The Chicago Bears seemingly never-ending quest for a quality QB is well known. What is sometimes forgotten is they were very close to being able to draft Terry Bradshaw. Bradshaw was the consensus number one pick of the 1970 NFL draft. Did the Bears really need a QB after the 1969 season. Well, they went 1-13 that season. There starting QBs were Bobby Douglas, seven games, Jack Concannon for five games and Virgil Carter for the other two. The team's passing rating was 51.7. So yes, the Bears really needed a QB.
How do you go 1-13 and only get the second draft pick?
That's easy. You beat the other 1-13 team in your head-to-head matchup. In some ways, the Bears out Texaned the Texans. In week eight of the 1969 NFL season, the Bears blew out the Pittsburgh Steelers to the tune of 38-7. Remarkably, the had Steelers won their first game of the 1969 season by a score of 16-13 over the Lions. They then proceeded to lose their remaining 13 games, thus providing the 2022 Bears with a blueprint to follow.
What did the Bears do with the second overall pick?
The short answer is they blew it. The second overall pick in the 1970 draft was defensive tackle, Mike McCoy, out of Notre Dame. But he wasn't the Bears pick. The Bears traded the second overall pick to the Packers. So, the Bears got a boatload of picks, right? No, they got three veterans.
What did the Bears get for the second overall pick in the 1970 draft?
The Bears acquired RB, Elijah Pitts, who was cut by the Bears and never played a game for them. In addition, the Bears picked up center Bob Hyland and OLB, LeRoy Caffey. Both of those players lasted one year on the Bears. Caffey had the best resume of the three, having been named to the Pro Bowl twice while in Green Bay.
Miscellaneous stuff about the 1970 Bears draft
They did draft a QB. In the sixth round they drafted Bobby Cutburth from Oklahoma State. Don't remember him? Don't feel bad. The only Bears 1970 draftee they old Bears fans might remember is WR, Mike Farmer, out of UCLA. Farmer, who was drafted in the third round, played six season with the Bears, catching 113 passes good for 10 TDs.
But here's the kicker
Despite butchering the draft, the Bears, with a roster seemingly devoid of talent, went 6-8. So Bears fans, there is hope thing will get better.
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