The Jay Cutler controversy that has raged for the last week and a half has largely overshadowed the fact that Bears coach Lovie Smith made a huge mistake in declaring Todd Collins the No. 2 quarterback and Caleb Hanie the No. 3 quarterback for the NFC Championship Game.
When Cutler left the game against the Packers, Collins played horribly -- just as he had in the regular season. When Hanie replaced Collins, he played well enough to spark the Bears and make the game interesting. So why was Collins ahead of Hanie on the depth chart, when Hanie had been ahead of Collins late in the regular season?
“It’s a touchy subject to answer,’' Hanie told David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune. “I was told [the demotion to No. 3] happened in practice during the [off] week. Not that I did bad but that Todd maybe ran things more efficiently. I think the experience factor had a lot to do with it.’'
Hanie acknowledges that he was angry when he found out he was the No. 3 quarterback.
“I was obviously mad but you don’t let that alter the way you go about your business,’' Hanie said.
Bears fans should be mad, too: The Bears’ coaching staff dropped the ball by having Collins ahead of Hanie in the biggest game of the year.