BEARS’ QB CUTLER TO RETURN SUNDAY AGAINST SEATTLE

Chicago Bears’ coach Lovie Smith expressed hope at his Monday press conference that quarterback Jay Cutler would be cleared to return to action at home this weekend against Seattle.  On Tuesday, he got his wish—doctor have cleared Cutler to play following a concussion suffered against the New York Giants on October 3 and is expected to start against the Seahawks this Sunday.  The Bears were anxious to get Cutler back in the lineup as soon as possible following a horrible outing by veteran Todd Collins in the team’s win at Carolina this past weekend.
 
The team hopes to solidify their quarterback situation with Cutler’s return, and multiple sources are reporting that as predicted Collins will be demoted to #3 on the depth chart with Caleb Hanie assuming the backup role.  Hanie, a third year player out of Colorado State, played fairly well after Collins was yanked following his fourth interception against the Panthers.  There are also suggestions that Collins could eventually be released entirely.  Heading into the season the Bears had hoped to carry only two quarterbacks on the roster and they may chose to take the route which would enable them to add depth at another position. Collins was originally signed after Hanie suffered an injury during the preseason.  

On Monday, Smith had effectively ducked questions about the quarterback situation:

"There is no quarterback controversy or anything like that. Todd didn't play as well as he needed to finishing the game and I liked what Caleb Hanie was able to do coming in."

"We'll just continue to watch video, look at the group and see who gives us the best chance to win. We haven't changed anything right now. The same way we went into the game is where everybody is listed right now. We haven't made any of those types of decisions."

Despite missing the Carolina game due to his concussion, Cutler has been a very durable NFL quarterback.  Prior to this incident he’d never missed a game due to injury in his five year career.  Still, the team may want to take a ‘wait and see’ attitude toward both Cutler and Hanie before making any move to release Collins.  Another motivation for keeping Collins could be financial—if the Bears release him they’d be on the hook for his full $1 million 2010 salary even if he should sign with another team.

In the short term, however, Cutler will be back under center this Sunday with Hanie as his backup.  The game has been off the board pending the resolution of Cutler’s status but has now opened with Chicago a -7 point NFL football betting favorite.