In New QB Screenplay, It's Kramer vs. Walsh

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Welcome to that delirious mode of civic debateknown as the quarterback controversy. No matter what the coach says,the Bears have one. Dave Wannstedt can stand there under ArrowheadStadium late in the night and say with conviction, "We don't have aquarterback controversy." Doesn't matter one bit. You see, he can'tcontrol such things. Fans do.

And right now, after a Monday evening when Erik Kramer showedsymptoms of Harbaughitis and Steve Walsh again looked like the morepoised passer, fans in Chicago are buzzing about who's more fit torun the offense. Never mind it's the last issue the Bears need, withso many new players trying to mesh without commotion. Never mindthat Kramer was playing against Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith andWalsh was playing against Arnie Ale and Pellom McDaniels. Never mindthat Kramer will remain the starter Saturday night against the NewYork Giants and Walsh will remain the backup.

The pecking order, to some, is all backward. Personally, itdoesn't make much sense to create a ruckus at present. The wayKramer has thrown the ball and shown jitters the last two games, thesmart observer wouldn't want to fill his head with job-securityquestions. But the Bear masses, growing impatient as it is with lifein mediocre transition, need something to titillate them.

Regardless of what the depth chart says, creative tensionexists. It has been there all three games of the exhibition season,all victories. At home and on the road, Kramer and Walsh haveadjoining lockers. First Kramer comes out of the shower, talks tothe media. Then Walsh comes out of the shower, talks to the media.After the first game, when Kramer was sharp in his Soldier Fielddebut, Walsh seemed miffed that two dozen reporters surrounded Kramerand no one wanted to talk to him. But lately, after three impressiveshowings, it is Walsh who is being surrounded by cameras andnotepads. He is the one who will make or break this situation. Atthe moment, Walsh is classy.

"I'm dealing with it fine," he said after throwing two latetouchdown passes and leading the Bears to a come-from-behind 21-18victory. "I'm sure the numbers will create talk (of a controversy),but I've been in this game long enough to know I should be playingwell against the second team. Erik is playing against the best. I'mnot."

That isn't to say Walsh will be happy wearing a cap on thesideline. He has been victimized by politics throughout six NFLseasons and refuses to be pigeonholed as a career backup. In Dallas,he had the misfortune of battling for No. 1 against Troy Aikman, thegolden boy from Day One. In New Orleans, he lost out to a systemthat favored the local Cajun son, Bobby Hebert. Now, he joinsWannstedt, one of his former coaches at the University of Miami, as aquarterback who is less-paid and less-ballyhooed than Kramer. Withclass, he will keep the pressure on with his intelligent style ofpassing.

"I think this system is perfect for me," he said of theso-called San Francisco offense, which emphasizes crisp, short,precise passing. "In fact, I was telling Joe Montana I'm happy to beplaying in a system that allows me to use my brain instead of justdropping back."

Kramer doesn't fear losing his starting role. But he was a bitshaken by his first-half performance, when he woefully missed awide-open Tom Waddle in the end zone and threw a bad interceptionthat Mark Collins returned for a touchdown. If he's battlingpersonal demons, what we have here is Kramer vs. Kramer. "Reportcard? I'd have to give myself a B- or C," he said. "It was alearning experience."

Otherwise, the night was inconclusive. Speaking strictly bestagainst best, the Bears basically were reminded about their status inNFL society. That place continues to be somewhere between good andaverage, as so many sources were willing to reveal. First they weredissed by Neon Deion Sanders, who said they aren't his kind of team.Then the Wannstedt defense was singed by Montana. Then Kramerstruggled. The first half showed just how far the Bears mustprogress before dreaming of glory.

Surely, Neon Deion wasn't impressed. Time was when aflamboyant hypepuss would have loved to play for the Bears, dance andparty and do TV shows and make commercials. But now, with theMcCaskeys locked in a rebuilding plan that seems to intentionallyavoid fun, Sanders looks for employment in exciting places likeKansas City. He only wants to play for glamor teams. The Bearsaren't one of them. "I don't like teams to say they want to win. Ilike them to talk about winning Super Bowls," he explained, rulingout Chicago, where he could be a much-needed receiver as well as acornerback and kick returner.

But, then, it could be said the Bears don't need any morecontroversy. They have a sassy one brewing as we speak.