Giddy Back Up, Broncos Sign QB Caleb Hanie

If former CSU quarterback Caleb Hanie takes a snap in a regular season game, things are not well in Broncos Country. No offense to Hanie, but he’s the quarterback nobody wants to see. He’s the quarterback that we’re not paying $96 million to.

My how different a year makes. Last season it was Brady Quinn backing up Tim Tebow while Hanie was backing up former Broncos QB Jay Cutler. Hanie played against the Broncos in December and got to see Tebowmania at its finest after another Broncos comeback win over the Chicago Bears.

It was during that game that the Broncos saw something in Hanie. While Peyton Manning is THE Man, Hanie is seen as the Man in waiting.

The 6’2″, 222 pound former Ram came into the NFL undrafted. He played in 6 games for the Bears last season, completing 50% of his passes for 613 yards, 3 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. It’s a scary stat line for Manning’s backup to have, but the Bears offense deserved to be kept in the closet anyway after some significant injuries took place.

Hanie secured a place in many hearts when he came into the 2010 NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers as the Bears’ third string quarterback. He put up a bear of a fight going 13-for-20 for 153 yard with one touchdown, and one interception. The Bears lost to the Packers by just a touchdown, and Hanie was got some street credit.

Hanie signed a two-year contract with the Broncos Saturday.

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