Week three did not provide many answers to the enigma that is the Chicago Bears. After dominating heavy favorites, the Indianapolis Colts in week one, the Bears let one slip away in week two against the Carolina Panthers.
Yesterday was the team's home opener and they were out to prove that they had learned from their previous mistakes. Did they? Nope. It was the same old song and dance.
Once again the Bears were up by double digits going into the forth quarter and somehow the lead slips away. In the process, former Bears QB, Brian Griese, looks like Peyton Manning. 67 pass attempts and NO sacks? Are you kidding me? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
For three and a half quarters the Bears D looked dominant. Then on one fateful Bucs drive in the final minutes, everything fell apart. The game eventually went to overtime, but an idiotic Charles Tillman penalty gave the Bucs new life and eventually the game.
It's nice that the Bears aren't getting blown out, but sometimes losing a close one is even more devastating. All last year Lovie preached the mantra, "We've got to finish the game." Well do it. FINISH THE GAME.
The only bright side to this season so far has been the extraordinary play of Matt Forte. This kid is the real deal and looks like the best running back Chicago has seen in quite a long time. The job he's doing with a patched up offensive line is quite amazing, really. Hopefully the Bears will get Chris Williams back this season and Forte will break a couple of more long runs like his sweet week one sprint to the endzone.
Next week the Eagles come into Soldier Field, which could lead to an ugly game if the Bears don't shape up on both sides of the ball.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
A Few Words About Favre
Who is Ted Thompson? A probable answer to a future Jeopardy question that would read: Idiotic Green Bay Packers General Manager who traded away Brett Favre for a fourth round draft pick in August of 2008, and in the process, destroying the team and organization for years to come.
I always thought that professional football teams had a goal of winning as many games as they can and continue on to and win the Superbowl. However, the Green Bay Packers decided to do the opposite. They traded away their best shot at winning. The Packers were destined for obscurity last season with the Bears coming off a Superbowl appearance and the Vikings getting one heck of a running back in Adrian Peterson. Yet the Packers had an ace up their sleeve that no one saw coming, Brett Favre. He had a career best season at age 38 and locked up the all time touchdown mark for the time being. He led a young and hungry Packers team to the NFC championship before a predictable interception dashed any Superbowl dreams. Still, it was proven the man could play.
After that, everything else happened. Favre retired, unretired, got the shaft, and then was traded to the J-E-T-S! Jets! Jets! Jets! of New York City even though they play in New Jersey. But why? Why did the Packers get rid of their best player when they were on the verge of a championship season? That’s the question. The answer? The Packers are a selfish organization that would rather start an unproven four year old first round draft pick on the verge the final years of his contract than keep intact a major aspect of your fanchise's legacy.
If it was about egos then that’s one thing, but the fact is that this is the NFL. This is a league where winning is everything, but with a three year back up with only one professional career touchdown? Even worse, when Rogers struggles, Packers fan will be calling for his head, and making him the fall guy instead of a stubborn general manager or a bumbling head coach. Rogers is done if he can’t win in Green Bay. Done faster than Cedric Benson after his second DUI. Struggling is not an option for the Green Bay Packers now because the team just said, without inherently stating, that they could win more games with Aaron Rogers at the helm than future hall of famer Brett Favre. Here are a couple of guarantees: The Packers won’t win more than eight games this year, and the new QB controversy in Wisconsin will be Aaron Rogers or Brian Brohm. Still I can’t think of anything more ironic than both being duds and the Packers have to use the pick from the Jets to draft another quarterback.
This may seem bias, but let’s point out that this is coming from a Bears fan. For years, Favre has derailed the Bears, and finally he goes to the AFC right when Lovie Smith starts getting the best of him. Yet as a fan of football, I’m excited not only for the future of the Jets, but for ol’ man Favre as well. He may be a bit of an egomaniac, but Favre will bring that Mississippi swagger to the Jets that for the longest time have been a franchise without a face. Now not only do they have a face, they have a legitimate player for go toe-to-toe with Tom Brady.
The only concern is Favre crumbling under the pressure. New York is known for eating athletes alive with the constant media scrutiny. But Favre will be able to survive anywhere having survived the last couple of months. Favre is still a football player, and all he wants to do is to play. So good luck to Brett Favre and the new look New York Jets, and funeral services for the Green Bay Packers will be held in December.
I always thought that professional football teams had a goal of winning as many games as they can and continue on to and win the Superbowl. However, the Green Bay Packers decided to do the opposite. They traded away their best shot at winning. The Packers were destined for obscurity last season with the Bears coming off a Superbowl appearance and the Vikings getting one heck of a running back in Adrian Peterson. Yet the Packers had an ace up their sleeve that no one saw coming, Brett Favre. He had a career best season at age 38 and locked up the all time touchdown mark for the time being. He led a young and hungry Packers team to the NFC championship before a predictable interception dashed any Superbowl dreams. Still, it was proven the man could play.
After that, everything else happened. Favre retired, unretired, got the shaft, and then was traded to the J-E-T-S! Jets! Jets! Jets! of New York City even though they play in New Jersey. But why? Why did the Packers get rid of their best player when they were on the verge of a championship season? That’s the question. The answer? The Packers are a selfish organization that would rather start an unproven four year old first round draft pick on the verge the final years of his contract than keep intact a major aspect of your fanchise's legacy.
If it was about egos then that’s one thing, but the fact is that this is the NFL. This is a league where winning is everything, but with a three year back up with only one professional career touchdown? Even worse, when Rogers struggles, Packers fan will be calling for his head, and making him the fall guy instead of a stubborn general manager or a bumbling head coach. Rogers is done if he can’t win in Green Bay. Done faster than Cedric Benson after his second DUI. Struggling is not an option for the Green Bay Packers now because the team just said, without inherently stating, that they could win more games with Aaron Rogers at the helm than future hall of famer Brett Favre. Here are a couple of guarantees: The Packers won’t win more than eight games this year, and the new QB controversy in Wisconsin will be Aaron Rogers or Brian Brohm. Still I can’t think of anything more ironic than both being duds and the Packers have to use the pick from the Jets to draft another quarterback.
This may seem bias, but let’s point out that this is coming from a Bears fan. For years, Favre has derailed the Bears, and finally he goes to the AFC right when Lovie Smith starts getting the best of him. Yet as a fan of football, I’m excited not only for the future of the Jets, but for ol’ man Favre as well. He may be a bit of an egomaniac, but Favre will bring that Mississippi swagger to the Jets that for the longest time have been a franchise without a face. Now not only do they have a face, they have a legitimate player for go toe-to-toe with Tom Brady.
The only concern is Favre crumbling under the pressure. New York is known for eating athletes alive with the constant media scrutiny. But Favre will be able to survive anywhere having survived the last couple of months. Favre is still a football player, and all he wants to do is to play. So good luck to Brett Favre and the new look New York Jets, and funeral services for the Green Bay Packers will be held in December.
Monday, February 25, 2008
WRECKS GROSSMAN
Bears fans realized the glaring difference between a winner and a loser when Kelvin Hayden returned Rex Grossman’s floater for a touchdown in the fourth-quarter of Superbowl XLI cementing a victory for the Indianapolis Colts. A season later and not much changed. Grossman was benched three games into the 2007 season, and once again Chicago’s quarterback carousel was set in motion. Rex eventually regained the starting position before going down with knee injury in week 14 for the remainder of the season. He ended the season with a 66.4 Quarterback rating and throwing only four touchdowns but seven interceptions. So now Rex’s contract is up, and Chicago can finally end this failed Rexperiment, right? Apparently the Chicago Bears organization thinks otherwise.
This past weekend, the Bears signed the oft-injured, oft-scrutinized Rex Grossman to a one-year deal, securing him at least a chance to compete for the starting quarterback position. Questionable move? You can be the judge, but lets be honest here, the quarterback free agency pool this year is anemic. The Bears figured that the best option would be to re-sign their one time gunslinger of the future, but what do they see that the fans don’t? The same fans that boo Rex whenever he fumbles a snap or makes a cringe-worthy scrambling decision. Is this smart management for a team that was one win away from a Superbowl championship two years ago and couldn’t even reach the playoffs a season later? I thought the point of the off-season was to improve your team. This is no such improvement and equivalent to going backwards.
The entire Chicago Bears organization needs to realize something about Rex Grossman – Chicago is his only option. I don’t have top-secret sources in the know on NFL free agency or working in the NFL combine, but I’m going to go ahead and guess that absolutely zero teams called Rex’s agent Eugene Parker to inquire about the Grossman’s status. There are teams looking for a starting quarterback next season, but how desirable are they for mediocrity? Even those rebuilding like Miami or Atlanta probably never even considered bringing in Grossman. No NFL teams did. Grossman’s only shot at a starting role would be in Chicago. He knows this and Chicago Bears organization knows this.
Grossman spills his love for the Bears in the recent press release for this re-signing saying, “They drafted me. A lot of bad things have happened to me since I’ve been here with injuries and things, but the 2006 season was a special one. We almost completed the ultimate goal. I want to finish that. I want to finish what I started and I want to be a Bear for the rest of my life.”
Of course he loves the Bears. They are the only organization in the national football league I can think of that would reward a quarterback with a $2 million contract for losing them the Superbowl.
The only bright side to this entire situation is that Love Smith has promised that there will be a competition for the starting QB position in the pre-season, most likely between Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman. From the way things are shaping up, it appears the Bears will draft a quarterback and cut veteran Brian Griese. Kyle Orton, while not spectacular, did manage to scrape together consecutive wins when he started the final three regular season games, but it’s obvious he isn’t the future franchise QB.
So if Orton becomes the starter, what then? Will Grossman be able to handle being the back up? Before the season ended, Grossman said he wanted to go anywhere where he would have a shot at being the starter. Guess what Rexy? Chicago is your only shot. You have to be naive to think that anywhere else you’d fly up the depth chart like an Eli Manning or a David Garrard. Rex should be sending flowers to Jerry Angelo’s office to thank him for keeping his professional football aspirations alive. If the Bears had shunned him, he would be searching Craigslist for a job, not the other 31 NFL teams.
Quarterback problems once again plague the monsters of the midway and it’s barely March, but what else is new? The real question is which comes first: Bears finding a franchise QB or the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series. Right now, it’s too close to call.
This past weekend, the Bears signed the oft-injured, oft-scrutinized Rex Grossman to a one-year deal, securing him at least a chance to compete for the starting quarterback position. Questionable move? You can be the judge, but lets be honest here, the quarterback free agency pool this year is anemic. The Bears figured that the best option would be to re-sign their one time gunslinger of the future, but what do they see that the fans don’t? The same fans that boo Rex whenever he fumbles a snap or makes a cringe-worthy scrambling decision. Is this smart management for a team that was one win away from a Superbowl championship two years ago and couldn’t even reach the playoffs a season later? I thought the point of the off-season was to improve your team. This is no such improvement and equivalent to going backwards.
The entire Chicago Bears organization needs to realize something about Rex Grossman – Chicago is his only option. I don’t have top-secret sources in the know on NFL free agency or working in the NFL combine, but I’m going to go ahead and guess that absolutely zero teams called Rex’s agent Eugene Parker to inquire about the Grossman’s status. There are teams looking for a starting quarterback next season, but how desirable are they for mediocrity? Even those rebuilding like Miami or Atlanta probably never even considered bringing in Grossman. No NFL teams did. Grossman’s only shot at a starting role would be in Chicago. He knows this and Chicago Bears organization knows this.
Grossman spills his love for the Bears in the recent press release for this re-signing saying, “They drafted me. A lot of bad things have happened to me since I’ve been here with injuries and things, but the 2006 season was a special one. We almost completed the ultimate goal. I want to finish that. I want to finish what I started and I want to be a Bear for the rest of my life.”
Of course he loves the Bears. They are the only organization in the national football league I can think of that would reward a quarterback with a $2 million contract for losing them the Superbowl.
The only bright side to this entire situation is that Love Smith has promised that there will be a competition for the starting QB position in the pre-season, most likely between Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman. From the way things are shaping up, it appears the Bears will draft a quarterback and cut veteran Brian Griese. Kyle Orton, while not spectacular, did manage to scrape together consecutive wins when he started the final three regular season games, but it’s obvious he isn’t the future franchise QB.
So if Orton becomes the starter, what then? Will Grossman be able to handle being the back up? Before the season ended, Grossman said he wanted to go anywhere where he would have a shot at being the starter. Guess what Rexy? Chicago is your only shot. You have to be naive to think that anywhere else you’d fly up the depth chart like an Eli Manning or a David Garrard. Rex should be sending flowers to Jerry Angelo’s office to thank him for keeping his professional football aspirations alive. If the Bears had shunned him, he would be searching Craigslist for a job, not the other 31 NFL teams.
Quarterback problems once again plague the monsters of the midway and it’s barely March, but what else is new? The real question is which comes first: Bears finding a franchise QB or the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series. Right now, it’s too close to call.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
UNBEARABLE
Lions - 37
Bears - 27
When the season began, the Chicago Bears had Super Bowl ambitions. Unfortunately, after today's game, these ambitions are mere afterthoughts. Everyone thought that the Bears were to be contenders for recapturing the NFC title, but not it's just a race to get back to .500, to square one.
Brian Griese made his first start today for the Bears, and the decision looked like a genius one by Lovie Smith in the first half. Then with about 30 seconds left in the second quarter and in the red zone, Griese threw a pick (which looked like pass interference to me, but hey, I'm no ref) and killed the Bears momentum for the rest of the afternoon. A banged-up Bears defense collapsed in the fourth quarter of the game and gave up 34 points, but coming in we knew it would be tough with the number of injuries we had. That’s why our offense needed to step up, and once again, we were let down.
There were some great moments in the first half provided by Griese. Twice he avoided a sack and managed to work his way to positive yardage. He looked very poised in the pocket, and he had great awareness. These characteristics were something the Bears had almost never seen in now back-up quarterback Rex Grossman.
However once Griese threw his first interception, the Bears knew they were in for more of the same old offense we've seen the first three weeks. But that brings up the next point, what exactly is the problem?
First off, Cedric Benson appears to be a bust. He constantly fumbles, and unlike Grossman who gave us his "I'm going to work my hardest and get better" speech after every game, Benson just shrugs it off. Benson had maybe two runs over 4 yards in the game, and he fumbles more than Tiki Barber in an earthquake. Something has to be done to correct this. If Grossman sits on the bench for weak play, maybe it's about time Benson does the same. This would mean that Adrian Peterson (the fake one) and rookie Garrett Wolfe would get more carries. I'm all for it, as long as the offense does not continue turning the ball over.
Bears' general manager, Jerry Angelo, is excellent in drafting defensive and special teams player. However, he failed the Bears in a very important area: the offensive line. At points during the Lions game, Griese looked very accurate in his throws. Yet at the end of the day, he threw only two touchdowns and three interceptions. These are in fact Grossman-like numbers. So this begs the question, maybe it wasn't all Grossman's fault? I mean maybe the offensive line is so bad that not even Tom Brady himself could muster a passer rating above 70. The defensive linemen from the Lions managed to brake through and get pressure on Griese all day long.
Finally, offensive coordinator Ron Turner has to go. This man cannot put together a decent string of plays. That two-minute drill at the close of the second quarter that ended in a Griese interception was poor. Why not call a screen or at least one halfback draw? Oh right, I forgot, Benson is fumble prone. However, Turner still doesn't utilize our biggest playmaker, Devin Hester, to his fullest potential. Hester got in on the offense maybe twice and it was screen to the receiver. Why not just line-up Hester as a running back and pitch him the ball or even a simple hand off. The primary problem with Turner's play calling is predictability. It was obvious when Griese was going to hand off the ball to Benson and when he was going to pass. If I was Lovie Smith, I think it would be just about the time to pull the reigns from Turner and start calling the plays myself.
The Bears post-season dreams have now been all but shattered. Hester ran back another kick off for a touchdown today (he has to be hall of fame bound), but even he couldn’t save this sinking ship known as the Chicago Bears. The 2006 NFC Champions now sit at the bottom of the NFC North standing with a 1-3, tied with the Minnesota Vikings. Green Bay solidified themselves as one of the hottest teams in the NFL today by beating the Vikes and moving to 4-0. The Lions also pulled out in front of us as they are now at 3-1. This loss hurt because the Lions are a team we should be beating consistently. Next week gets no easier with the Chicago Bears going to a pumped-up Lambeau Field to face an undefeated Packers team. Once again on the national stage of Sunday Night Football, so get ready for a few laughs.
Even though the Bears are in last place, there still is sometime to turn things around, but to do that they need to starting winning. The NFC is weak and with a 9-7 or 8-8 record, the Bears could still sneak into the playoffs as a wildcard. It's going to be tough though. Earlier this year, pro-football media laughed when Kitna guaranteed 10 wins for his new-look Lions. Now that prediction is on course. What a difference a year makes.
Bears - 27
When the season began, the Chicago Bears had Super Bowl ambitions. Unfortunately, after today's game, these ambitions are mere afterthoughts. Everyone thought that the Bears were to be contenders for recapturing the NFC title, but not it's just a race to get back to .500, to square one.
Brian Griese made his first start today for the Bears, and the decision looked like a genius one by Lovie Smith in the first half. Then with about 30 seconds left in the second quarter and in the red zone, Griese threw a pick (which looked like pass interference to me, but hey, I'm no ref) and killed the Bears momentum for the rest of the afternoon. A banged-up Bears defense collapsed in the fourth quarter of the game and gave up 34 points, but coming in we knew it would be tough with the number of injuries we had. That’s why our offense needed to step up, and once again, we were let down.
There were some great moments in the first half provided by Griese. Twice he avoided a sack and managed to work his way to positive yardage. He looked very poised in the pocket, and he had great awareness. These characteristics were something the Bears had almost never seen in now back-up quarterback Rex Grossman.
However once Griese threw his first interception, the Bears knew they were in for more of the same old offense we've seen the first three weeks. But that brings up the next point, what exactly is the problem?
First off, Cedric Benson appears to be a bust. He constantly fumbles, and unlike Grossman who gave us his "I'm going to work my hardest and get better" speech after every game, Benson just shrugs it off. Benson had maybe two runs over 4 yards in the game, and he fumbles more than Tiki Barber in an earthquake. Something has to be done to correct this. If Grossman sits on the bench for weak play, maybe it's about time Benson does the same. This would mean that Adrian Peterson (the fake one) and rookie Garrett Wolfe would get more carries. I'm all for it, as long as the offense does not continue turning the ball over.
Bears' general manager, Jerry Angelo, is excellent in drafting defensive and special teams player. However, he failed the Bears in a very important area: the offensive line. At points during the Lions game, Griese looked very accurate in his throws. Yet at the end of the day, he threw only two touchdowns and three interceptions. These are in fact Grossman-like numbers. So this begs the question, maybe it wasn't all Grossman's fault? I mean maybe the offensive line is so bad that not even Tom Brady himself could muster a passer rating above 70. The defensive linemen from the Lions managed to brake through and get pressure on Griese all day long.
Finally, offensive coordinator Ron Turner has to go. This man cannot put together a decent string of plays. That two-minute drill at the close of the second quarter that ended in a Griese interception was poor. Why not call a screen or at least one halfback draw? Oh right, I forgot, Benson is fumble prone. However, Turner still doesn't utilize our biggest playmaker, Devin Hester, to his fullest potential. Hester got in on the offense maybe twice and it was screen to the receiver. Why not just line-up Hester as a running back and pitch him the ball or even a simple hand off. The primary problem with Turner's play calling is predictability. It was obvious when Griese was going to hand off the ball to Benson and when he was going to pass. If I was Lovie Smith, I think it would be just about the time to pull the reigns from Turner and start calling the plays myself.
The Bears post-season dreams have now been all but shattered. Hester ran back another kick off for a touchdown today (he has to be hall of fame bound), but even he couldn’t save this sinking ship known as the Chicago Bears. The 2006 NFC Champions now sit at the bottom of the NFC North standing with a 1-3, tied with the Minnesota Vikings. Green Bay solidified themselves as one of the hottest teams in the NFL today by beating the Vikes and moving to 4-0. The Lions also pulled out in front of us as they are now at 3-1. This loss hurt because the Lions are a team we should be beating consistently. Next week gets no easier with the Chicago Bears going to a pumped-up Lambeau Field to face an undefeated Packers team. Once again on the national stage of Sunday Night Football, so get ready for a few laughs.
Even though the Bears are in last place, there still is sometime to turn things around, but to do that they need to starting winning. The NFC is weak and with a 9-7 or 8-8 record, the Bears could still sneak into the playoffs as a wildcard. It's going to be tough though. Earlier this year, pro-football media laughed when Kitna guaranteed 10 wins for his new-look Lions. Now that prediction is on course. What a difference a year makes.
And so begins the Brian Griese Era...
Alright Bears fans. Finally a new face behind center. Brian Griese will get the start today at Detroit. However, that's really not the biggest storyline. Our Defense is banged up, and it doesn't bode well.
Both our starting cornerbacks, Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher, are out. Ricky Manning Jr and rookie McBride will start in their place. Safety Adam Archuleta and linebacker Lance Briggs are also out today with injuries.
So as the Griese era begins, we need our offense to come up with points more than ever. Keys to today's game: Blitz Kitna early. Get more than two offensive scores. Hopefully Benson can take advantage of Detroit's weak D.
Time to BEAR DOWN! I'll check back in after the game.
Both our starting cornerbacks, Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher, are out. Ricky Manning Jr and rookie McBride will start in their place. Safety Adam Archuleta and linebacker Lance Briggs are also out today with injuries.
So as the Griese era begins, we need our offense to come up with points more than ever. Keys to today's game: Blitz Kitna early. Get more than two offensive scores. Hopefully Benson can take advantage of Detroit's weak D.
Time to BEAR DOWN! I'll check back in after the game.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Good Rex – Bad Rex: A Retrospective of the Grossman Era
I have been a Bears supporter since my youth. My parents still speak of the ’85 Bears as if they were some mythical creature. But growing up in a franchise-less Houston made it difficult to see professional football at all. My first NFL experience also happened to be my first Chicago Bears game. For the past six months, Chicago had become my temporary home when my then home New Orleans was out of commission for the fall and winter of 2005. It was a frigid December night in the city of broad shoulders with a wind chill of negative 17. The Atlanta Falcons came to town to face the surprising Chicago Bears who were first place in NFC North.
The Bears’ season started off anything but special. They had once again lost their first-round pick and potential quarter back for the season, Rex Grossman, to a broken leg in pre-season. Taking over the starting quarterback duties was Purdue rookie Kyle Orton. After starting the season 1-3, the Bears went on an unprecedented winning streak. The key to these victories was the tough-as-nails defense, which featured numerous pro-bowlers and led by monster of the midway, Brian Urlacher. They relied on turnovers for the majority of their points, but the offense still left much to be desired. However, rookie Kyle Orton became a very good game manager. He didn’t throw unless he absolutely had too. Thomas Jones’ solid running with decent back-ups in rookie Cedric Benson and Adrian Peterson wore down opponent’s offensive line. Throughout the season the Bears managed to edge their NFC opponents week in and week out.
Things began to dip somewhat when the Bears were hammered by a then Super bowl bound Pittsburgh Steelers. Well wouldn’t you know it, around this time Rex Grossman was all healed from the pre-season injury. While Kyle Orton was at the helm for their run to the playoffs, Chicago fans and media knew that there needed to be a spark if the Bears were to actually be contenders. As the season winded down, so did the offense.
So now the Falcons were in town, and at half time the Bears were only up by a field goal. The fans who weren’t in heating areas below the upper deck and decided to battle the frozen tundra that is Soldier Field got an unexpected and exciting announcement over the loud speakers at the beginning of the second half. “And now at the position of quarterback for your Chicago Bears, Rex Grossman.” You could literally feel the electricity. For weeks Grossman was begging coach Lovie Smith for a chance to play. He knew he could take this offense and make something out of it. Finally, he was getting his wish.
While Grossman did nothing spectacular in the game, he did provide a few key completions. Something the Bears had been waiting for forever, a capable quarterback. Next thing you knew, the Bears had clinched a play-off berth for the first time since 2001 when Rex led the Bears to a victory over rivals, the Green Bay packers. The Bears went on to the playoffs, only to lose the NFC divisional game to the Carolina Panthers. But all was not lost. Maybe the Chicago Bears had finally found their quarterback of the future.
Fast forward to the 2006 season, week one. No one really had any expectations for Rex Grossman. The Bears had always been a pound-it-down-your-throat type of team. Nobody expected this to changed. The next thing you know, the Bears crushed the Green Bay packers 36-0 by utilizing some spectacular high-flying throws from Rex Grossman to young receiver Bernard Berrian. What was going on? Since when do the bears launch the ball for more than 60 yards? Apparently they did now. Grossman continued his winning ways for four more weeks. The Bears were looking more and more like the Ditka-led Championship team of ’85 every game. Was Rex Grossman the real deal? It was looking good, very good.
Week six brought the Chicago Bears to Arizona to battle a winless Cardinals team. This is where things unraveled, and boy did they unravel quickly. The Cardinals defensive coordinator did something that no other NFL teams had done the bears all season: Blitz quick and blitz often. Grossman had never seen pressure this severe in any of his NFL starts. He threw four interceptions and fumbled twice. Miraculously, the Bears defense and god-send Devin Hester bailed the team out as they managed to take the game, and Arizona kicker Neil Racker’s missed field goal in the final seconds sent the Chicago Bears to 6 and 0. Yet there were some rumblings. What the hell happened to Rex? Was he exposed? How can he be this bad, but have looked so good?
This was the beginning of what the Chicago media and fans have labeled the Good Rex – Bad Rex saga. The rest of the 2006 season contained spectacular highs and embarrassing lows. Grossman would have a QB rating near 100 one week and 0 the next. Some fans were clamoring for a change, but in every post game press conference Lovie Smith would give his “Grossman is our quarterback” spiel. Well maybe Lovie was onto something because the Rex Grossman-led dominated a very good New Orleans Saints team and won their first NFC Championship since 1985 on their way to the Super bowl. They had the challenge of facing perhaps the best quarterback of all time in the Indianapolis Colts’ Peyton Manning.
I’m pretty sure I could hear cheers from Chicago sports bar Mother Hubbard’s all the way down in New Orleans (my home at the time) when Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown in Super bowl XLI, but for Bears Super bowl highlights, that was it. The rest of the game looked like typical Bears mid-season play with Grossman sealing the Colts super bowl victory with two interceptions. They got to dance, but this is not how Chicago Bears fans wanted to see it end. So close to a championship, yet so completely off target, one could only wonder if Rex Grossman had taken his last snap as the Bears starting quarterback.
The off-season for the NFC Champion Bears was interesting to say the least. They traded away pro-bowl running back Thomas Jones to the New York Jets and were ready to hand the reigns to 2005 first round and fourth overall pick, Cedric Benson. Cedric had been a beast at the University of Texas, but he looked lackadaisical in many of the games he had played for the Bears. However, at the end of the 2006 season, with Rex looking worse than ever, Cedric had a couple of big plays that led Bears general manager Jerry Angelo to trade TJ and make Benson the featured back. In hindsight, the move makes a good bit of sense. You can’t sign a fourth overall pick and having him sitting on the bench for close to three seasons now, especially since Thomas Jones propelled the Bears through the playoffs. There just wasn’t enough room in the salary cap for both. However, it was a sad day to see Thomas Jones go. He was the Bears’ brightest spot in the 2006 playoffs. Another change was anything but a surprise as Devin Hester, the almighty rookie kick returner from Miami, was about to be moved to the offensive side of the ball.
Reports from the Bears training camps couldn’t have been better. Grossman apparently looked more accurate than ever and Hester on offense could lead to some incredible plays. But I guess you can’t always believe what you hear, read, and see because when pre-season rolled around, Rex looked like the Tunoversaur we had grown to despise. He was plagued by fumbles and miscues. For some reason, he could not seem to take a clean snap from pro-bowl center Olin Krutez. You could sense the fans getting restless. Is this really the much-improved Rex we’d been hearing about all off-season? You’ve got to be kidding me.
Now it’s the first game for the 2007 regular season and the Bears are facing AFC powerhouse, the San Diego Chargers who are led by 2006 NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson. The Bears’ defense stepped up in the game, holding LT to a measly 25 yards rushing, but the big story was turnovers. The running backs were fumbling and the quarterback was throwing interceptions again. It was same old song and dance. The Bears lost the game 14-3, but the defense held a high caliber offense to 14 points. So really only a few adjustments needed to be made to the Bears’ offense, and the Super bowl shuffle was back on, right?
Week two brought the Kansas City Chiefs to Soldier Field for the Bears home opener. These were the same Chiefs who the Houston turned into mincemeat in week one. So the Bears should have no problem taking care of them and unleashing this amazing offense we’ve heard about in training camp, right? Wrong again. The Bears offense was anemic and lifeless as a bowl of rocks. Rex completed a few passes, but still the turnovers were mounting. He threw two interceptions including one to Donnie Edwards. Now Rex threw picks in the San Diego game, but one of them was obviously Berrian’s fault. Berrian simply ran his route incorrectly. This time, these picks were from boneheaded throws by Grossman. His interceptions were not the passes of a Super bowl caliber quarterback. Something had to be done.
As I stepped off the plane on a beautiful Chicago afternoon for my fourth Bears game at Soldier Field in three seasons, I actually believed that Rex could turn himself around. Sure I, along with countless other Bears fans, were calling for a change, but I was willing to give Rex one more chance. This week he was going up against Dallas’ lame duck defense that had give up an average of 293.5 passing yards per game this year. Yes, the Dallas offense, under undrafted Easter Illinois alum Tony Romo (How the Chicago Bears let this guys slip under the radar in their own backyard is beyond me.), looked very intimidating the first two games. Romo had apparently shaken all the negative vibes after his botched hold in last year’s playoffs, and was ready to bring the Cowboys back to the national spotlight.
I’m not going to go into the specifics of the game because we all saw it. It was hard to miss on national television. Long story short, the Cowboys whooped up on the Bears at their home field and it was quite embarrassing. I haven’t seen a national TV beating that bad since, well actually, NFL 2007 kick off game pitting the Saints at Colts. The offense was pathetic, and the defense somehow kept this dismal team in the game until the third quarter. Grossman sealed his fate with his third interception. It was at that point that I knew the Grossman era in Chicago Bears football was over. It was time for a change.
Now let me state that I was for the longest time a huge Grossman supporter. The first few games of the 2006 season, Rex looked like a young gun slinging version of Drew Brees. He has incredible arm strength, but there is something odd about his mindset. After he was exposed as being vulnerable to pressure, the media tore him to shreds. For some reason he never regained that confidence he once had. When expectations of Rex were low, he managed to raise the bar. When the Rexpectations were high, he dropped the ball, literally. I even witnessed the 2006 Vikings game when he had a QB rating of 1.3, but I still thought he was the man for the job. Apparently he wasn’t.
You still can’t deny that when Rex was playing a high level in the beginning of 2006, he truly helped the Bears reach the Super bowl. None of the other rotating-cast of quarterbacks the Bears through the past ten years got the Bears to the Super bowl, so there is some credit due. Also this isn’t entirely on Rex. Chicago Bears Offensive coordinator Ron Turner has not been sharp as of late. Three straight runs up the middle during the San Diego game for 2 yards and nada? Don’t understand that play calling. Then in the Dallas game, Turner decides to try out a fake field goal and have kicker Gould try to launch it to tight-end Desmond Clark. I guess maybe he thought Gould might have more finesse than Grossman, but this isn’t a Madden game. No one in their right mind should be calling a fake field goal when tied up 3-3 in the second quarter. Then there is the less than spectacular play of now starter Cedric Benson. His consistent fumbling problems are definitely the next troublesome issue the Bears need to address. Maybe get some tutoring form Tom Coughlin? Who knows? The fact is that the Bears who seemed destined for another Super bowl run are now having to work their way back to .500 while rivals Green Bay Packers are looking like the NFC’s new team-to-beat.
The Bears do have a couple of more options at quarterback in veteran Brian Griese and Kyle Orton. Griese has shown some play-making ability during pre-season games, but has never really been a past of the Bears offense since he was signed at the beginning of the 2006 season. Orton was at the helm for the 2005 run, but at that time he was a rookie, and since then he has had time to learn the game from the bench. Some fans are even talking about possible trades to obtain Philadelphia’s Donavan McNabb or New York’s Chad Pennington, but that probably isn’t likely.
The Bears now have to eliminate turnovers. The defense was super bowl ready, but with injures to key starters, Bears fans could be in for a long year. If the Bears can win time of possession and manage the game slowly and carefully like Orton’s team of 2005, then maybe the playoffs aren’t out of the question yet. Only time will tell, but by Wednesday September 26 the Rex Grossman era is officially over and Lovie name Brian Griese the new starting quarterback. Lovie once again needed to implement a spark in this offense, and I wholeheartedly agree with his decision. Maybe Griese is the one the Bears have been waiting for since Jim McMahon. After all, wasn’t it seasoned veteran Trent Dilfer that led the Baltimore Ravens to a championship in 1999 after starting the season 0 and 3? Yes, I think it was.
The Bears’ season started off anything but special. They had once again lost their first-round pick and potential quarter back for the season, Rex Grossman, to a broken leg in pre-season. Taking over the starting quarterback duties was Purdue rookie Kyle Orton. After starting the season 1-3, the Bears went on an unprecedented winning streak. The key to these victories was the tough-as-nails defense, which featured numerous pro-bowlers and led by monster of the midway, Brian Urlacher. They relied on turnovers for the majority of their points, but the offense still left much to be desired. However, rookie Kyle Orton became a very good game manager. He didn’t throw unless he absolutely had too. Thomas Jones’ solid running with decent back-ups in rookie Cedric Benson and Adrian Peterson wore down opponent’s offensive line. Throughout the season the Bears managed to edge their NFC opponents week in and week out.
Things began to dip somewhat when the Bears were hammered by a then Super bowl bound Pittsburgh Steelers. Well wouldn’t you know it, around this time Rex Grossman was all healed from the pre-season injury. While Kyle Orton was at the helm for their run to the playoffs, Chicago fans and media knew that there needed to be a spark if the Bears were to actually be contenders. As the season winded down, so did the offense.
So now the Falcons were in town, and at half time the Bears were only up by a field goal. The fans who weren’t in heating areas below the upper deck and decided to battle the frozen tundra that is Soldier Field got an unexpected and exciting announcement over the loud speakers at the beginning of the second half. “And now at the position of quarterback for your Chicago Bears, Rex Grossman.” You could literally feel the electricity. For weeks Grossman was begging coach Lovie Smith for a chance to play. He knew he could take this offense and make something out of it. Finally, he was getting his wish.
While Grossman did nothing spectacular in the game, he did provide a few key completions. Something the Bears had been waiting for forever, a capable quarterback. Next thing you knew, the Bears had clinched a play-off berth for the first time since 2001 when Rex led the Bears to a victory over rivals, the Green Bay packers. The Bears went on to the playoffs, only to lose the NFC divisional game to the Carolina Panthers. But all was not lost. Maybe the Chicago Bears had finally found their quarterback of the future.
Fast forward to the 2006 season, week one. No one really had any expectations for Rex Grossman. The Bears had always been a pound-it-down-your-throat type of team. Nobody expected this to changed. The next thing you know, the Bears crushed the Green Bay packers 36-0 by utilizing some spectacular high-flying throws from Rex Grossman to young receiver Bernard Berrian. What was going on? Since when do the bears launch the ball for more than 60 yards? Apparently they did now. Grossman continued his winning ways for four more weeks. The Bears were looking more and more like the Ditka-led Championship team of ’85 every game. Was Rex Grossman the real deal? It was looking good, very good.
Week six brought the Chicago Bears to Arizona to battle a winless Cardinals team. This is where things unraveled, and boy did they unravel quickly. The Cardinals defensive coordinator did something that no other NFL teams had done the bears all season: Blitz quick and blitz often. Grossman had never seen pressure this severe in any of his NFL starts. He threw four interceptions and fumbled twice. Miraculously, the Bears defense and god-send Devin Hester bailed the team out as they managed to take the game, and Arizona kicker Neil Racker’s missed field goal in the final seconds sent the Chicago Bears to 6 and 0. Yet there were some rumblings. What the hell happened to Rex? Was he exposed? How can he be this bad, but have looked so good?
This was the beginning of what the Chicago media and fans have labeled the Good Rex – Bad Rex saga. The rest of the 2006 season contained spectacular highs and embarrassing lows. Grossman would have a QB rating near 100 one week and 0 the next. Some fans were clamoring for a change, but in every post game press conference Lovie Smith would give his “Grossman is our quarterback” spiel. Well maybe Lovie was onto something because the Rex Grossman-led dominated a very good New Orleans Saints team and won their first NFC Championship since 1985 on their way to the Super bowl. They had the challenge of facing perhaps the best quarterback of all time in the Indianapolis Colts’ Peyton Manning.
I’m pretty sure I could hear cheers from Chicago sports bar Mother Hubbard’s all the way down in New Orleans (my home at the time) when Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown in Super bowl XLI, but for Bears Super bowl highlights, that was it. The rest of the game looked like typical Bears mid-season play with Grossman sealing the Colts super bowl victory with two interceptions. They got to dance, but this is not how Chicago Bears fans wanted to see it end. So close to a championship, yet so completely off target, one could only wonder if Rex Grossman had taken his last snap as the Bears starting quarterback.
The off-season for the NFC Champion Bears was interesting to say the least. They traded away pro-bowl running back Thomas Jones to the New York Jets and were ready to hand the reigns to 2005 first round and fourth overall pick, Cedric Benson. Cedric had been a beast at the University of Texas, but he looked lackadaisical in many of the games he had played for the Bears. However, at the end of the 2006 season, with Rex looking worse than ever, Cedric had a couple of big plays that led Bears general manager Jerry Angelo to trade TJ and make Benson the featured back. In hindsight, the move makes a good bit of sense. You can’t sign a fourth overall pick and having him sitting on the bench for close to three seasons now, especially since Thomas Jones propelled the Bears through the playoffs. There just wasn’t enough room in the salary cap for both. However, it was a sad day to see Thomas Jones go. He was the Bears’ brightest spot in the 2006 playoffs. Another change was anything but a surprise as Devin Hester, the almighty rookie kick returner from Miami, was about to be moved to the offensive side of the ball.
Reports from the Bears training camps couldn’t have been better. Grossman apparently looked more accurate than ever and Hester on offense could lead to some incredible plays. But I guess you can’t always believe what you hear, read, and see because when pre-season rolled around, Rex looked like the Tunoversaur we had grown to despise. He was plagued by fumbles and miscues. For some reason, he could not seem to take a clean snap from pro-bowl center Olin Krutez. You could sense the fans getting restless. Is this really the much-improved Rex we’d been hearing about all off-season? You’ve got to be kidding me.
Now it’s the first game for the 2007 regular season and the Bears are facing AFC powerhouse, the San Diego Chargers who are led by 2006 NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson. The Bears’ defense stepped up in the game, holding LT to a measly 25 yards rushing, but the big story was turnovers. The running backs were fumbling and the quarterback was throwing interceptions again. It was same old song and dance. The Bears lost the game 14-3, but the defense held a high caliber offense to 14 points. So really only a few adjustments needed to be made to the Bears’ offense, and the Super bowl shuffle was back on, right?
Week two brought the Kansas City Chiefs to Soldier Field for the Bears home opener. These were the same Chiefs who the Houston turned into mincemeat in week one. So the Bears should have no problem taking care of them and unleashing this amazing offense we’ve heard about in training camp, right? Wrong again. The Bears offense was anemic and lifeless as a bowl of rocks. Rex completed a few passes, but still the turnovers were mounting. He threw two interceptions including one to Donnie Edwards. Now Rex threw picks in the San Diego game, but one of them was obviously Berrian’s fault. Berrian simply ran his route incorrectly. This time, these picks were from boneheaded throws by Grossman. His interceptions were not the passes of a Super bowl caliber quarterback. Something had to be done.
As I stepped off the plane on a beautiful Chicago afternoon for my fourth Bears game at Soldier Field in three seasons, I actually believed that Rex could turn himself around. Sure I, along with countless other Bears fans, were calling for a change, but I was willing to give Rex one more chance. This week he was going up against Dallas’ lame duck defense that had give up an average of 293.5 passing yards per game this year. Yes, the Dallas offense, under undrafted Easter Illinois alum Tony Romo (How the Chicago Bears let this guys slip under the radar in their own backyard is beyond me.), looked very intimidating the first two games. Romo had apparently shaken all the negative vibes after his botched hold in last year’s playoffs, and was ready to bring the Cowboys back to the national spotlight.
I’m not going to go into the specifics of the game because we all saw it. It was hard to miss on national television. Long story short, the Cowboys whooped up on the Bears at their home field and it was quite embarrassing. I haven’t seen a national TV beating that bad since, well actually, NFL 2007 kick off game pitting the Saints at Colts. The offense was pathetic, and the defense somehow kept this dismal team in the game until the third quarter. Grossman sealed his fate with his third interception. It was at that point that I knew the Grossman era in Chicago Bears football was over. It was time for a change.
Now let me state that I was for the longest time a huge Grossman supporter. The first few games of the 2006 season, Rex looked like a young gun slinging version of Drew Brees. He has incredible arm strength, but there is something odd about his mindset. After he was exposed as being vulnerable to pressure, the media tore him to shreds. For some reason he never regained that confidence he once had. When expectations of Rex were low, he managed to raise the bar. When the Rexpectations were high, he dropped the ball, literally. I even witnessed the 2006 Vikings game when he had a QB rating of 1.3, but I still thought he was the man for the job. Apparently he wasn’t.
You still can’t deny that when Rex was playing a high level in the beginning of 2006, he truly helped the Bears reach the Super bowl. None of the other rotating-cast of quarterbacks the Bears through the past ten years got the Bears to the Super bowl, so there is some credit due. Also this isn’t entirely on Rex. Chicago Bears Offensive coordinator Ron Turner has not been sharp as of late. Three straight runs up the middle during the San Diego game for 2 yards and nada? Don’t understand that play calling. Then in the Dallas game, Turner decides to try out a fake field goal and have kicker Gould try to launch it to tight-end Desmond Clark. I guess maybe he thought Gould might have more finesse than Grossman, but this isn’t a Madden game. No one in their right mind should be calling a fake field goal when tied up 3-3 in the second quarter. Then there is the less than spectacular play of now starter Cedric Benson. His consistent fumbling problems are definitely the next troublesome issue the Bears need to address. Maybe get some tutoring form Tom Coughlin? Who knows? The fact is that the Bears who seemed destined for another Super bowl run are now having to work their way back to .500 while rivals Green Bay Packers are looking like the NFC’s new team-to-beat.
The Bears do have a couple of more options at quarterback in veteran Brian Griese and Kyle Orton. Griese has shown some play-making ability during pre-season games, but has never really been a past of the Bears offense since he was signed at the beginning of the 2006 season. Orton was at the helm for the 2005 run, but at that time he was a rookie, and since then he has had time to learn the game from the bench. Some fans are even talking about possible trades to obtain Philadelphia’s Donavan McNabb or New York’s Chad Pennington, but that probably isn’t likely.
The Bears now have to eliminate turnovers. The defense was super bowl ready, but with injures to key starters, Bears fans could be in for a long year. If the Bears can win time of possession and manage the game slowly and carefully like Orton’s team of 2005, then maybe the playoffs aren’t out of the question yet. Only time will tell, but by Wednesday September 26 the Rex Grossman era is officially over and Lovie name Brian Griese the new starting quarterback. Lovie once again needed to implement a spark in this offense, and I wholeheartedly agree with his decision. Maybe Griese is the one the Bears have been waiting for since Jim McMahon. After all, wasn’t it seasoned veteran Trent Dilfer that led the Baltimore Ravens to a championship in 1999 after starting the season 0 and 3? Yes, I think it was.
Introduction
Hello all,
This is my new Chicago Bears blog. From here, I'll keep track and give my thoughts on the Chicago Bears football squard. They are my favorite team, and I'm a full supporter. Anyhow, I'll keep this brief because I'm about to post my retrospective of the Rex Grossman era. So here we go...
- Rich
This is my new Chicago Bears blog. From here, I'll keep track and give my thoughts on the Chicago Bears football squard. They are my favorite team, and I'm a full supporter. Anyhow, I'll keep this brief because I'm about to post my retrospective of the Rex Grossman era. So here we go...
- Rich
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)