I promise to stop talking about
the Bears after this. Really. It’s just that sportswriters, with nothing
better to do are jumping on the Nick Foles’ bandwagon. Guys, a little perspective. Please
The journeyman quarterback doesn’t
make the team better all by himself, but a good team with a solid offense in
place—and ditto on defense—can put a journeyman quarterback to good use. Does anyone out there remember Earl Morrall,
who had a ho-hum NFL career until he landed on the Colts in 1968? Baltimore needed a fill-in for the injured
Johnny Unitas, and did the 34-year old Morrall ever deliver, leading his fifth pro
team to a 13-1 record (before a rather famous loss to Joe Namath and the Jets
in Super Bowl III).
It’s worth noting Baltimore went
11-1-2 the year before Morrall’s arrival; that’s a little different than the
8-8 Bears Foles is coming to. Morrall
played for one more NFL team, the Dolphins.
In 1972, Morall went 9-0 with Miami.
Did I mention that was the year the Dolphins ran the schedule, 14-0 in
the regular season and 3-0 in the playoffs?
Do you know who coached Morrall in both Baltimore and Miami? Don Shula, that’s who. Now, compare Shula to…
For those fans who break out into
a sweat having to go back fifty years, fine.
Then consider Matt Cassel who went 10-5 for the Patriots in 2008 subbing
the injured Tom Brady. Once Brady got
heathy, New England shipped Cassel off to Kansas City, where he went 19-28 over
the next four seasons. You could say
those Chiefs weren’t those Patriots.
Not that the Bears would
care. No, all they want is to catch
lightning in a bottle, somebody like Alex Smith, who went 38-36 for the 49ers
before going 50-26 in five seasons with the Chiefs. In fact, the Munsters considered bringing in
the soon-to-be 36-year Smith old before ultimately settling on Foles. No doubt the “brain trust” at Halas Hall
thinks Foles will be the next Smith.
Maybe, but Smith had Andy Reid as his coach in KC.
And the Bears have who again?
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