Maybe the third time will be a charm.  Super Bowl-bound and free-agent-to-be quarterback Kurt Warner could have been a Chicago Bear way back in 1997.   Warner could be on the Bears’ radar this offseason as Jerry Angelo continues to seek an address the decades-old quest for a legitimate signal caller for the quarterback-challenged Bears.  The Beloved are no further along in settling this position than they were when Jerry took over in 2001.  

As David Haugh reminds us in his Chicago Tribune article:

As legend has it, the quarterback-cursed franchise also lost out in 1997 when Warner had to cancel a tryout with the Bears because of swelling in his right arm caused by a spider bite suffered on his honeymoon. What a tangled quarterback web the Bears have woven since then.

The Bears missed out on another opportunity in 2005, when Warner was a free agent.  The former Super Bowl winner and NFL MVP had the nerve to ask for an assurance from the Bears that he could compete for the starting job.  Not a promise of the starting job, just the opportunity to compete.  They refused because they already had Rex Grossman and would not allow anyone to compete for the starting job.  “Grossman!”  has become my equivalent to Seinfeld’s famous “Newman!” exclamation. 

Next time you ask yourself what Rex Grossman and a spider have in common, besides the creepy eyebrows, you’ve got your answer!