Caldwell Says Lions Have To End Streak Of Backup QBs Giving Them Trouble
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - The Chicago Bears have benched quarterback Jay Cutler in favor of Jimmy Clausen for Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions, and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell said that presents a challenge for Detroit.
"Being honest, we haven't had great luck with - this year, we've got to change this - with backup quarterbacks," Caldwell told Doug Karsch of 97.1 The Ticket. "They've been our nemesis. [Kyle] Orton got us [with the Buffalo Bills], a guy stepping in, and then also Drew [Stanton] got us with the Cardinals. We've got to change that.
"A lot of it happens because of the fact that you look at it and you say, 'Hey, we don't know quite what they're going to do with him,'" Caldwell continued. "They may change a few things here and there, and so just in terms of your preparation - and that happens generally if that's something that goes on late in the week. This is happening pretty early in the week for us, so we get a chance to obviously hone in on him a little bit more, but you can't use any excuses, though. That's the thing. We've got to play better, and if we stick with our fundamentals and our techniques, the rest of it will take care of itself."
Clausen has played in only three games for the Bears this season, attempting just nine passes and completing three. He played 13 games for the Carolina Panthers in 2010 and completed 52.4 percent of his passes but threw for three touchdowns and nine interceptions. Caldwell said the Lions have been studying film of Clausen since they got the news Wednesday night that he will be starting in place of Cutler.
"I've looked at him already because we found out last night," Caldwell said. "There's a lot of tape on him, actually, between preseasons and things of that nature, so you know who is he and what he's all about, but the fact of the matter is you don't know quite what they're going to do, but what we have to do is kind rely on our fundamentals, techniques, the things that we do well, and adjust as we go."
