“Mistake-free” that McD.  Sure, Jay Cutler may have not been the right puzzle piece to the jigsaw here in Denver, and I trust McD’s evaluation of that scenario. However, the Broncos need to right the ship this offseason by bringing in someone with a powerful arm. It was apparent that last season the offensive coaching staff didn’t trust Kyle Orton’s arm enough to let him throw down field. Defenses stuffed the run, let Orton throw short, and quickly forced the Broncos into punting the ball. Orton wasn’t allowed to pass deep often enough to keep opposing defenses honest.

Josh McDaniels wanted a game manager, and that’s what he got in Orton. Orton kept the turnovers to a minimal level at the beginning of the season, but once teams figured out that his arm only goes for so many yards, they gave him those short passes. More than half of Orton’s passes went for 10 yards or less. When it was time for him to go long, he was out of practice, and I think he got the jitters. We need to complement guys like Brandon Marshall (if he’s back), Eddie Royal (nearly non-existent last year), and Jabar Gaffney.

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UPDATE:  As reader Bruce correctly points out, Simms finished the season with the Titans, so they have exclusive negotiating rights with him.  Jerry Angelo can only do what the rest of us can; sit around and hope Simms doesn’t sign with the Titans and enters free agency on February 27th.  Thanks Bruce!

If Jerry Angelo plans to add Chris Simms to the Bears QB mix, he’d better get with it.  Vaughn McClure reports in his Huddle Up blog that Simms is leaning toward signing with the Tennessee Titans.  (more…)

“I said if they need to test me I’ll come out there in February and wear nothing but my skivvies out there if they want.  I don’t care.”

No need to do that Brett; you’ll have plenty of opportunities to do so on the Bears QB merry-go-round over the next 2 years.  Welcome home. 

Considering Jerry Angelo claimed addressing the quarterback situation as a top priority this offseason, I was holding out hope that the Bears might actually be serious.  I’m sure Basanez is a nice kid and the Arlington Heights native is certainly excited about the opportunity to return home, but hopefully this is nothing more than competition for Caleb Hanie’s as the designated clipboard holder, right?  This can’t be the only move the Beloved make for a quarterback, can it?  Here’s to hoping that the Bears have a something more up their sleeve.

”We are in the playoff run right now, so I don’t even want to go there, but tell them to look me up,” Leftwich said. ”I’m a fan of Lovie Smith, I’ll just say that. I thought that was where I was going to go in the beginning. I remember hoping that I would go there. I just wanted to be a part of the tradition, the history of the Bears. You’re growing up, watching games at Soldier Field on TV, I wanted to be a part of that coming out. I thought there was a chance I would go there.

Don’t know if this Gary Coleman look-alike is the answer as the starter, but he is probably as good as the Bears can expect to bring in.  With Donovan McNabb leading the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game, I doubt he’s going anywhere.  Thanks to his Grossman-esque performance on Saturday night against the Cardinals, I’ve heard Panthers’ QB Jake Delhomme might be on the outs in Carolina.   I suppose the Bears will need someone to turn the ball over when it matters most after Rex leaves town.   Based on recent free agent quarterbacks that the Bears have brought in (Kordell Stewart, Jonathan Quinn, Brian Griese, Chad Hutchinson, etc.), my advice to them is simple:   Rent, don’t buy.