Preseason Week 2: The Search For Jay's Backup Continues

By: Nick Kapetan (@KapN93)

Fans never want to hear that their team’s second string quarterback is starting a regular or postseason game. For most teams, if the backup QB laces it up and begins to take a majority of the snaps under center, they begin to kiss their chances of winning the game good-bye. Luckily for some teams, the number two signal caller never sniffs the field unless the club is up by an unorthodox amount of points.

Most people could not tell you that Jim Sorgi was slotted behind Peyton Manning on the depth chart in Indianapolis from 2004-2009. Sorgi, who played in 16 career games with the Colts over that span of time, never started a game in his career.

While situations like Indianapolis faced for the better half of a decade do occur, most organizations do not face that same luxury.  It has become a necessity for teams to sign or draft quarterbacks that could hold their own when their number is called. No place is this more true than in Chicago.

Since the Bears acquired Jay Cutler in 2009, he has played in every single regular season game only once. Everyone knows about the season ending injury the quarterback sustained against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game years ago. Countless times during the Cutler era in Chicago, the Bears’ season has gone down the tubes due to the lack of quality options behind their face of the franchise; until last season.

After barely seeing any time on the field for the Bears in his first two seasons in the Windy City, veteran Josh McCown was given the reigns when Cutler went down last year. While people began counting down the days until Cutler’s return, McCown thrived in Marc Trestman’s offense. The Bears transformed their image from a punishing defense to a lively offense. The backup picked up right where Cutler left off and took advantage of the plethora of weapons general manager Phil Emery assembled on the roster.

After McCown signed a worthy deal that gave him a substantial raise in Tampa Bay, the Bears began their search for Trestman’s next project. Jordan Palmer, who served as a third quarterback on the roster for parts of the 2013 season, was given a chance early in the summer but the organization showed they did not possess enormous faith in him by signing Notre Dame standout Jimmy Clausen.

As far as we know, Palmer could have been a capable backup for the Bears. He understands the offense and showed flashes in the past of being a quality number two or three. Last week he was 8 for 11 for 104 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Not eye-popping numbers but still nothing special. While he has very little mobility and his arm is average at best, he is not much worse than Sorgi was in Indianapolis.

The difference is that the Colts were never worried that Sorgi would see the field. They could have had incredibly immobile/ should have been an offense lineman from the start, Jared Lorenzen as their number two and would have been fine. Unlike the Colts, the Bears are fearful that they might have to turn to their number two at some point this season. If history teaches us anything, their fear is warranted. That is why they decided to sign Clausen.

Clausen impressed many in his Bears debut last week. Granted he went against mostly second and third stringers, Clausen showed incredible presence in the pocket. He managed the game like an aging veteran, displaying his ability to make decisions on the fly. His 150 yards and two touchdowns on 13 passes catapulted him into the lead for the number two job. While he may be the newest member of the quarterback group, Clausen has shown that he has picked up Trestman’s playbook and has the knowledge of tinkering different plays after he breaks the huddle.

Clausen is the man to keep your eye on this week as he will most likely received the most reps against the second and third strings on defense for the Jaguars. It will be interesting to see if he can build off the momentum he created last week, and if he truly put his horrendous past behind him.

In 2010 for the Carolina Panthers, Clausen was terrible. His 58.4 QBR and three touchdowns and nine interceptions do not do justice on how lost the rookie looked during his first taste of NFL action. Clausen could not make the necessary adjustments after seeing how the defense was lined up during a particular play. Underthrown ball after underthrown ball would come from Clausen’s hand prompting the franchise that drafted him to quickly lose faith in their second round selection.

Marc Trestman is all about second chances and his offense is all about catering to the strengths of whoever the quarterback is. The Bears cannot leave it to chance that they will be okay all season with a healthy Jay Cutler. They need a guy that can step in and lead the team to the playoffs if Cutler suffers another injury. Clausen is hoping his performance tonight is another step in the right direction, in his pursuit of being that guy.

Nick Kapetan hosts The Sports ReKap with his co-host DJ Vogt. The show will begin airing again in September on MarquetteWire.org.

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