Weekend Diversion: Night Of The Ponies
Pedway, First Store Open At Block 37
Around Town
Around Town
Red-Light Cameras Not So Special?
For just short of 57 minutes, it was not a pretty game. We're glad we endured it, however, to see the Bears finally come alive in the final three minutes and turn a 6-3 snoozefest deficit into a 17-6 victory against the Oakland Raiders.
Chicagoist almost gave up in the second quarter, when Brian Griese went down with a shoulder injury, Rex Grossman entered the game... and preceded to fumble his first snap! D'oh! Well, at least he recovered it...
Grossman settled down after that initial gaff and played a decent game. The Bears certainly had more of a vertical passing game with Rex under center. And most importantly, he didn't turn the ball over. His 59-yard strike to Bernard Berrian with just over three minutes to go turned out to be the game-winning play.
It would surprise us if the most common topic of conversation this week isn't whether Grossman or Griese should start for the Bears in Seattle next Sunday. That could depend somewhat on the diagnosis of Griese's injury, although he claimed it didn't feel too bad. We did notice a swagger to the team once Rexy returned. And Jay Mariotti thinks he should return to the bench, so that alone makes us want to see Grossman start next week. But we're not really sure, just yet. What will Lovie do? And will Griese's injury give him the cover to make the switch?
If only there was another running back to create a controversy at that position. Cedric Benson had yet another underwhelming game in spite of a career high in carries. There is absolutely no excuse for amassing just 73 yards on 28 carries against one of the worst rushing defenses in the league. We almost pine for the days of Curtis Enis! The truth of the matter is, that no matter who plays QB for the Bears, this team has no shot at the playoffs without a decent running game.
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
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well, we have to catch the lions, which seems eminently doable. should we leave rex in? i say yes, he's our QB and he can throw the ball downfield. i just wish he'd be better in the pocket and not FREAK OUT like he does every game.
I would have shipped Benson off before the end of the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl. What injury could be so bad to make you want to sit out the Super Bowl?!??
QB is a position that (most of time) you need to grow into. I think they benched Grossman much too hastily. Especially considering they benched him for Brian "Are you on my team?" Griese. Stick with Grossman, and maybe you can sneak a wild-card spot.
I'll be interested to see if this bench time helped Grossman's awareness on the field at all... the problem is, with only seven games left to play (stop the playoff talk, please), they don't have an adequate timeframe to evaluate him. If he performs well the rest of the year, they'll have an interesting decision to make on him in the offseason.
Oh, and they need a new running back, new WR core, a new offensive line, and a new secondary, too.
I really didn't see much improvement from Grossman yesterday (I was impressed that he actually ran toward the line of scrimmage when flushed out of the pocket on one play). For the most part though, he looked like the same lost QB he was before he got benched.
He's got a great arm and threw a nice bomb. But rearing back and throwing it deep can't substitute for the good decision making necessary to win games on a regular basis. By the same token, all the good decision making in the world won't give Griese Rex's physical ability. And since Griese's decision making has regressed, his value as a starter is greatly diminished.
At this point in the season, Lovie might as well gamble on Rex, as painful as it will be to watch.
It's clear to me that there's a problem with the play-calling. where the hell was Olsen yesterday? why do they always pass to the sidelines? Every time they throw to the sidelines nothing happens. no yards after reception.
Kookybites, while we should certainly stop talking about the playoffs, and focus on one game at a time, it would be foolish to think the playoffs are not within reach. We still play the Giants and Redskins, two of the now only 3 non division leaders ahead of us in the wild card race. We also play the Saints whom we are tied with. This team is not as good as last year's team but still very much capable of making the playoffs. We pretty much control our own destiny. That being said, just beat Seattle.
Bearse!
I'm still laughing at the fact that I learned yesterday that Rex's full name is "Rexton".