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Bears fans finally got to witness Sunday night what a young QB taking it to the next level looks like. Unfortunately, it wasn't our QB. While at this time last year, Romo had yet to complete an NFL pass, last night he looked to be on his way to the Pro Bowl as he led the Cowboys to a 34-10 romp over the Bears. Grossman looked like he's on his way to the bench.
At least that's where we hope he ends up. We're not the only ones.
Rex Grossman had his worst outing of the season in front of a national prime-time audience, completing just 15 of 32 passes for 195 yards while throwing three interceptions. That's a 27.5 QB rating. His overall QB rating now sits at 45.2. Through the first three weeks, only Minnesota's Tavaris Jackson has a worse rating. No wonder that late in the game, the crowd could be heard chanting for Griese.
The running game wasn't any better. Cedric Benson managed just 46 yards on 16 carries — plus a critical fumble — and has averaged a mere 3.2 yards/carry so far through the first three games. We know that the offensive line is partly to blame, but it's mostly Benson that's not performing.
With the offense completely ineffective, can Lovie afford to continue to stick with Rex?
If Grossman goes out there next weekend against Detroit and stinks it up again, then the Bears will lose, and any chances of making the playoffs are over. The Rex Grossman era has to end.
Particularly because the defense doesn't look like it'll be able to bail out the offense as it had done in recent years. Already down two starters, the sidelines looked like a MASH unit last night. Lance Briggs and Nathan Vasher both left the game with groin injuries. Tommie Harris left early with a MCL injury. That's three more Pro Bowlers banged up and possibly out. We'll know more after they have their MRIs on Monday. Could the Bears' defense have nearly half their starters off the field next week? Sure, they have depth on defense, but without all those guys, the defense is not the same as the one that led them to the Super Bowl last year.
It looking like it's going to be a long, disappointing season for Bears fans.
Photo by AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh.
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Trading Thomas Jones and relying on unproven Benson with a wildly inconsistent QB was a huge mistake. Jones could have taken some of the pressure off Grossman.
The pitiful offense is now taking its toll on the defense. The D can only be on the field so long and make so many plays before they wear down. Griese can control the ball better than Grossman and has a greater chance of producing sustained drives that keep the D off the field.
At Detroit next week is no gimme, and then it's off to Green Bay. Bears better fix the offense quickly or they will be yet another victim of the curse of the Super Bowl loser.
Man, I sure didn't see this coming.
ahahaha, oh wait, I did -- the Bears are just *not* a good team. There's no aspect of this team that can carry it. You can't always expect lucky fumbles and random punt returns to save your mediocre defense and awful offense, like you got last season. You're calling for Brian Griese to come in and save your team. That means you're terrible.
Now with Devin Hester feeling more and more like he has to make a big play every time he touches the ball, you're going to start seeing a lot more of what you saw yesterday -- dropped kicks, fumbles, and returns that cover about 90 yards, only it's him running from side to side trying to find somewhere to go.
At least the Bears weren't allowed to jump offsides last night like they have been so far this season..
Looked like Rex threw 3 INT's last night to me, not 2, but maybe I was seeing things. Also while it being difficult to overcome, going 1-3 would not mean any chance of making the playoffs is over. Not likely sure, no chance, no.
I'd have more respect for you and your Grossman bashing if you also mentioned the three very obvious and very catchable passes that Bernard Berrian dropped, one of which would have been an easy touchdown. It's easy to blame the quarterback. Grossman may not be the answer for this team, but I doubt Griese would have done much better.
Berrian dropped a couple passes he should have caught, but that happens in football. You didn't see Romo melt down when Crayton dropped an easy TD or when Witten let a deep pass bounce right off his chest. I defended Grossman for a long time last year, but he's simply vacuous and unteachable. There's nothing there. Griese isn't the perfect answer, but sticking with Grossman at this point is going to destroy any morale the offense has left. They just don't believe in him.
Great to see G-Reg out there though. One of the only highlights of the game.
There were a lot of dropped passes, and that fumble by Benson, as the Bears were starting to roll down midfield and maybe tie it up again. I'm not a Rex apologist but everyone knows he's on a razor's edge here. It has to be frustrating when you're finally making passes and they're being dropped or your getting the ball to your RB and he's fumbling it.
i was at the game, and all i can say is that after the 'Boys went up 17-10. The crowd was dead silent, no defense chants, no cheers for the windy city flyer. all they could muster was some weak chant for Griese after the pick-six to Henry. it was lovely.
tickets for the game - $235, two waters - $8, watching Romo time, live! - priceless
It's not all on Rex. The running game is terrible and the dropped passes hurt. Rex is not developing, though. Outside of his run last night he showed no ability to improvise. If he has a perfect pocket he can stand still and pick apart defenses. With pressure he is immobile, no stepping up in the pocket or sidestepping rushers, and he throws off his back foot. He has regressed in '07. Detroit is a must-win game. Time to start Griese and draft another QB.
I think the O-Line is a real problem too. It doesn't help that Benson can't/won't throw up any blocks either. I think the Bears front office made a mistake in not getting some new/young blood in that O-Line. If you're going to stick with Rex, you have to build around him and that includes creating an offense line that's not going to collapse on him.
We drafted Beekman from Boston College (Eagles on the Warpath!). Young offensive lineman take time to develop. He will be a stud. There are no tier 1 O-lineman available at the end of the first round, where we drafted last year.
The line is showing its age, but is capable of playing much better. This game is the first of the 3 where most of the pressure was from the O-line making mistakes and not the RB or TE missing blocks.
Thanks for fixing the INT's Benjy, if we are going to criticze Rex we should at least do so accurately.
How about those Packers?
=)
I have held off of the Rex bashing train, but good quarterbacks make things happen. Good quarterbacks have good games with bad teams. Good quarterbacks have decent QB Ratings sometimes.
Rex is not a good quarterback. He was mediocre in college, and he is mediocre in the pros. He will never be a team leader, and his retaliation and whining are just as bad for the team as his wildly unpredictable arm.
Though I also fault Lovie and crew for losing Jones who took pressure off of Rex and for not being willing to change things up by playing Griese.
It is time to make changes.
my sports life is going lovely. the cubs are rockin' it and the packers are doing well (i was worried with favre coming back, but he's doing just fine, thank you very much). yee-haw!
Arizona took Leinart out because he was sucking and put in their veteran, why can't Chicago? Granted, Warner has a better track record than Griese, but sleeping on concrete feels better than sleeping on a bed of thorns.
Grossman's college numbers were the product of the Steve Spurrier "run 'n gun" system, which didn't work for squat when ol' Ballcoach ran the Potomac River Basin Indigenous People. In Grossman's final season under Ron Zook, Grossman looked downright ordinary.
However, Griese isn't the answer, either. If you want to have a steady QB to develop and not make any bonehead moves to lose a game, look to Kyle Orton, who had two stellar training camps and is probably chomping at the bit to claim the spot with some solid ball control offense.
Orton also has the advantage of having more receiving options than he did when he was a rookie, which is a good thing if Mushin Muhammad keeps running lazy, half-assed routes like the in-route he blew that led to Grossman's first interception last night.
LOL, the Packers are going to win the NFC North.