Injured starting quarterback Jay Cutler walks the sideline to speak to his replacement Caleb Hanie. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
From Matt Abbatacola
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(WSCR) Five short weeks ago, the Bears were 7-3, on a five-game winning streak and appeared to be cruising to the team’s second-straight playoff berth.
And then Jay Cutler went down. And then Matt Forte went down, too.
The affects of Cutler’s loss have been far-reaching, and the Bears’ many weaknesses have been exposed by an inexperienced and under-prepared back up quarterback in Caleb Hanie. When Cutler went down, there simply wasn’t anyone to replace him, forcing the Bears into a downward spiral, ultimately costing them their season.
Former Bears wide out Dennis McKinnon joined The Matt Abbatacola Show to share some of this thoughts on the organization he spent seven seasons with — and won a Super Bowl with in 1985.
“I’ve heard every excuse known to man come out of Halas Hall,” McKinnon said. “As a former player, it’s insulting. It’s embarrassing in terms of what we are supposed to be.”
LISTEN: Dennis McKinnon on The Matt Abbatacola Show
For the rest of this interview and other 670 The Score interviews click here.
While the Bears did lose their two most productive offensive members, McKinnon said that’s no excuse for a team playing as poorly as the Bears have played.
“Injuries happen to everybody, but a lot of times you can plug in players who have been with your system for awhile and they’ll play pretty well. We have too many guys that just want to look at themselves on camera and don’t play on Sundays. Marion Barber? I thought he was a power back. Power backs don’t run out of bounds.
“I don’t understand this offense. I’ve found people didn’t realize how great (Cutler) was on this offense until he was gone. The problem I have, and I think all Bear fans have, is how, from a personnel standpoint, could you not know what kind of quarterback you had behind Cutler, for one? And two, personnel-wise, development happens over a period of time. Hanie was here for four years and was still as awful as the first day we brought him here. … Your backup should never be this bad. … A lot of times, when you have a weak link in the chain, as we did when we went to our backup quarterback, your offense is supposed to make plays to cover up. A lot of guys didn’t step up when Cutler went down, offensively.”
