http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/20 ... ckers.html

By Brad Biggs

When the Chicago Bears inserted Caleb Hanie into the NFC Championship Game with 57 seconds remaining in the third quarter, it seemed like a curious decision.

Yes, Jay Cutler was unable to play with a sprained MCL in his left knee and backup Todd Collins stunk in two short three-play series. But by turning to Hanie, the designated third quarterback, before the fourth quarter, it ensured the Bears could not play either of their first two quarterbacks in the remainder of the game. Even if Hanie was injured, Cutler and Collins were then ruled out because Hanie had played before the fourth quarter.

As it turns out, Hanie was the only remaining healthy quarterback. According to Albert Breer of NFL.com, Collins suffered a potentially serious shoulder injury on his final snap, an incomplete pass. Packers nose tackle B.J. Raji hit him on the play.
Collins is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Tuesday and surgery could be required, meaning the Bears would be on the hook for rehabilitation for the 39-year-old veteran. It also could signal the end of Collins' career.

The Bears signed Collins to a $1 million, one-year contract in August and offensive coordinator Mike Martz used him as the backup quarterback for all but two weeks of the season.

Bears coach Lovie Smith got into a "who's on first?" routine Monday at his news conference when he was grilled over the ordering of the depth chart at quarterback.

"I like our evaluation of our quarterbacks," Smith said. "You have a No. 1. If he goes down, you have a No. 2. And if that doesn't work, you're able to go to your No. 3. We were able to do that and we ended up with our No. 3 and he was able to put us in position to possibly win that game. So I like our evaluation of our quarterbacks right now."

Should Hanie have been No. 2?

"No, I think you go to No. 2 next," Smith said. "If No. 2 can't do it, you go to No. 3, which we did. I like that sequence."

But because No. 2 struggled doesn't it mean No. 3 should have been No. 2?

"No, that says that No. 2 didn't do that job yesterday and we went to No. 3 and I liked what No. 3 was able to do," Smith said.

I still don't get why people hate Lovie in the media. He is comedic gold.

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because Collins would have continued to play had it not been for the injury

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Todd Collins is obviously a pansy.

He's a quitter.

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Collins was ready to rock. They had to take his helmet away from him to keep him out because he is a warrior.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Just like every other game during the season Todd Collins wanted no part of playing football. I was screaming for Hanie when I saw Cutler looking for a way out of the game.

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Maurice Jones Drew loves Todd Collins.

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What exactly did you see?

U crazy

I saw a guy with a slight limp that didn't appear to be doing all he could to stay in the game. He has to know the Bears offense has no shot with Todd Collins. A leader would do any and everything to stay on the field in that situation. It was Championship game. If it were week 10 it wouldn't be a big deal.

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I hope not. As a running back that played at an elite level with a knee injury for an entire season I'm willing to listen to what he has to say.

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How about when he didnt play week 16 and 17 with the playoffs on the line? Still think he is a credible source?

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What exactly did Cutler say in the locker room at halftime? What did the doctors look at and what they discuss with him?

False. Elite is debatable at best, and he was out the last 2 weeks of the season when his team needed to win to make the playoffs.

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He doesn't have to say anything at halftime. The leader of the team shouldn't be on the sidelines sitting or standing by himself. He should be cheer leading or trying the help in any way possible. Based on the couple dozens times the cameras were on him he wasn't doing that. He wasn't trying to get loose. He wasn't trying to convince the coaches to put him back in the game. He accepted it. It should have taken a stretcher or security removing him from the field for him to leave a championship game considering who was backing him up.

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How does cheerleading get you closer to a championship?

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MJD isn't elite? How many RB's in the league are elite then? I've been as big a meatball as anyone around here and I've also been a huge fan of Cutler's but he didn't show the fight or leadership that I expected. I really believe if some of you were really honest about it you would see the same thing. I saw more passion from Hanie than I saw from Cutler at any point during the game or on the sidelines.

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He was cheerleading. He was on a bike in the 3rd quarter.

Once Hanie went in, no point in trying to get loose any longer, he couldn't go in anyway.

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You know me like that.

Hanie said himself that Cutler was going over things on the sidelines with him. The camera wasnt on Cutler the entire game... Isnt is possible the FOX knew it would get people talking and the director cut to shots of Jay when he was at his most jerkfaceyiest.

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Nas, MJD sat out his team's final 2 games with an injury. He is nothing but a hypocrite for what he said to Cutler. I could not care less about what he has to say on this matter.

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It just may inspire your teammates and it's the right thing to do for the leader of the team. Come on Frank. I know you're a huge Cutler fan (I am too) but you can't really tell me you were happy with his performance while he was playing and when he was on the sidelines. You can't tell me that you wouldn't have wanted to see him try a little harder to stay on the field considering who they had behind him. He was their only chance to win the game. The fact that he didn't do more to stay on the field is troubling to me.

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+1

I think Jay was hoping he could get back in there in the 3rd quarter. Once that door was closed, the day was over for him.

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He was on the bike after his first series and then he called it a day. That was BEFORE Hanie got in the game. He wasn't cheerleading or trying to help Hanie. He was pouting and trying to stay warm.

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It's not. Just ask Spanky. Fox is a citadel of fair and balanced sports reporting. Under no circumstances would they present something in a fashion that would advance a storyline that they put forth prior to that games coverage and I demand an apology from you for sullying the bastion of truth that is Fox Broadcasting.

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You know me like that.

Right after the hanie completion to knox on the one yard line, Cutler was shown standing next to lovie smiling.

What leads you to believe that? The way he was working with the trainers? How he was lobbying Lovie? How he took a shot or some pain pills? The brace he had on his knee. Let me guess it was the way he was sitting and standing by himself that screamed he still wanted to play? Nope it was the effort he gave during that first series in the 2nd half. Now that I think about it I saw the same think. I saw the heart and leadership from the leader of the team.

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Propaganda? That really explains it. I was wondering how they continued to get shot after shot of him like that.

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YES.

YES.

YES.

They should have done him a favor and put him in a body cast.

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You know me like that.

I saw a shot of him sitting by himself on the bench that they had on recording for about 5 seconds. I saw him next to Hanie, next to Lovie, on the bike. Pretty easy to get a shot of a guy sitting on the bench for 5 seconds. I'll bet every Bear sits on the bench from time to time, especially when they are injured.

So, people are mad that he walking around, mad that he was sitting on the bench, Cutler is really screwed in this town.

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You know me like that.