May 8, 2007
Leak sees Bears as 'best situation for me'
By Larry Mayer
LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Following in Rex Grossman’s footsteps at Florida worked out so well for Chris Leak that he figured he’d do it again. The undrafted quarterback signed with the Bears as a free agent and impressed coaches during last weekend’s rookie minicamp at Halas Hall.
“You go to his track record,” said coach Lovie Smith. “He’s led his team to a national championship, so you know he’s a good leader. He’s thrown a lot of passes, played a lot of people and started a lot of games for the University of Florida, so that tells you a lot.
Quarterback Chris Leak operated the Bears offense at last weekend's rookie minicamp.
“We’ve been able to see some of that. He does have a good arm and he picks it up fairly quick.”
Leak went undrafted less than four months after leading Florida to a 41-14 win over Ohio State in the BCS title game by completing 25 of 36 passes for 213 yards and one TD.
He finished his career as the Gators’ all-time leader in pass attempts (1,458), completions (895), passing yards (11,213), total offense (11,350) and 200-yard passing games (33).
One of the main reasons that Leak wasn’t drafted was his lack of height. But despite measuring just 5-11 7/8 at the NFL Scouting Combine, Smith isn’t concerned about the quarterback’s size.
“He’s been that same height most of his career, all of his career you could say,” Smith said. “He got a scholarship at the same height, won a national championship at that same height. As you can see by our quarterbacks and by our football team, height never has been a big deal for me.”
Not getting drafted no doubt provided a slice of humility, but it also enabled Leak to pick the NFL team of his choice rather than the other way around. He chose the Bears mainly because of the opportunity to work with Grossman and Smith.
FULL STORY
Leak sees Bears as 'best situation for me' - Chicago Bears
Undrafted Florida QB Leak sees Bears as 'best situation for me'
Undrafted Florida QB Leak sees Bears as 'best situation for me'
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