Countdown to Kickoff… Mike Tomczak Days Until Chicago Bears Season Opener
New Chicago Bear Trent Edwards stretches before practice (Photo courtesy of Chicago Tribune)
We decided to do a countdown to the Chicago Bears season opener on September 8th versus the Cincinnati Bengals. Thanks to one of our Twitter followers, we decided to combine the countdown with a roster preview of sorts.
We only have to wait 18 more days until the start of the Chicago Bears season. That’s Mike Tomczak days away for you old-schoolers out there like me. If you’re from the new school, and I mean the really new school, that’s newly acquired quarterback Trent Edwards days away. Let’s get to know the 4th quarterback and look back to the T-zach era.
The Bears brought Trent Edwards in to compete for the third quarterback spot after Matt Blanchard broke a knuckle in his left hand. A team can’t get through the preseason without at least three quarterbacks. Considering that head coach Marc Trestman announced that neither Jay Cutler nor Josh McCown will play in the preseason finale, both Edwards and Jordan Palmer will split reps to try to make an impression on Bears coaches or any of the other 31 teams to get a shot somewhere.
Edwards has started 33 games over his 5 seasons as a journeyman, splitting time between Buffalo, Jacksonville and Philadelphia. He had his best run in Buffalo, where he started 32 games over 4 seasons. His best year was in 2008 where he passed for nearly 2700 yards and 11 touchdowns for a QB rating of 85.4. (For the record, Jay Cutler’s career average QB rating is 84 while posting an 81.9 during his 4 seasons with the Bears.
Of the two guys the Bears brought in, I think Edwards has the best chance to actually contribute and keep the Bears afloat if Jay went down. He’s spent time in west coast systems, so keep an eye out for him.
Going old school, you can’t think of #18 and not think of Mike Tomczak. T-zach was a rookie for the ’85 Bears, backup up Jim McMahon and Steve Fuller. Tomczak was an undrafted free agent out of Ohio State. While he didn’t play during the regular season, he got some playing time in the Bears’ 46-10 win over the Patriots in Super Bowl XX. He started 31 games for the Bears from 1986-1990, throwing 31 touchdowns and 47 interceptions in that span.
Other notable 18’s include Kyle Orton and the scrappy receiver currently becoming a Bengals folk hero, Dane Sanzenbacher.
We’re just 18 days until kickoff. Are you ready???
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