Bears' Hanie provides signs of hope after rough first half
OAKLAND, Calif. — Experience may be a good teacher, but it's not an easy one, as new Bears starting quarterback Caleb Hanie learned Sunday against the Raiders.
In his first NFL start, Hanie threw 3 interceptions in the first half, which helped put the Bears in a hole deep enough that they couldn't recover despite a valiant fourth-quarter rally.
They had the ball with a chance to win before time expired in their 25-20 loss to the NFC West leaders.
The defeat brought the Bears' five-game winning streak to a halt but left them at 7-4 and in a three-way tie with the Detroit Lions and the Atlanta Falcons for the two NFC wild-card playoff spots.
The New York Giants (6-4) play the New Orleans Saints (7-3) on Monday night.
“I just feel bad that I had to go through the mistakes that quarterbacks go through when we're 5-0,” Hanie said. “It's just not a good time to have a learning experience in my opinion, but it is what it is, and I just have to get better.”
Asked his overall impression of his performance, Hanie said: “Not good. When you have that many turnovers, you're not going to win many games.”
But the Bears got an inspired effort from their defense, which kept them within striking distance despite Hanie's turnovers and a sputtering passing game in the first half.
The Raiders (7-4) didn't reach the end zone until there was 3:47 left in the game.
The Bears were hoping Hanie could “manage” the offense well enough to keep their winning streak intact, but growing pains are inevitable.
The interceptions were not unexpected but still unfortunate.
“You would like for it not to happen, but you could say that's (inevitable),” coach Lovie Smith said. “It's tough coming in your first game. Just think about starting the season.
“You have some mistakes that you won't have later in the year. But we have a small (learning) curve. We have to get it down as soon as we possibly can.
“I saw enough for us to build off. Next week you'll see better play from the quarterback position.”
Considering the shaky start, Hanie's bounce-back provided some hope for the future, while the Bears wait for starting quarterback Jay Cutler's fractured right thumb to heal.
Hanie was sacked four times for 25 yards in losses, but he flashed his athleticism and mobility by running for 50 yards on five other occasions when chased from the pocket.
After 2 first-quarter interceptions on back-to-back possessions, the four-year veteran fired a 29-yard touchdown strike to Johnny Knox to put the Bears ahead 7-6 with 4:41 left in the first half, their only lead of the day.
His third interception led to a Raiders field goal, which gave them a 12-7 halftime lead.
But in the second half the Colorado State product completed 11 of 21 passes for 172 yards. In the fourth quarter, his 81-yard completion to Knox set up a 9-yard TD toss to tight end Kellen Davis, which accounted for the final points of the game with 2:11 remaining.
But the game ended on Hanie's intentional-grounding penalty from the Bears' 46. By then he said he had settled down, but he admitted being a bit overwound early in the game.
On the first pick, he overthrew Matt Forte, and on the second he floated a pass short of Forte while being chased.
“I was a little antsy early on, a little bit too amped up,” Hanie said. “I don't normally miss balls like the one to Matt up the middle. I can make those throws; it just wasn't able to happen today.”
Wide receiver Roy Williams, who caught 3 passes for 37 yards, is looking forward to Hanie's improvement.
“Was he perfect?” Williams said. “No, but for his first start, on the road, in a hostile environment, he played well. I'm looking forward to better things from him next week (against Kansas City) at home.”
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