The Chicago Bears have enlisted a new quarterback to help them against the Seattle Seahawks this weekend.
Make that an old quarterback.
Everett High School product Chris Chandler is slated to start this Sunday afternoon when the Bears visit Seahawks Stadium. Although Chandler has not played in a game against Seattle since 1997, the Seahawks know what to expect from the 16-year veteran.
”He’s been in the league 50 years,” cornerback Shawn Springs said. ”Everybody knows about him. It’s not like he’s a secret.”
Chandler, who turned 38 on Sunday, will take over for Kordell Stewart as the Bears’ starting quarterback. Stewart ranks 14th out of 15 qualifiers among NFC passers with a paltry 56.0 rating, but coach Dick Jauron said the switch was being made because of an undisclosed injury to Stewart’s left leg.
Jauron hopes Chandler can give a boost to the NFL’s second-worst offense.
”Chris is a pro, he’s been around a long time,” Jauron said. ”He understands the game, and he understands the difficulty of getting ready every week as a (backup). But he’s been working awfully hard, and he’ll get every snap (in practices). We just expect him to perform like he’s performed throughout his career.”
Chandler, who started seven games last year, will be making his first start of the 2003 season. This marks the ninth time since he entered the NFL that Chandler has come into a season as a backup and later become the starter.
Coming off the bench is nothing new to the University of Washington product.
”It’s not that hard once you’ve been around the league awhile,” Chandler told the handful of Chicago media not covering the National League Championship Series on Wednesday. ”I know this offense a lot better and feel a lot more comfortable with this offense having been here last year. So I’ve just been trying to get my physical work in and be ready when the chance comes.”
As has been the case for much of Chandler’s career, he could be temporarily holding down the position for first-round draft pick Rex Grossman. High picks like Jeff George (Indianapolis), Steve McNair (Houston) and Michael Vick (Atlanta) have supplanted Chandler in the past.
”If you look at his career and follow it, he’s played well everywhere he’s been,” said Seahawks center Robbie Tobeck, who played with Chandler for three years in Atlanta. ”But it seems like everywhere he’s been, they draft some young hotshot guy.”
Jauron said Grossman is not ready to take over as starter but remained non-committal about whether Stewart would have a chance to get his job back when he is healthy.
For the immediate future, Chandler is the man.
The Everett High and UW product has played for seven teams – he has started at least one game for all seven teams, an NFL record – and has thrown for 26,979 yards and 165 touchdowns over 168 games. He is almost certain to become the 37th quarterback in NFL history to eclipse 27,000 yards this Sunday.
The only other time Chandler started a game in Seattle, he completed 15 of 23 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown in Atlanta’s 24-17 win over the Seahawks in 1997. He played four more seasons with the Falcons after that, but eventually proved expendable when Vick, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 draft, was named the starter.
Chandler came to the Bears as Jim Miller’s backup but played in nine games last season.
”We have confidence in whoever is back there,” Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said. ”We would like Kordell to be back there, with his ability to run and throw, but Chandler has been around. We all know that. He’s about 45, 50 years old, I don’t know.”
The ageless quarterback from Everett won’t go on forever, but at least he’ll get at least one final trip through the Puget Sound this weekend.
And, like he has done 144 times in his career, Chandler will come in as the starter.
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