Sure, you would rather have Jim McMahon. The Bears need a good story and McMahon playing again for Mike McCaskey would make everybody forget 1-3. Sid Luckman would be a better story. Vince Evans might be best. Who knows the Raiders better?
Dave Krieg.
Jim Harbaugh had his chance. Didn’t fit the job, sort of like Harry Truman. The Bears could have kept Mike Tomczak or Steve Walsh or Doug Flutie or Paul Justin or Will Furrer.
Dave Krieg is in the right place at the right time.
This is why he was hired. At the moment, it looks like one of the few things Dave Wannstedt is glad he did.
Krieg has done this before. In 1994, with the Lions looking for any excuse they could to bench a struggling Scott Mitchell, Mitchell happened to get hurt as the Lions were sliding to 4-5. Krieg won five of the last seven games and put the Lions into the playoffs.
In 1992, with the pre-Joe Montana Chiefs searching for help, Krieg left the Seahawks, started all 16 games and put them into the playoffs at 10-6.
In 1995, he went to Arizona and got sacked 53 times in the name of Buddy Ryan. That he lived to tell about it is testimony enough to his credentials as a pro football player. A witness to the carnage, Bears tight ends coach Ted Plumb said Krieg deserved a medal of honor. Rarely had he seen such resiliency.
Krieg is a streak quarterback. He throws hot and cold. The Bears need a hot streak that few other candidates could offer right now. The Bears are the 12th NFL team to need their backup quarterback and the season is only one-fourth over.
Maybe you would prefer Elvis Grbac. If he brought Jerry Rice with him, yes. Same with Brad Johnson if he brought Cris Carter. Steve Beuerlein? Krieg has more fire. Todd Collins? Krieg has more experience.
This will be Krieg’s 22nd start against the Raiders. His record against them is 11-8.
Next week, the Bears play Green Bay. Hmmmm, let’s see. Krieg is 5-0 against the Packers in the regular season. The guy grew up in Wisconsin and explained that playing against the Packers always gets him juiced.
Krieg has played more games in a dome than even Erik Kramer has, so taking his 3-2 record against the Vikings to Minnesota won’t intimidate him.
Later, the Bears play the Broncos, Chiefs and Chargers, AFC West teams he has faced 23, 16 and 19 times.
Jack Trudeau is out there. Mark Rypien is out there.
If the Bears really want to ditch the season, blow a new stadium deal, ruin the franchise, become the Cleveland Browns, and turn the city completely over to the Bulls, they could work a trade for Jeff George.
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If Kramer is out for the season, Krieg is the answer. If he doesn’t yet know the Bears’ offensive system, or the system can’t be adapted for him, Wannstedt better examine the system. He was new to Kansas City’s system in 1992 and new to Detroit’s system in 1994. Arizona didn’t have a system and Krieg proved he could run that too.
When Wannstedt hired Krieg as insurance for Kramer, he said he would play if the season were still young. Later, or if the season is lost, Steve Stenstrom would get a chance.
Krieg will be 38 the day the Bears have their bye, so he won’t be too winded to blow out all the candles. He is a stopgap measure, but most quarterbacks and all backups are temporary in today’s NFL. Kramer’s contract is up, too, which means the future must be addressed.
The trading deadline is next week, probably too soon to make necessary major salary cap adjustments. But Wannstedt and offensive coordinator Ron Turner better get on the phone soon to old friend and brother Norv Turner in Washington and start talking about Heath Shuler.