Caleb Hanie has just completed the Circle of Luck. Or so we’ve chosen to believe. Wait, what’s the “Circle of Luck?”
In Indianapolis, Andrew Luck replaces Peyton Manning, who replaces Tim Tebow in Denver, who replaces Drew Stanton in New York, who will back up Luck in Indy. Now, Hanie heads to the Broncos to replace…Tebow? I guess you say that, since Tebow technically was the No. 2 guy for the Broncos for 24 hours or so and would have been had he not been traded.
Hanie, 26, was picked up as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2008 with the Chicago Bears. He got his first action in ’09, where he played in two games and completed three of seven throws for 11 yards and an interception. His numbers were slightly better the next year, as he once again played in two contests and completed five of seven passes for 55 yards.
Last season, the 6-2, 222-pound quarterback appeared in six contests and started four games in relief of injured starting signal-caller Jay Cutler. Hanie completed 51 of 102 passes (50.0 completion percentage) for 613 yards and three touchdowns to nine picks. He also had a quarterback rating of 41.8 and was sacked 19 times.
But the Broncos feel they can turn him into a very solid No. 2 backup.
Or, as Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com points out, John Elway said he entered the Manning sweepstakes expecting everything to turn out well and perhaps this just another example of that type of mindset. It’s wise for the organization to exude confidence in excess depth, especially at this time, but it could come back to haunt them down the road.
Putting all of your eggs in one basket isn’t the best decision, especially when your Plan B is named Caleb Hanie and your Plan A just turned 36-years-old this Saturday. Happy Birthday, Peyton!
Verse of This Piece: “Treat wisdom as a sister, and make understanding your closest friend.”—Proverbs 7:4
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