Beverly To read more of Tim's blogs click here.
