The Bears' quarterback situation isn't quite what we thought it would be for 2012.
Aside from Jay Cutler and Jason Campbell, it seemed like Josh McCown was a shoe in for the third-string spot at the beginning of the year.
After all, it was McCown who kept the Bears competitive against Green Bay back on Christmas Day.
It was McCown who led the Bears to victory against Minnesota on New Year's Day.
And it was McCown who cleaned up the mess left behind by Caleb Hanie.
But now it seems that whatever motivated McCown to perform last season just isn't there anymore.
After two games into the 2012 preseason, the 11-year-veteran has been outperformed by a rookie. Enter Matt Blanchard, an undrafted rookie out of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
The suburban Chicago native was signed by the Bears in the spring after Nathan Enderle signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was immediately listed as fourth on the quarterback depth chart.
And that designation usually means that he'll make the practice squad if he's lucky. But after his solid play these last couple of weeks, his position on the depth chart could change.
In the preseason opener against Denver, Matt Blanchard led the Bears on their only scoring drive of the game. Against the Redskins, Blanchard led the Bears on the game-winning drive.
McCown has struggled at times, he's committed a turnover this preseason, and he's made a lot of bad throws.
Blanchard has showed poise, pocket presence, an accurate arm, and he doesn't buckle under the pressure of a pass rush.
McCown has been sacked quite a few times during the month of August, and just hasn't had the same rhythm as he did last year.
Blanchard has completed 9-of-16 passes for 94 yards with an interception this preseason. The Bears have scored six points with him under center.
McCown, on the other hand, has only completed 8-of-15 pass attempts for 86 yards. The Bears have not scored a single point with McCown calling the plays.
At this point it would not surprise me if the Bears' coaching staff moved Blanchard ahead of McCown on the depth chart.
Both men may not see the field this week against the New York Giants as the starters are expected to play the majority of the game.
But look for the preseason finale against Cleveland on August 30th to finally decide this battle.
And this week I was once again a featured guest on the Bawl! Sports Podcast with Big Dave and C-Dub. We talked about last week's Bears' victory over the Washington Redskins.
You can listen to the show here: http://www.rookietv.com/bawl/
