Bears are targeting young players for backup quarterback

The Chicago Bears new offensive coordinator Mike Martz recently made it clear that he does not want a veteran to play as the team’s fourth quarterback. His eyes are on rookies and less experienced players. That could explain well the Bears’ move to sign former Rutgers quarterback Mike Teel, who was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings last year but had to take off his Vikings jersey this offseason after playing very little last season.

Teel is expected to join the team’s trio of backup candidates, including Caleb Hanie and Dan LeFevour. They are supposed to be equal in role with each other, but actually Hanie has always been playing the No.2 role all the time and he was the only backup quarterback who made passes in real-time games. As the sixth-round draft pick of this year, LeFevour hardly has any advantage in the competition, and Teel may need some time to get adjusted to new team’s system. So it’s still likely to see Hanie as the No.2 quarterback behind starter Jay Cutler.

Without a quarterback like the one in No.4 Favre jersey, the Bears are focusing a lot on the backups, so that they can make sure to still have a excellent leading role when starting quarterback had to leave the field. Cutler is much younger than Favre and may be less inclined to sustain injuries, but a good insurance is make the team feel comfortable.

Steelers OT Hills wants to get promotion

The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Tony Hills has been with the team for two years but he has yet played in a single team since being drafted as a fourth-round pick by the Steelers. Entering his third NFL season, Hills hopes that he could get enough recognition and get a promotion during the training camp.

"Patience," Hills said. "That's been the biggest thing. I haven't had a lot of that growing up."

Well, Hills first need patience to wait until July 30 for the beginning of the training camp. At age 25, he feels it urgent to play some important role before he is getting too old to impress anyone. With a team winning Super Bowls for six times, Hills is facing a fierce competition for any visible role. But now his chance just comes as starter Willie Colon happened to rupture his right Achilles tendon in June and is expected to miss the season. Hills just immediately realized that it was time to stop hanging around in his favorite Favre jersey and do something to increase his own value.

While it’s unlikely for Hills to get the starting job, he could be eligible for a backup role. At the moment, he just hopes the camp to come soon so that he can carry out his plan of impressing the coaches.

Vikings WR Harvin wants Favre to return

Among the many fans and players who are expecting Brett Favre to wear back the No. 4 Minnesota Vikings jersey, Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin was the first one to talk about his expectation publicly and take Favre’s return as benefit for his own development in NFL.

Harvin had a brilliant season in 2009 and he credited his success to his starting quarterback Favre, who threw most passes to Harvin during the season. Harvin said Favre helped him learn faster and better about the passing and catching game.

“I just went into [the season] trying to contribute to the team first of all in the special-teams area but Brett got there and kind of took me into the game a little faster than I probably would have learned it under other quarterbacks,” Harvin said. “I knew my job would be a lot easier when Brett got here,” Percy said. “He knows the game better than some of our coaches there. I knew our offense would run a lot smoother with a lot more opportunities. He’s known as a gunslinger.”

So, if Harvin wants to remain as the Vikings’ leading receiver, Favre’s return is necessary. The return is also necessary to the whole team as the quarterback’s existence will make the offense more dynamic and exciting. By so far, there has been no qualified quarterback who can take perfect replacement for Favre, so it is still highly expected that the 40-year-old man would make his final decision to wear back his Favre jersey for another season.