By Adam McGill
Chicago quarterback Caleb Hanie’s three interceptions last week made most people cringe, but after closer inspection these numbers are deceiving. The 26-year old struggled with underneath routes the whole game and even threw 3 picks in his first career start. He also only completed 18 of his 36 passes and a 50 percent passing percentage is not something to brag about. However, despite all of this, Hanie still made several game changing plays.
The Chicago Bears only lost 25-20 to a very hot Oakland team and the kid from Colorado State stepped in immediately to fill in Jay Cutler. Hanie managed to throw for 254 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game, including an 81-yard connection with Johnny Knox. Shockingly, Hanie was able to hit the speedster in stride 50 yards downfield, a throw that only a small percentage of the quarterbacks in the NFL can make. It is promising to see him throw the ball downfield so effortlessly, as most new quarterbacks tend to be over-cautious when throwing the ball more than ten yards downfield.
Even though Hanie had little NFL experience, his 50 rushing yards on 5 scrambles made him look more mobile than Cutler. Mobility is a very important part to the Bears’ quarterback position since their offensive line is among the worst in the league and it will force him to leave the pocket often. Hanie has shown the he can play behind this make-shift line, which is important because it is hard for a quarterback to complete passes on his back.
Hanie is not an everyday fantasy starter, but the youngster could definitely have value in two quarterback leagues, especially for Joe Flacco or Alex Smith owners. He will air it out often with his collection of speedy receivers and he will only get more confident as the weeks go on. He is a guy to keep an eye on heading into the playoffs and could warrant a couple of spot starts for owners who need to fill a spot at the top of their lineup.
