Ten days before the 2006 season began, Jason McKie was still “anonymous.”
The Chicago Tribune used that adjective in a headline on Aug. 31, 2006, discussing McKie’s battle with rookie J.D. Runnels for the team’s starting fullback position. While “anonymous” might be hyperbole — he’d started the playoff game against Carolina the season before and scored a late touchdown — McKie was certainly little seen; heading into 2006, he’d started only five of 30 games he’d played as a Bear since joining the team in 2003, held back by injuries.