Imrem: For Chicago Bears, decision on quarterback could be done
The Chicago Bears' quarterback controversy isn't over yet: Jay Cutler still can regain the job when he returns from a bum thumb.
Brian Hoyer might start throwing the ball to the other team. He might blow out a knee walking through the Halas Hall food line. He might decide to retire before taking another vicious hit.
"I'm not going to get into speculation," Bears head coach John Fox said. "Jay's not healthy."
The thing to remember today is that Hoyer's performance Sunday was against the Colts, who couldn't defend the goal line if they were backed by the 1st Infantry Division.
The morning's cover page on NFL.com featured a quote from Colts general manager Ryan Grigson: "Once we paid (quarterback Andrew Luck), it's going to take some time to build on the other side of the ball."
Then the Colts' defense went out and punctuated Grigson's point: It stinks.
Even while losing 29-23, the Bears' offense pushed the Colts all around Indianapolis for 522 total yards.
"Obviously, we play the game to win," Hoyer said. "It's as disappointing as it comes (to lose)."
The Bears' defense didn't exactly resemble their 1985 Super Bowl champions either, or the 1970s Steelers or today's Vikings or Broncos.
When the Bears finally scratched and scraped their way into a fourth-quarter lead, their defense surrendered an 82-yard drive for what turned out to be the Colts' winning touchdown.
OK, now for Hoyer - and Cutler - in the context of this perspective on Indianapolis' defense.
Watching Cutler's backup operate, I think of media day during Super Bowl week in January 1993.
The Bears just hired Dallas defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt to replace Mike Ditka as head coach.
Wannstedt figured to bring the Cowboys' offensive system to Chicago, though not quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith and wide receiver Michael Irvin.
I asked Jason Garrett - then Aikman's backup and now Cowboys head coach - what attributes a quarterback needs to run the Dallas offense.
Garrett didn't mention size, mobility or a strong arm.
He mentioned good, quick decision making.
I have thought of that conversation a lot while following Cutler's eight seasons with the Bears.
This year I have thought about it some more since Hoyer took over.
The conclusion is that the Bears' offense is a lot smoother without Cutler than with him.
Simply put, Hoyer looks like a better decision-maker than Cutler.
That's important whether the quarterback is Aikman playing for those Dallas teams, Tom Brady playing for New England or anybody playing for any Bears team.
Hoyer, who threw 4 interceptions while playing for Houston in a playoff game last season, isn't the long-term solution to the Bears' eternal search for an all-pro quarterback.
But every game, the journeyman QB does look increasingly like a viable option to hold down the job while the Bears transition from Cutler to their next QB.
"I'm just trying to go out and execute," Hoyer said.
As Fox said, right now it's all speculation. Heck, the transition still could wind up being from Cutler to Cutler.
Probably not, though.
The more Brian Hoyer plays and Jay Cutler doesn't, the more it says about both quarterbacks.
mimrem@dailyherald.com