Caleb Jeffrey Hanie (born September 11, 1985) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
. He played
college football at
Colorado State and was signed by the
Chicago Bears as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in 2008. He also played for the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
and
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
.
Early years
Hanie played
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...
for
Forney High School in
Forney, Texas and led his team to consecutive top 3 finishes in class 3A in 2002 and 2003.
College career
Hanie was the starting quarterback for the Colorado State Rams in 2006 and 2007.
Professional career
Chicago Bears
Hanie was signed by the
Chicago Bears as a
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
following the
2008 NFL Draft on April 28, 2008. He made the Bears' 53-man roster prior to the start of the
2008 season.
He made his first regular season contribution as a Bear towards the end of their blowout loss to the
Cincinnati Bengals on October 25, 2009. He completed one of two passes for two yards. He went on to make another appearance against the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
on December 20, 2009, completing two of five passes for eight yards. During that game, he also threw his first career interception on an acrobatic play by
Domonique Foxworth
Domonique Foxworth (born March 27, 1983) is a former American football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL). Foxworth played college football for the University of Maryland. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third ...
. On October 3, 2010 Bears starter
Jay Cutler
Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...
and backup
Todd Collins both suffered injuries in a game against the
New York Giants, and Hanie entered the game as the
third quarterback. He went three of four for 36 yards, but the Bears still suffered their first loss of the 2010 season. On October 10, 2010, with Cutler on the bench due to a concussion suffered the previous week, Collins started the game but proved ineffective, throwing four interceptions. Hanie entered the game in the third quarter and went 2-3 for 19 yards. The Bears won the game 23-6, primarily on points scored in the early part of the first quarter, and scored two fourth-quarter field goals on drives led by Hanie.
2010 NFC Championship Game
Hanie entered the
2010 NFC Championship Game as the third-string quarterback in the third quarter after starter
Jay Cutler
Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...
left with a second-degree sprain of his MCL and second-string quarterback
Todd Collins left with a shoulder injury. He led the Bears to a touchdown in his first series on the field but was later intercepted by defensive lineman
B. J. Raji, who returned the interception for a touchdown. On the following drive, Hanie led the Bears to a second touchdown in only 81 seconds of game time. He later threw another interception, this time to
Sam Shields, with 37 seconds left in the game. Overall, Hanie completed 13 passes in 20 attempts for 153 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. The Bears lost to the Packers 21–14.
2011 season
After a back-and-forth preseason, Hanie won a battle with
Nate Enderle for the second position on the depth chart. Against the San Diego Chargers in week 11, starting quarterback
Jay Cutler
Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...
suffered a broken thumb on his throwing hand. The following day, the Bears reported that Cutler would need surgery on the thumb, possibly ending his season. Hanie was named the starter for the Bears until Cutler's return.
On November 27, 2011 Hanie started his first NFL game against the Oakland Raiders. He threw two touchdowns and three interceptions in the 25–20 loss, snapping the Bears' five-game winning streak. Hanie became the first quarterback since 1983 to throw a postseason touchdown before a regular season touchdown. In that game, however, with 8 seconds left, looking to spike the ball, Hanie stepped backwards, as if attempting a pass, and then spiked the ball. He was charged with intentional grounding and was forced to runoff the clock 10 more seconds, preserving a Raiders win. The following week, Hanie threw three interceptions in a 10–3 loss to the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The ...
. The Bears eventually lost in overtime to the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
13–10. After getting swept against the
Seattle Seahawks 38–14, Hanie was replaced by
Josh McCown for Week 16 against the Packers and
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
in Week 17.
The Bears stated that they would not re-sign Hanie for 2012.
Denver Broncos
Hanie signed with the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
on March 24, 2012. In the 2012 preseason, Hanie and newly acquired quarterback
Peyton Manning faced Hanie's former team in the Bears in Week 1 of the preseason. During the game, though Hanie was sacked three times by
Shea McClellin,
Cheta Ozougwu, and
Nate Collins, Hanie completed 7/14 passes for 79 yards and a 67.3 passer rating, en route to a 31-3 victory.
Baltimore Ravens
Hanie signed a one-year contract with the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
on April 16, 2013 as competition for
Tyrod Taylor for the backup quarterback position. He was released on August 30, 2013.
Cleveland Browns
Hanie was signed by the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
on December 3, 2013. However, he was waived on December 10.
Dallas Cowboys
Hanie was signed to a one-year deal by the Dallas Cowboys on April 23, 2014. Hanie was released by the team on August 26, 2014.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Playoffs
References
External links
Chicago Bears bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanie, Caleb
1985 births
Living people
People from Forney, Texas
Players of American football from Dallas
American football quarterbacks
Colorado State Rams football players
Chicago Bears players
Denver Broncos players
Baltimore Ravens players
Cleveland Browns players
Dallas Cowboys players