Jay Cutler. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
By Dan McNeil-
I’ve heard it suggested that Jason Campbell is the best backup quarterback in this year’s NFL — and that maybe the former Raider and Redskin is better than any No. 2 the Bears have ever had.
That’s tantamount to the proclamation that Jay Cutler is the best starter in Bears history. One need not squint to see how low the bar previously was set.
But if Lovie Smith thinks Campbell’s helmsmanship is as effective as advertised, his decision for Monday night’s game in San Francisco should be easy. Campbell starts and Cutler wears civilian clothes. Even if he isn’t as wobbly as he was after the Texans’ Tim Dobbins laid him out on Soldier Field’s soggy, clumpy turf last Sunday night.
The 49ers game is one the Bears weren’t supposed to win with Cutler.
Why compromise the back end of the schedule by scrambling your starter’s eggs even more? Four of the Bears’ last six games are against NFC North teams. Those are more meaningful.
Coaches, of course, seldom approach their weekly assignments that way.
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