David Haugh on McNabb, Vasher, and Mr. Athletic

Friend of Windy City Gridiron (I've emailed with him on a couple of occasions and found him to be a real down-to-earth, knowledgable guy) wrote an article today on a couple interesting points:

1) McNabb coming to the Bears? Wait until the season ends:

If Orton continues to show growth in the final five games as the Bears contend for the playoffs, the McNabb situation becomes moot. Teams as conservative as the Bears don't create unknowns at positions filled by players they know and like, a prudent way to shape a roster.

Yet if Orton unexpectedly regresses — and the prediction here is he won't — the equation changes. Then considering McNabb, who will be hotly pursued, would make more sense. He is far from done even if Philly concludes that his expected $10 million salary-cap hit isn't worth it for a team with Kevin Kolb in the wings. McNabb has had two bad games, but walk into any South Side bar in Chicago and it wouldn't be hard to find a consensus of folks who still would prefer McNabb over Orton. 

2) Nathan Vasher might help himself and the Bears if he sits against Minnesota:

Nathan Vasher reinjuring his right thumb near his wrist puts his availability and effectiveness in question against Minnesota. But while no team ever wants to lose depth at a position, fill-in Corey Graham might be a better fit at right cornerback against the Vikings because he supports more quickly on running plays and makes surer tackles than Vasher.

3) The most interesting point of his article:

Perception: Sports Illustrated asked 320 NFL players who is the best all-around athlete in the NFL. Devin Hester got the most votes with 16 percent, followed by Terrell Owens at 10 percent and Randy Moss at 8 percent.

Reality: As elusive as Hester is in the open field, he might finish no higher than third behind Danieal Manning and Charles Tillman if that same poll were taken at Halas Hall.