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Former Chicago Bears QB Jim McMahon says repeated blows to his head during his playing days are taking a toll on him today, which is why he is among the hundreds of former players suing the NFL.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Bears will not bring back quarterback Caleb Hanie to back up Jay Cutler, according to a source familiar with the situation.

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This is the first installment of a 10-part series that reviews every Bears position group on offense and defense, while also taking a quick look at potential free agent targets and the top prospects in the upcoming NFL draft.

Jay Cutler flashed enough development through the first 10 games of the 2011 to merit inclusion into conversations about the NFL’s elite at the position. Then he suffered a fractured thumb that forced him to miss the final six contests, ruining what seemed to be a promising season.

If anything, Cutler’s injury taught the Chicago Bears the value of keeping a capable No. 2 on standby, considering the team lost five of six down the stretch.

With the team set for the future with Cutler at the helm as the starter, the Bears face a couple of interesting dilemmas this offseason with backups such as Josh McCown and Caleb Hanie set to go into unrestricted free agency.

In addition, new general manager Phil Emery must also determine whether rising second-year player Nathan Enderle fits into the offense the team will utilize under new coordinator Mike Tice, while figuring out whether the quarterback possesses enough upside to warrant a roster spot for 2012 as a developmental prospect.

THE CURRENT ROSTER

•Jay Cutler: Cutler averaged 229.1 yards passing, which ranks as the third-best single-season mark in franchise history, and his passer rating of 85.7 registered as seventh in franchise annals.

Prior to Cutler’s thumb injury, the club ranked sixth in scoring (26.8 points per game), and it seemed the quarterback -- at the time of the injury -- was playing his best football as a Chicago Bear. There’s concern about how Cutler will perform in 2012 playing for his third offensive coordinator in four seasons.

But Tice has been clear about his intentions of catering the offense to fit Cutler’s talents. So the transition should be smooth. Look for the new offense to feature the ability to audible, in addition to several plays with moving pockets to take advantage of Cutler’s mobility.

•Caleb Hanie: Following a promising showing in the 2010 NFC title game with a few shaky performances when given the opportunity to start in relief of Cutler. In four starts, Hanie tossed nine interceptions, and finished the season with a passer rating of 41.8.

Those showings, coupled with the fact he’s a free agent might mean Hanie won’t remain with the team in 2012. But don’t be so fast to make that assumption. Hanie wasn’t an ideal fit for Mike Martz’s offense, but what Tice plans to implement actually caters to what the quarterback does well.

The club likely won’t ever trust Hanie again as the No. 2. But there’s a small chance he sticks as the third quarterback.

•Josh McCown: Played well enough to warrant consideration as the No. 2 behind Cutler in 2012. But the club would be doing itself a disservice if it doesn’t bring in competition from outside for the job.

McCown completed 63.6 percent of his passes in the three games he played (two starts), and showed plenty of poise in the pocket as well as an ability to make things happen with his legs when things break down. It’s likely the Bears will extend McCown an offer to return, but the club could have some competition from other teams based on the way the quarterback performed late in the season.

•Nathan Enderle: Inactive for 14 of the team’s 16 games, Enderle never received an opportunity to play even when Hanie struggled to fill in for Cutler because the coaching staff deemed the rookie unready.

For a brief period during training camp, Enderle moved ahead of Hanie on the depth chart. But Enderle didn’t develop enough -- because of limited repetitions -- to become a realistic option as a backup.

Handpicked by Martz because he possessed the traits to thrive in that pass-oriented system, Enderle may no longer be considered an ideal fit for what the Bears plan to do with Tice as the offensive coordinator.

Bears free agents: Hanie, McCown

POTENTIAL FREE AGENT TARGETS

•Kyle Orton, Kansas City Chiefs, unrestricted
•Jason Campbell, Oakland Raiders, unrestricted
•David Garrard, unrestricted

WHY GARRARD MIGHT MAKE SENSE

Unlike Orton and Campbell, Garrard likely won’t be expensive, and he won’t enter a new situation looking to win the starting job. Besides that, Tice is familiar with Garrard from their time spent together with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Garrard, 34, has started 76 career games, with a career completion percentage of 61.6 and a passer rating of 85.8. A 10-year veteran, Garrard has thrown just 54 interceptions in 2,281 attempts. Physically, Garrard possesses many of the traits (strong arm, good mobility, and toughness) that would make him an ideal fit for Tice’s offense.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Josh McCown avoided pondering Sunday’s postgame buzz about what could have been had he become the Chicago Bears' starting quarterback sooner.

McCown passed for 242 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions to lead the Bears to a season-high 441 yards on offense in a 35-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Naturally, questions arose as to whether McCown could’ve sparked such offensive production weeks ago.

“You know, it’s hard,” McCown said. “I mean, that’s hypothetical. All I know is what I had here; right here, this night. I don’t want to speculate on that. I just know my number was called tonight, and I went out and played as hard as I could. The bottom line is we still came up short.”

A nine-year veteran, McCown started his first game in four years on Sunday, and early on it appeared the team looked to take pressure off the quarterback by relying on the rushing attack. Kahlil Bell ran the ball six times before the Bears ever called a pass play.

When they did, McCown responded with a 17-yard completion to Roy Williams. McCown hit 2 of 3 for 29 yards in that drive, which ended on a missed 49-yard field goal by Robbie Gould with 4:16 left in the quarter.

“He played hard,” Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said. “He moved us down the field. I was impressed with the way he did. It’s a tough situation to be in with our defense [which gave up five touchdown passes] playing the way we played, getting behind like that. He just kept battling.”

McCown completed 6 of 9 for 81 yards in the first half as the Bears went into intermission behind 14-3. Receiving the kickoff to start the second half, the Bears handed the ball off to Bell three times for 14 yards.

Then McCown went to work.

“We’re playing against the Super Bowl champs [in a] nationally-televised game,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “There’s a lot of pressure, if you let it [get to you]. And he didn’t.”

McCown scrambled for a 7-yard gain around left end before firing a dart to Earl Bennett for a 49-yard gain to the Green Bay 1. The Bears scored on the next play when Bell fumbled in the end zone with Edwin Williams recovering to pull the Bears to within 4 after Gould’s extra-point kick.
“He brought a lot of energy to the huddle,” said center Roberto Garza, “a lot of fight as you all saw.”

The Bears appeared to seize some momentum with the score, but the Packers quickly responded with a 55-yard bomb from Aaron Rodgers to Jordy Nelson.

McCown managed to move the Bears down the field for only one more TD, a 1-yard pass to Kellen Davis to cap a 12-play drive, before running the ball in for the two-point conversion that made the score 35-18.

“When you’re playing a ballclub like Green Bay and a quarterback like Aaron, who’s not going to blink, you can’t either,” McCown said. “It’s a tough assignment, but you’ve got to find a way to pull it off.”

McCown couldn’t, but that’s not to say he didn’t open eyes within the organization, similar to what Caleb Hanie did last season in the NFC title game when he filled in for Jay Cutler against the Green Bay Packers. Smith said he wasn’t surprised with McCown’s performance.

It’s expected the Bears will close the regular season Sunday on the road at Minnesota with McCown as the starter.

“Josh McCown did a heck of a job of coming in and just leading our offense, making throws when he had to,” Smith said. “He’s a veteran and he knew the offense. [He] is a mature guy, and felt comfortable coming into the game. But we needed to see it, and it was good to see.”

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The recent demotion of Caleb Hanie in favor of veteran Josh McCown left many Bears fans wondering where rookie Nate Enderle fits into the Bears quarterback equation.

Should Enderle, the Bears 2011 fifth-round draft choice out of Idaho, be given the opportunity to start Sunday night versus the Green Bay Packers, instead of journeyman McCown, who last started a game in 2007.

According to Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz, the answer is a resounding 'no'.

"It's just too much of an unknown right now," Martz said. "We're trying to win. So he'll have his time, I'm sure, but right now this is the best opportunity for us to win."

Asking a rookie quarterback, with zero regular-season experience, to win on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions seems like a tall order. Enderle has been inactive for 10 game this year and was only listed as the No. 2 quarterback on two occasions (Oakland and Kansas City) before being dropped back to the third quarterback spot last week versus Seattle.

Martz also pointed out Enderle received limited work in the preseason because the organization was trying to get Hanie up to speed to serve as Jay Cutler's primary backup. Plus, due to the NFL lockout, the rookie never had a chance to participate in any sort of offseason workout program before reporting to Bourbonnais.

"I think Nate, physically, has a tremendous future," Martz said. "Caleb didn't have preseason a year ago because he got injured, so we spent all that time with Caleb in the preseason, so Nate didn't get a whole lot of work."

The Chicago Bears are giving recently acquired quarterback Josh McCown a chance to win the starting job against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, according to multiple sources.

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CHICAGO -- In addition to the absences of starting quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte, the Bears face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday without the services of two more starters in safety Major Wright and defensive tackle Henry Melton.

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Still reeling from Sunday's 13-10 overtime loss at Denver, described by players as shocking, the Chicago Bears convened Monday at Halas Hall with coach Lovie Smith outlining the reality of the team's now desperate situation.

"At 7-6, we're on the outside looking in," Smith said. "You lose three games in a row this time of year, you're normally not in a great position. But we are in position, and that's what we have to keep in mind."

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Bears named rookie Nathan Enderle to the list of inactives for Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, meaning new acquisition Josh McCown will serve as the primary backup for Caleb Hanie.

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The "Sunday NFL Countdown" crew breaks down the Bears quarterback situation.

Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo described the idea that Brett Favre would have joined the Bears as "fantasy," but Jay Cutler said he believes Favre might have done it for the right price.

Cutler shares the same agent -- Bus Cook -- as Favre, and Cutler said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000 on Wednesday that he talked to Cook a couple of days ago.

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ESPNChicago's Jeff Dickerson joins SportsCenter to discuss the likelihood of the Bears pursuing Brett Favre.

ESPNChicago's Tom Waddle and John Jurkovic discuss the Bears quarterback situation and whether Brett Favre might be a solution.