NFL Picks Biggest Chicago Bears QB Misstep of Super Bowl Era

Few franchises can lay claim to the notion that they had more misery at quarterback than the Chicago Bears QB position. Truly aside from one or two lights who shined for a brief period from time to time, it was a true Dark Ages for this franchise for the past 50 years. A better question to ask is amidst the long line of painful miscalculations, which was the worst?

This is the sort of thing that raises a huge debate among fans. Everybody has their "favorite" in such a discussion. There was the Bob Avellini era, wasted on the prime years of Walter Payton. Or what about Rex Grossman? A former 1st round pick who suffered from constant injury and decision-making issues that cost the Bears a Super Bowl title.

Craig Krenzel? Jonathan Quinn? Mike Glennon? Todd Collins? There are plenty of choices. However, Ali Bhanpuri of NFL.com believes there is an undisputed king in regards to this category.

"Biggest QB misstep: Cade McNown

There are so many to choose from ... trading a first-rounder in '97 for Rick Mirer (who was released 18 months later with a 0:6 TD-to-INT ratio) ... trading up for Rex Grossman in Round 1 of the 2003 draft when Tony Romo went unpicked ... signing a past-his-prime Kordell Stewart that same offseason (he went 2-5 with a 56.8 passer rating).

But I think the Cade McNown debacle takes the cake. McNown, whom the Bears picked 12th overall in the 1999 NFL Draft to solve the team's long-running quarterback problem, lasted just two seasons with Chicago (and in the NFL), finishing his pro career with a 3-12 record and a 67.7 passer rating."

Cade McCown is the right choice for biggest Chicago Bears QB misfire

Facts are facts. Grossman was bad, but he at least had one decent year in 2006. McNown was selected 10 picks higher in the draft and he didn't even make it a full season in his NFL career. The guy already had question marks about him from the outset with his smaller size and questionable health track record. Not to mention concerns about his dedication to football.

All of that came back to haunt the Bears. After a solid start to his rookie season, things began to regress. Then they got worse. Health problems piled up and by his second year, coaches had seen enough. McNown was benched and eventually traded to the Miami Dolphins. He never played another game in the NFL. This cemented him as arguably the biggest bust in franchise history.