Rex will prove to be Bears' undoing

Look, I'm a huge bears fan first and foremost so i'm not gonna bash them with a 10-2 record.I am gonna say that things need to change within the offense though.Wether it be roll outs,qb change ,better play selection,benson getting more carries,this O isn't gonna work in the playoffs.If win the next 2 games we have home field wrapped up and if the coaching staff won't start griese maybe they will give him some snaps like they do benson.This team is way too talented to go to waste and i'm afraid that if these things don't change one and done in the post-season is a reality.

I don't agree Roman. Today was not a quarterbacks day. Many Bears fans are calling for a change to more of a "game manager". Brad Johnson is one of the best "game managers" in the NFL and what did he do today? I almost wish they had changed to Griese today just to see him flounder around out there too. And then what? We live and die by Rex...deal with it!

Oh and by the way nice job D and special teams! Hester secured his ticket to Hawaii!

Go Bears!

Sarcasm on>

Hey a win is a win, baby. 10 and 2.....Bears all the way, Superbowl bound. Won the division again!

Grossman will only get better, remember he's only played in 20 games....Manning, Favre, Brady, Montana, Unitas, Namath, Luckman, Marino, Staubach, ALL made mistakes at first.

None of Grossman's picks were his fault, one tipped pass, on another the lineman were standing in front of him so he couldn't see the linebacker, on another the receiver must have run the wrong route.

Best team since '85..... enjoy the ride Bears fans....no team in the NFL is close.....

Rex is doing absolutely nothing to enhance his standing as the Bears' QB. They are actually going against common sense by going for passes when every one knows when they should be running. Minn. kicked the on-side kick because they didn't respect our offense enough not to. With a win this will only prolong any decision on where we should go from here. I know they were still passing because they wanted to end the game on a positive note but it's not happening. We can't keep the Minn.D honest because they have no fear of Rex. It actually hurt our running game because I was seeing guys with 50s on their jerseys making stops in the back field. FOX shouldv'e criticized Minn. more than the Bears on offensive matters because why would you put a young player in against a relentless D. All they could do was hurt him or mess his head up. And you can see how they jarred him as bad as those Volks Wagon commercials that I HATE. At least the week won't be as bad with a win. But it doesn't feel much like a great victory. I don't know what to say. More Devin Hester please. GO BEARS!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen I give you the NFC North Division Champs. Don't hurt yourselves celebrating.GO BEARS!!!

Well after this peformance today, you can now consider me on the griese bandwagon. Did orton play this bad last season?

As much as I want to stick to my guns--it no longer matters whether or not Rex Grossman is in the game. He's played himself out--while I believe that he's capable of playing his way through even this (and that Griese is not the answer), it's not likely he will.

So I've finally flipped (although considering before the season I predicted Rex would throw a pick in week 10 to put us out of playoff contention, does this really mean my opinion has changed?). 34 yards on 6 completions with 3 interceptions is absolutely unforgivable. No professional quarterback puts up that kind of numbers unless they graduated from Florida.

Oh, wait.

So does this mean we can stop hearing about Rex being the quarterback of the future and either start working on getting Orton game-ready or pick up a quarteback in the offseason? I'm smitten with Orton, but anyone who could work wonders with the Bears' offensive line would do. Byron Leftwich, Daunte Culpepper, Kurt Warner--heck, even Chris Leak.

I think Cedric Benson is just as important a story--he's finally starting to play like a first-round pick. If Thomas Jones can't stop dancing and actually get some first downs, Benson really deserves a few more touches than he's currently getting.

But, yeah--Rex looks like Jon Quinn right now.

I've been a Grossman supporter all along, but I just don't have the energy to defend him anymore until he starts giving me reasons to again. He is digging his own grave right now and it looks like he's regressed. Early in the season, yeah he played great, but pretty soon the bad games will start outnumbering the good at this rate.

I'm not sure what Griese can do but I know he can't possibly get any worse. Rex has hit rock bottom. I'd like to think he can get it all together but I'm tired of seeing the defense win games, I'm tired of trash-talking other fans that don't really know what they're talking about, I'm tired of one-and-done postseasons, and I'm about to be tired of missing the chance to see the Bears win it all.

Benson was in and took hisself out because he got hurt. When you see a player tap themselves on the helmet that means their hurt. I like that the announcers at least pointed out that there is more to a running back than just running. I say put him in more because we are gonna need a solid running game here on out. With this weather we can't expect QBs to have 250 yard games. I'm sure Rex is having these coaches working overtime to get him in better form. Rod Woodson of the NFL network stressed that this is Rex's first season as a QB and he thinks that he's hit the wall like rookies do at some point. He said it earlier this week and today I'm more inclined to believe him.GET GOING BEARS!!!

I have supported Rex but it looks like he has lost confidence and is always trying to throw the ball deep. I really don't think that Griese is the answer either. Maybe Orton can come in and do something because he looks to have good intangibles that you look for in a QB. At this point Rex needs to sit and iron out whatever problems he is having. On a second note the play-calling is borderline insane at this point in the season. Why Bradley and Benson are not primary options is beyond me. Turner needs to go back to the drawing board and add some new wrinkles or how about some intermediate passing routes that actually use the middle of the field. What happened to Des Clark? Someone better find him soon becasue whoever is at QB needs to have a TE for their security blanket. At least we won't be fighting for a spot in the playoffs and can use this time to fix some of the problems with this Bears team.

Keep Rex in the game! Please keep him as the starting quarterback. I have a feeling that the Dallas Cowboys will end up meeting the Bears in the playoffs and scoring against their defense will be tough but with Rex in there at offense...lol...well you get the picture. Big Cowboy fan over here in case you haven't figured that one out and I love the way Rex is playing and I especially love the "we will not change quarterback" attitude from the coaches. Cowboys sucked bad with Drew but OUR coach is smart enough to know when a change is needed. Good Luck defense and special teams for the Bears -- in the playoffs you are going up against the best that the NFL has to offer. Lady Luck might have carried you to a great record (against weak teams) but with that joke that you have handling the ball...Good Luck. Lovie please don't change your mind about Rex, at least wait until after the Cowboys have had their fun with him. As as fan, I fear the defense and special teams play that the Bears bring to the table, but I also realize that with Rex running the offense...we have nothing to fear in the playoffs. Think I'm wrong? Look at the stats-defense wins championships BUT lousy quarterbacks have also lost them! I LOVE YOUR MONSTER OF THE MIDWAY! LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

Well, what can we say, with today's performance, Rex officially hit rock bottom, AGAIN. Repeat after me, where is Kyle Orton when you need him, Ouch, that hurt. Let's be honest with ourselves, we won't go nowhere in the playoffs with Rex going 6 for whatever, 34 yards, with 3 INT's. Maybe instead of throwing the ball, he could just take a knee everytime, atleast he won't throw picks. Take a random person from the stands and they could put up similar numbers.

I've been supporting Rex since day one, and now I'm ready to pull my hair out. They need to put some sort of leash on him so he can't throw more than twenty yards downfield. Maybe a twenty yard tether to his ankle. I thought Shoup was calling some bad plays, but this is getting comical. 3rd and 2 and he throws a bomb for an incompletion? Someone (Rex? Ron Turner?) needs to be beaten with a switch until they get it through their heads that he isn't Marino or Favre. I'd take Trent Dilfer at this point.

Rex needs to sit out one game , maybe next week. Lets see if Greise can manage a nice game. Rex injured two defensive stars today. His lack of first downs caused that defense to be out there all game. He will be the reason we lose in the playoffs.

Sorry Robert, but the best the NFL has to offer is in the AFC. I don't think I'd be afraid of facing the Cowboys if we had Orton at QB. Your bums can barely squeak past the Giants, so it's clear you haven't watched any games this season the Cowboys weren't playing in. Keep talking the trash - - you'll be showing up on the list of fools just below Darren Sharper.

Blake | December 3, 2006 06:44 PM Your Cowboys played who? They suck. cry baby 81 will sabotage this before its over. The Tuna is a antique and Gramatica, lol what a joke! Those Cowboys can't handle -5 degrees at soldiers field, dome sissy team! Romo is a fluke and will crash just like Rex did.

Touche Robert but I cant wait to see Romo play on a day like today in Chicago...

GO BEARS!

Rex Grossman has proved the last couple of weeks, that despite knowing he is backed up by an overpowering defense, he needs to act like a Maverick on the field and play his type of game. This attitude worked in college for him, but in the NFL you need to recognize your role. He seems to believe that everything is about him, which is sad. All he needs to do is throw the short route, but he thinks throwing a longer route will redeem is abysmal failure so far. Change needs to come next week, so Griese can start getting a feel for the game again.

Keep Rex in the game! Please keep him as the starting quarterback. I have a feeling that the Dallas Cowboys will end up meeting the Bears in the playoffs and scoring against their defense will be tough but with Rex in there at offense...lol...well you get the picture. Big Cowboy fan over here in case you haven't figured that one out and I love the way Rex is playing and I especially love the "we will not change quarterback" attitude from the coaches. Cowboys sucked bad with Drew but OUR coach is smart enough to know when a change is needed. Good Luck defense and special teams for the Bears -- in the playoffs you are going up against the best that the NFL has to offer. Lady Luck might have carried you to a great record (against weak teams) but with that joke that you have handling the ball...Good Luck. Lovie please don't change your mind about Rex, at least wait until after the Cowboys have had their fun with him. As as fan, I fear the defense and special teams play that the Bears bring to the table, but I also realize that with Rex running the offense...we have nothing to fear in the playoffs. Think I'm wrong? Look at the stats-defense wins championships BUT lousy quarterbacks have also lost them! I LOVE YOUR MONSTER OF THE MIDWAY! LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

Anyone blaming the weather for the two starting QB's and Rex's lack of completions need to look no further than at the 2 different Viking backups, one that never through a pass in the NFL before today.

Bollinger and Jackson went a combined 10-13 and 105 Yards. Anyone sayong anything else about the elements need look no further than the fact that the backup DID complete the passes they threw.

Rex has been running scared since his Arizona blow up and his long passing game is worthless right now.

The Bears won with Orton getting under 200 yards most games last year, so it was the D winning then. It's the D and special teams winning now.

Grossman is not the QB this team needs right now with this defense. Not until he gets his touch back. And I don't know about most of you, but some of those shots by the camera today showed some frustrated Bears, and it was with Rex that the frustration was showing.

Lovie is a great coach, but last year he stood firm for Orton most of the year too. I think today may have showed him that Rex is running scared. He is afraid of failing, but will force any pass to prove his style is the only style to use.

I wonder if our running back situation would still be the same if Jones had had as many bad/horrible games as Rex has had. I think Benson would have been named the starter if Jones had stunk this bad. I think there is no player on the team not named Urlacher that wouldn't have been replaced by now if they had played as long and as bad as Rex has been

Even Davis lost his spot, first as the #3 WR, and now as KR and he hasn't even been bad this season.

So Lovey, tell us why you would stick with Rex when you wouldn't do it with anyone else on the team.

Robert , you have your opinion and thats fine but don't think for one moment that your O can score on our D in january in soldier field.Gramatica,lolololololol.What you saw today was that if we had any kinda play from our qb we win by 30 not 10 or in your teams case 3.Besides the patriots the last few sb champs had game managers for qbs like dilfer,johnson,big ben and so on.If you think you guys can beat us or even the saints for that matter you need some of T.O.'S pills for the hallucinations you have.Now , we are the only team to clinch our division so far(weak division i know) and yet we get no respect.It's a team game and 2 of 3 aspects our team dominated today for the win.Remember when rex was playing good earlier this year those point spreads we where having? Our d and st can carry us to the super bowl but we need our qb to not sabotouge it.Pls bring in griese for a series or 2 to see what he can do.

It's really too bad management refuses to get a decent established veteran quarterback. The Bears could easily be working on a repeat championship otherwise.

Well, Rex "McNown" Grossman does it again. Sorry, I didn't mean to insult Cade McNown like that. It is clear that the Lovie Smith has oficially ended the season and his career in Chicago at the same time. By insisting that "Rex has lead us to a 10-2" record and saying it twice he has virtually assured that the Bears will lose at home in the 1st or 2nd round of the Playoffs. Exactly which of the last 6 games did Rex lead the Team to victory? Let's look at today for example, a Special Teams TD, Defensive TD and Benson breaks one for a long TD. As usual Rex nearly led the Bears to another defeat, which is his specialty. Let's look at a GOOD Coach who did change his quarterback: Bill Parcells will take a record 3rd different Team to the Superbowl. Can't everyone see Lovie, if he were the coach in Dallas, sayong at a Post Game Press Conference "Drew Bledsoe is our quarterback and he has lead us to a 6-10 record and he will remain our quarterback!" Poor Lovie, he has all the tools to be a great coach, takes over a Team with a great defense but hires the worst coaching staff in Football!!! He was doomed from the start. Then to make matters worse he is insisting on staying with a Quarterback who had a 1.3 Quarterback rating for the game and nearly burst into tears at the Press Conference afterward! Think about it. This was the one chance to go back to the Superbowl. After the Bears flameout in the Playoffs this year. What will next year look like? The defense will be much weaker based on Lance Briggs leaving for Free Agency, Mike Brown trying to come back from a terrible injury and not making it so the run defense will continue to be a disaster, Tommie Harris continuing to regress, be injured or leave to free agency and Ron Rivera will still coach them. So with all that crippling the Defense in 2007 (especially Rivera's coaching), Cade(Rex) is going to be the man who will lead them to victory? Maybe Lovie should just forfeit the remaining games so we Fans will not have to endure the slow torture of watching the Bears spiral into the toilet. I can see it now, in the year 2084 Bears's fans will be wistfully remembering the 85' Bears one and only Superbowl win the way that Cub fans look at their last World Series victory in 1908. It is the same Dance with a different Team. Stand by your man, Lovie you can still get work as a defensive coordinator after you're fired in 2008!

After watching Dallas creep by The short-handed Giants I ain't that worried anymore. Forget the tape on Romo. Cold will be his undoing. He may not be as bad as Rex but after they play here he'll look bad. Giants almost pulled it out. If they learn how to tackle and not let interceptions pass thru their hands they'll be alright. If it wasn't for Grandpapaica the Giants would have gained momentum. Now that you've made your presence known Robert,please go away. Get past the Saints next Sunday before you predict coming to Chicago. If you have to go any where else you might not make it here. Hey Tim,what you post is ABOVE your name. BLAKE is one of the good guys. You're looking for Robert Barranco to jump on. GO BEARS!!!

I think we need to send Angelo a petition allowing Lovie to start Griese. The only reason he would stand by blindly like this is if his BOSS wants his bonus baby to succeed. It was easy to take Orton out last year because we were gonna have The Golden Child take over. I've had bosses who wouldn't fire the worst workers for reasons I never understood. But this is getting ridiculous. I really want to back Rex but Damn,damn,damn!!! His own mother is probably telling him he sucks right about now. I wouldn't be surprised if she bought a #14 jersey from FOOTLOCKER to wear for the post season. Come on,this goes beyond Superbowl. We don't have much to look forward to even for the regular season. He is getting worse and I didn't think that was possible. I just don't want to find out that he could do worse than THIS. Forget thinking about the Superbowl I just don't want the rest of the world thinking we're a joke. He's becoming a punch line to a very unfunny joke. Any way, it's harder to scheme against someone you don't know anything about. If you had given those two QBs more time we would have figured them out. Case in point:where did Bollinger finish the game? The last QB would've finished on a gurney eventually. Or scrambled like Johnson .I guess a win is a win,right?GO BEARS!!!

I disagree Sal, anyone that posts the same comments twice, just to get a point made is just ignorant. His opinion is pointless, just like the cowboys will be if they play DA BEARS. Romo is solid, but today showed he is not the next Aikman, not yet. With those receivers that Dallas has, even Rex would look great.

Greg Y, you raise some good points, although I get the feeling putting Rex in the Atlanta game last year was not Lovie's idea.

Mario--Orton is sitting on the bench behind Brian Griese, right where most fairweather Bear fans wanted him last year. Hopefully, he's getting his fundamentals down, because if the Bears don't win the Super Bowl this year, the quarterback position is going to be WIDE open.

Blake--I don't think the playcalling is necessarily the issue, but you might be right. I refuse to believe Ron Turner is that stupid--I think Rex is just making crappy decisions again. You'll notice the playcalling in the J-E-T-S JetsJetsJets game featured liberal doses of Mark Bradley.

Capitalist--although I don't necessarily agree with everything you said, you did make me smile.

That is all.

To clarify, I did not say that the Cowboys were the best team that the NFL had to offer. I said all teams in the playoffs, but if the Cowboys do go against the Bears in the playoffs, cold weather or not, they will take advantage of the usual Rex mistakes. 4th ranked defense! I do fear their defense and st, but Rex is the mole in that team! I'd rather face the Bears than any other team, by the way if the Giants had played the Bears the way they did the Cowboys you would have lost that game. Can you trust your quarterback to march you down the field in the 4th quarter to win the game? Think about that!!!

Sorry but I have seen enough now. Facing what might be the leagues worst pass defense he was an absolute nightmare to watch.
He is in love with Bernard Berrian and does not even look at the other receivers most of the time. You cannot let a possible championship slip away because you have blind faith in a guy who is stinking up the joint or because your boss (Angelo) insists that he is the man. This is Angelo’s way of proving that his draft day blunder was a good move since Michael Haynes is already a bust.
None of this would matter if they had gone after Drew Brees when they had the chance.

DENNY GREEN TOLD YOU WEEKS AGO... IF YOU WANNA CROWN US, CROWN OUR A.$.$. !!!

My, how the boo-birds were out flocking in Soldier Field today since the pigeons flew south... but booing Rex only strengthens Lovie's confidence in him for some reason. I hope Griese gets a couple more snaps before the season is over. Everyone keeps saying how Rex has only played in 20 games, but he isn't really showing any improvement from game to game.
In fact it seems he's getting worse!

I know he hasn't proved anything with past teams, but give Griese a chance!

crown our A.$.$. !!!

There is an offensive game plan that is as much to blame for Grossman's play as Grossman's ill-conceived throws are.
That third down and two situation when he threw it away was as nauseating a play as the last offensive play of the Patriot game. You want to play hero, Rex? Throw it long on second down and two. Better yet, roll out and hit a guy for 4 yards and a first down.
If Ron Turner is calling plays like this on third and two, then Griese definitely isn't the answer. And if Grossman is deciding to throw long on his own, then the coaching staff ought to yank him for insubordination. Some things you just don't attempt when you're struggling. And to me, it appears to be the system that is as much to blame as Grossman, if not more.
The only other issue I can imagine causing this rapid decline in Grossman's performance might be this - are the Bears preventing him from wearing a headband?

The Bears have four games (a luxury these days) to resolve their quarterback situation in order to give the playoffs their best shot. Developing a quarterback takes time (unless your Dallas) and brutal honesty in order to be real with the fans and the team. Is this the best offense Chicago can field? As things are right now we don't know that but I hope we find out the next four games.

BLAME RON TURNER
not enough people are putting the blame where it ultimately lies... with the coaches, and I don't mean for lack of a quarterback switch, either. suppose Ron Turner actually puts Grossman in a position to succeed? the last 2 months, he has been absolutely obsessed with throwing the ball 30+ yards downfield on first down, frequently on the first play of a drive. he then almost invariably follows it with a 2nd down off-tackle run to Jones. I'm in Baltimore right now, and watched the game at a sports bar yesterday... the locals were astonished when I was able to predict the Bears' play calling.
hey, I'm not in the business of pro football... but if I can see a pattern here, what chance of success does our offense have when each opponent's coaching staff has prepared for these very plays?
come on, R-N (where's the "O"?)... get back to the West Coast part of your offense... bring back the short-to-mid length passes, the slants... and, oh, by the way, why are we not running screens, draws, end-arounds and reverses? you could roll out Rexy a little more, too.
R-N, you are a bone-head.
your lust for the downfield pass riding a young quarterback's gun-for-an-arm will cause a certain first round playoff loss... and that sickens me, because you have the tools and the smarts to mix it up.
what a crying shame, our defense and special teams are playoff ready, and you'll throw it all away.
R-N Turner, you are a fool.

what rex needs is suport and confidence so shut the blinds turn the tv,radio,computer blogs,off burn all newspapers for one week if that doesnt work. maybe lovie will get it and sit rex before the playoffs begin

A QB issue? Griese, Orton, or Rex? Yesterday's weather was awful, look at Brad Johnson. Two things, either tone down Rex with the game plan (get Clark involved, run more, etc) or make a change. Lovie yanked Orton, but if Rex can't get it done vs a mediocre Rams team in the dome, then OY!

I don't know how Lovie can allow Grossman to spread this crap all over the field. Poor decision making is not the phrase to describe what I saw. It wasn't the cold weather. Rex has performed better than this in worse, remember his return to the Atlanta game last year? Sometimes a QB's development comes from taking a seat on the bench and learning. Lovie is going to kill our season because of his poor decision making. This is a special team that can beat ANYONE in the league!!!

Several Points:

1. Play calling was the worst I've seen this year. Why did the Bears insist on throwing the ball in those conditions. They were just setting themselves up for disaster.

2. Supposed "Game Manager" Brad Johnson was horrible. If these playoffs come through Chicago, we're gonna see alot of this type of offensive performance from pany team.

3. A solid run game and great defense and special teams WILL win us a superbowl. It is up to the coaching staff to start playcalling smarter, to elimante Grossman's potential for errors.

4. Grossman should start every game, but just like a baseball mentality, if he's not getting the job done, bring in a backup and let him watch the rest of the game. The coaching staff did nothing to boost his confidence with their playcalling.

5. 10-2 is awesome. GO BEARS! See you in the playoffs!

As long as the McCaskey family is involved with this team will The Bears approach change. I have this sinking feeling that
Michael McCaskey is still involved in the team. Lovie has no choice but to follow directives from the higher ups. Anybody can see that Rex has played his way out of the position. An average quarterback would get this team to the Super Bowl, but I guess that isn't the goal here!

I was a Grossman fan from the start, and I understand that this is basically his first year. But, his footwork is terrible and I've seen no improvement the last 6 games.

Rex, the "Wild Eyed FlingMeister", needs to find a clipboard and a headset.

Can you imagine what the Bears record would be without the defense and Hester???

Has anyone realized that Grossman is not an NFL quaterback yet? He's too short to throw over the line, and not mobile enough to move around it. Nice college player, but this is the show, and he'll never get there. And another thing - how could you possibly say that Kyle Orton looks good? He hasn't played since the preseason, so what would you base that statement on? Looks from here like Jerry Angelo was outsmarted by a riverboat gambler down in New Orleans (can you say Pro Bowl, Mr. Brees?) Sadly, Lovie Smith will end with the same fate that found his mentor in Tampa Bay.

Greg Y - by the time those "backups" came on the field, two things had happened: 1) the game was essentially over, and 2)the defense was fried and in prevent mode. Come on, 77 plays to 45 for the Bears, 39:00 of possesion, Tommie Harris in the locker room, and you want to say these guys had success against the Bears D? I do agree with you on the point of Grossman being pathetic and the weather not being relevant to his performance. Every team in the NFL saw what happened out in the desert, and it will continue to happen until something changes - whether that change is the players on the field, or the way that they play. Urlacher should be untouchable, he plays his heart out every down and is the franchise. Anyone else on this team should be on a merit system, and Rex doesn't merit much.

Lovie Smith is beginning to remind me of Dick Jauron with his stubborn arrogance. His failure to recognize to recognize that his team is winning in spite of Grossman is comparable to Jauron sticking with Schoop during his head coaching tenure, (making excuse after excuse) while not acting in the best interests of the team or the fans. Remember? We had to endure an ultimately early exit from the playoffs each time under a conservative regime? I've never been sold on Lovie Smith, particularly last year, when he and Jerry Angelo smugly removed & held out the starters during the season final game last year, thereby costing the Bear's their momentum and ultimately getting trounced in the playoffs vs Carolina. The team was cocky, full of themselves & easily out-coached by John Fox. Here's another caveat for you: Has anyone realized that had the defense not had to spend so much time on the field, the chances of star's like Tommie Harris getting injured decreases?

Lovie's a lousy coach with a defense & special teams that have rescued the regular season, but come playoff time, they will perish against smarter coaching & better in-game stratagists.

Count me as another Grossman supporter who thinks it is time to sit the kid down. His lack of confidence and shaky mechanics are obvious to everyone. The cocky gunslinger we saw early in the season is buried somewhere deep in Rex's psyche. At least give Griese a shot.Rex is not functioning well in any phase of the game. And the shot of a wide open Muhsin Muhammad in the endzone made me sick. Love you Rex and wish you the best but you need to sit. And Lovie --help us out man --Rex is making Jonathan Quinn and Henry Burris look like Johnny Unitas.

As Bears fans, it is always all or nothing, but has anyone given thought to Grossman and Griese splitting time? That way the decision to "pull" Rex would not be so dramatic for Lovie. Put Rex in for the first 2 drives. If he stinks, bring Griese in for a few and if he lights it up, leave him in. Chances are that Rex would play better knowing that if he doesn't, he will be on the bench. We occasionally see this done is college ball, why not here?

Ok, as bad as Grossman has been - really bad - it has to be stated that the play calling continues to be even more horrific. Early in the season Grossman was hooking up for the ten to fifteen yard crossing patterns to Muhammed and Berrian, which were quite effective. Now all we see is either a horrible wide-receiver screen for no yards or a bomb that gets picked off. So as bad as Grossman is, Turner and Smith are twice as bad for not knowing how to call the plays. I wish we had a head coach with balls like Brian Billick who don't give a ____ about anyone's feelings and will take over play calling if need be to make sure his team has the best chance to win football games. That's what a coach is supposed to do...Lead. Lovie is an absolute Wuss who doesn't want to hurt his poor little quarterback's feelings. Hang it up fans. Our season is DONE!! If I'm a team in contention in the NFC, my dream is to play the Bears in the first round at Soldier Field because it will be a guaranteed win, just like it was for the Panthers and the Eagles. Oh if there was a way to pull Mr. Halas from the grave to hire a coach with balls like...Ditka. Every coach we've had since him has been a spineless sissy boy who often frequents the Blue Oyster Bar. So please all of you Sun-Times columnists who have hailed Lovie to be the second coming of you know who, stop confirming how right Rush Limbaugh was on ESPN only not with quarterbacks but with Head coaches.

When the team is not performing it is agonizing for the coaching staff, and for fans it is disappointing, but easy to be "Monday morning quartebacks". However, adopting the same methodology that baseball coaches use may not be a bad thing. The starting pitcher when not having the best game, is thanked for his contribution, but asked to take a seat on the bench and support the next guy. Being replaced in the game is certainly not the end of the world or career, and may ultimately make the team stronger, which really is the goal, is it not?

Let me start off by saying i am an avid Sun-Times reader and i am apalled by the asterix on the front page.
For a publication that has a palm tree on the cover you would think clinching the nfc north would warrant some respect to this team.
I dont care if the combined record of the nfc north is terrible, we beat who we had to beat.
Great job guys.
As for you rex doubters, you were the same people crying in the preseason, the same people who shut up after the first few games. I look forward to Rex shutting you guys up once again.
Lastly i find the fairweather fans booing during the NFC north championship game sickeneing, we have gone too long losing each and every year, so sit back and enjoy it guys, support your team. The bears and Rex need us behind them.

Big Bears fan on the east coast. Read this reference in the Washington Post on the Metro this morning and it made me laugh out loud: Turnoversaurus Rex.

GUNSLINGER - GROSSMAN or McCASKEY?

I hate the way Grossman refers to himself as a "gunslinger". Does he really think he's that good? I think his post-game comments show how scattered his thinking really is, and I think the McCaskey's are calling all the shots here, not Lovie Smith.

would someone please tell me why the bears went out and got griese if they never intended on using him? what was the point of paying this guy the money they are if they were ok with crap play from the QB? last year they won the same way with a garabge play from under center. when will this organization realize that the time is now? this defense is not getting younger. briggs probably won't be back next year. they have a two or three year window here to win.

If what is happening on this Bears team, was happening on ANY other team, say for instance on: Dallas, Tennessee, Arizona...should I go on??? The Q.B. would at least be sat down for a half in order to remove his cranium from his gluteus maximus!!!!!!! The Bears and Lovie, have no reason to at least sit their 'gunslinger' down abd re-load his pistol, because the ONLY thing Rex is firing is B.L.A.N.K.S.!!!

A 1.3 'passer' rating ???!!! It's supposed to be a scale to rate a P.A.S.S.E.R., not an interception thrower. There is no excuse on this Earth for a man that is paid what Grossman is being paid, to perform like this week after week and to continue to get WORSE. Unless, and this may be a stretch, Rexie is not what he was cracked up to be and was a mistake to begin with.

I mean, a guy from no-name Wisconsin, that goes to back-country university in Illnois, stepped into the intense lime-light in BIG D and is being tauted as the second coming of Roger Staubach. Was Tony Romo a number 1 pick from a Q.B. factory in Florida??? NO!

So congrats to Lovie and the gang for taking a Super Bowl contender and turning them into the Champions of the weakest division in football. Because until 'something' changes, wether it be coaching philosophies, a change at Q.B., or Rexie going to therapy, the only for sure thing about the Bears this year is another one-and-out play-off performance.

I have something to say to Angelo:

Dear Angelo,

I am a die hard Bears fan and have been all my life, so please listen to what I'm about to say. Thanks to you, Jerry Angelo, we are a Super Bowl caliber team and this year is the best year we've had for a while, the only setback is our current starting quarterback. Without a veteran quarterback at the helm, our chances of making it through the playoffs, let alone getting to the Super Bowl, are slim to none. As you know, after this season, a lot of our great players are going to be free agents and most likely will not be here with us next year. This is the year we have the ability to not only get to the Super Bowl, but to win it as well. We have the best players at our disposal now. Let’s use them to our advantage. If the coaching staff can’t make it to the Super Bowl, with the great players that you’ve provided them, then maybe it’s also time to consider a coaching change as well.

Sincerely,

Dean J. Priovolos

I know you can’t coach by the whims of public opinion, but it seems every professional related to football has said the Bears are winning DESPITE Rex, much like they were with Orton as a rookie. Isn’t there anyone who can just talk a little bit of sense into this staff? If nothing else, sit Rex Kubiak/Carr-style for 1 game and show him what they want. Then tell him to do it or sit him. At least tell Lovie to quit re-using all of his pro-Orton talk from last year.

The Bears will NOT win in the playoffs with Grossman at the level he has been at for the last 7 weeks. Everyone points to the 1st 3 weeks…doesn’t most every back-up with a good team seem to look good until teams get to look at film on him? Grossman has more skills, but I honestly believe Orton would be a better fit for the Bears right now and he didn’t break 150 yards/game most of the time----“but we won.� Sound familiar?

I think they know if they turn it over to Griese, Rex is finished. You have Griese and Orton locked up for years, so use it as leverage and make Rex start managing the offense instead of trying to make big plays and get equal billing as the defense. He said the other day, he doesn’t want to be a caretaker….Whatever happened to TEAM?

Can’t ANYONE get into the coaches’ ears and get them to admit that maybe, maybe, Rex needs someone to sit him down and show him how to be an NFL QB?

Glen Buckner
Naples, FL

You have a Pro-bowl QB, and a 10 game winner ON YOUR BENCH--and is Rex better than either one right now?
seems like last year's 10 game winner has a better rating, and you bought a Pro-bowler in here to do what? If Rex goes down, following Lovielogic, since Orton has 10 wins, and more experience in the Bears offense, and we DRAFTED him, he takes over right?

Forget Rex, forget Brian and forget Orton. Lovie Smith is one of the worst coaches that ever took the helm of our Chicago Bears. And Ron Turner is an idiot. Worst play calling I ever seen in my 50 years as a Bear fan. He was a failure at Illinois and he's a failure here. This team is loaded with talent. Handled by a good coach, this team would be unbeatable. Sorry to be so negative, but thats the way I see it.

It's really funny sometimes to be a fan to a Chicago team because it is interesting to see where loyalties really lie. Whenever the team is winning, everyone and their mother comes out to support them, citing the team as the best ever and whoever stands in the way will have their a--es handed to them on a platter.

But when the team is losing, how quick people are in the booing, the cursing, turning their backs and saying "oh well the team sucked anyways because they always do"--the ever present type of fan mentality that claims fans knowledge of the game and its goings on supercedes those who are actually on the inside and in the know.

What is going on here?! Yes we were all there to watch da Bears rise and sadly there to watch them flounder (not fall because they are 10-2 as Lovie so reminded us through clinched teeth) but at a crucial time when the playoffs are weeks away, isn't this the time when we as a city should rally behind the NFC North division title Bears, the winners?

Hey you don't have to like Grossman, and after his pathetic performance yesterday, I know not many of us do, but we gather around to watch a TEAM, our team, not one player, and our team is shaping up to be one hell of a monster to contend with on defense (which is a given) and on special teams (which is awesome). When we focus all of our energy and waste it on someone like Rex Grossman (whose confidence is spiraling down only because he's got a big mouth and can't back all his talk up which is his own fault) it only succeeds in having everyone else in the sporting world trash talk Grossman and focus on him instead of the rest of team, which is functioning as a superbowl contender, and what they have done, proven, and backed up by winning games.

As I was saying, being a Chicago fan, in the truest fashion, only we have the ability to trash talk our team and nobody else does. Well let's not sit around and place blame cause that never gets anyone anything except a head full of hot air.

We could blame Lovie for sticking true to his decision and letting Grossman continue as QB (and by the way isn't it nice to have a coach who doesn't have weak convictions) but again it's true to Chicago mentality--"it must be the coach that's killing the team"--no, only in the case of the Cubs. Lovie won "Coach of the Year" last year with a bad QB at the reins right? We could blame Rex for being arrogant at the beginning of the season and feckless and pitiful now but who hasn't made mistakes? Yes college is different from the NFL but it's still football and there's really no excuse. We could blame the management, the offensive coordinator, the fact that we didn't get Drew Brees, the weather, the fact that we don't run the ball enough with Berrian, Benson, Bradley, Manning Jr., Minnesota's defense, blah, blah, blah....

The point is, why are we so quick to blame and complain when things aren't going perfect? Are we reluctant to wait a little longer (IF and I mean IF this isn't our time to shine) and build up a great superbowl team instead of wishing for it on the arm of the rookie "gunslinger"? I admit we just aren't patient when it comes to winning championships in Chicago. When we win one, we need another, and another and suddenly it seems that winning is all that matters instead of properly building up a superbowl team which could indeed begin winning us a football championship and another, and another.... I'd like to see back to back superbowls rather than just one from one lucky season which we still glorify 10 yrs later.

When I heard the city of Chicago actually booing our offense, how do you think that came off to our opponents? How did it feel to the players who are actually doing their job, to have their city turn on them due to frustration that we all are feeling. You know the Giants have lost, what 3 or 4 games, and yesterday when they were playing all I heard were cheers from the crowd which showed me that New York fans were standing behind their team, despite what's been said about Eli Manning. No I'm not praising the Giants and no i'm not suggesting you rally behind Rex, i'm simply pointing out that there is the rest of the team to think about who really needs our support so that they know that we are still on their side. This can't be easy for them, having to remain on the field to compensate for our offense, even losing men in the process.

Show the team your loyalty instead of your back. Hate Rex all you want but our Bears are still 10-2, division winners, and have 4 games left to demonstrate how awesome Defense and Special Teams are.

And lastly, we can always make ourselves feel better by watching highlights of Green Bay losing at Lambeau. You best believe when the meat Packers come to Soldier Field on the eve of the New Year they will be crushed. :)

Okay.. it's like this - plain and simple:

Rex Grossman is to the Chicago Bears what Lucy was to Charlie Brown every time he tried to kick the game winning field goal.. any questions? I thought not.

I-N-T-Rex will lead the Bears to one and out in the playoffs. Come on diehards, the undying faith in the Bears is admirable. But Grossman is a joke. NFL coaches and players openly laugh at him. Support the Bears by giving them a chance to win a playoff game.

Good news for all the Bears fans. Rex is gonna have a better game next week and will shut us all up. How can he possibly go lower his 1.3 QB rating. No wait, its Mr. GROSS-MAN. I never thought I will see negative QB rating. I guess I will witness that next week.
What does this guy has to do to get yanked.?

#1 defense
#1 kicker
#1 punt returner
Its sad that a perfect year and a great talent will go to waste.
Even if Rex throws 16 TDs and 0 Int. in the next 4 games, I still wont have any confidence in him to take this team to Super bowl.
We are paying millions of dollars to our franchise QB to get worse rating than my GPA. Heck, Bears org. should hire me and I will play for free... I am sure I can perform better than him, despite being a woman.

I was wondering... Can Brian Urlacher play QB position???

Fortunately I was on a cruise ship & didn't have to watch Rex mess up again. Bears 10-2 mainly in spite of Rex. Will be quick exit in playoffs for certain if Rex is still behind center!He'll get rattled easy & playoff type teams won't allow you to beat them with a QB not on top of game.Griese has to be given chance to save face.Lovie & Turner should both be fired if Rex is not benched after playoff exit.

I don't get it. Any other position player on this team performing like Rex the last 5 weeks would be sitting by now. I don't think he is done, I just think some clipboard time could be all thats needed to get him performing again. Give Griese and Orton some time over the next weeks to take some pressure off Rex. He may then become the guy who can come in to help win a playoff game. Do the right thing Lovie.

Matthew,

So what you are saying is that because Tommie Harris was injured and it was the end of the game, those backup could complete the passes. So a Tommie Harrisless D-line makes our pass defense worse than the Vikings pass defense (which, btw, is ranked 30th in the NFL, or was until Rex played).

In fact, him leaving made it so much worse that it made those backups able to make quick passes for 5-7 yards while Grossman was missing from 1-3 yards?

Mo, the elements never stopped Grossman from being able to do his job. A good quarterback know that if the air is knocking balls down on long throws to start hitting screens and short catch and runs. It's not like Berrian and Bradley don't have the ability to take off after a completion.

Grossman stunk. Johnson stunk. Johnson has been on the bubble all year. He keeps losing his starting job wherever he goes. So stating that because he failed too means the elements made it happen after seeing two people that haven't played all year come in and complete 10-13 passes is just being blind to the truth. Rex is not a smart QB, and can not, or refuses to, adjust his game to what will work.

This is Chicago and those elements will always be in place from Mid Nov till the end of every season. I'm not ready to give up the last 5-6 games every season because Rex won't change.

Are you?

Rex is paid to play pro football. He should produce at the pro level.

There are no excuses. The other members of the team should not lose another year waiting for Rex to grow up. They deserve better.

forgive the repetitive analogy.. however.. if holds true in all sports.. including football.. even a hall of famer like roger clements or randy johnson get the hook when he is having an off day.. why oh why do the bears stick with rex grossman at qb.. week after week after week.. i am growing tired of his post game remarks about trying to get better.. perhaps coach lovie is under discreet orders from the team ownership to stick with rex..??

rex grossman isnt the answer to winning the superbowl. like last season it will be one game and we are out of the play offs again. lovie should at least give brian griese a start in case rex gets hurt by some play off calibre team they will meet in the play offs. rex isnt going to be in the hall of fame only the hall of shame in chicago sports history.

As a die-hard 30 year Bear fan, born and raised in Chicago and now living in Juneau, Alaska, I can state with confidence that the Bears will not, cannot, win in the playoffs with this type of foulness eminating from their starting OB. Rex is playing just awful right now. I agree with the comments that suggest he has taken a step back. Why not start Griese for a game and see what he can do? It's been 21 years since our one and only Super Bowl and this team has the talent to be Champions again - only if the coaches get their heads out of their A**** and see reality. Perhaps they've forgotten what it means to all the fans of the Bears to do well. Perhaps they've forgotten that Bears are supposed to be ferocious on defense AND offense too. If that is the case, I'd gladly intoduce Ron Turner and Lovie Smith to Admiralty Island, near Juneau, so they can witness for themselves how dominant our real life Brown Bears can be - especially on offense! Bench Rex the Hex! Bears forever!

The Bears, as a team, are reaching a very dangerous point right now.

The coaching staff, as most do, has said that the players that give the team the best chance to win will play. That is why Chris Harris lost his job to Daniel Manning. That is why Ian Scott lost his job to Tank Johnson. That is why Rashied Davis appears to have lost his kick returning job to Devin Hester.

But it appears that one player on the team - Grossman - cannot lose his job, regardless of how badly he plays.

Regardless of what you might read or hear publicly from players backing the coaching staff, this will slowly eat away at the credibility of the coaching staff. Once you begin to play favorites with certain players, divisions begin to appear - defense against offense, offensive line against the skill position players. Players begin to ask themselves, "Why am I playing so hard when someone else isn't and still keeps their job", or worse still, "Why should I try when a key player on the team will blow the game for us".

The Bears coaches are being stubborn to a fault. Perhaps they have the best intentions, but they are using the Bears current record (and Grossman's earlier play) as a shield against criticism - and it is blinding them to what is best for the team.

I don't think there is anything to lose by giving Greise a chance. Grossman can't play any worse. We have the division locked down. Why not try and put ourselves in the best position to win a super bowl? These opportunities don't come along often. Why not explore every option to give the team and the city the best chance to win?

Since Lovie hasn't the guts to do it, will somebody else step up and put Rex out of his misery?

Maybe we should all pray that Wrecks gets injured. That would force the team to put Griese in. If not, can I be next year's backup QB? So I can get paid a couple million to sit in a sideline seat every game to watch my favorite team play. We should all know by now the Bears front office is and always will be stubborn, and never admit they made a mistake. Failure to sign critical free agents after the 85 season was the undoing of a dynasty. Failure to change the obvious problems we have right now will undo this special season.

One additional comment on the coaches:

To a certain extent they have backed themselves into a corner with the Grossman situation. On the other player changes, they have made the switch prior to any public outcry - their decisions were based on what they were seeing on game film and in practice. But with Grossman, they have been hoping that he would get better each week, or at least show flashes of what he could do in order to justify him keeping his job.

Unfortunately, Grossman has not been able to rebound and the coaches have placed themselves in a terrible position. If they play Griese and he plays great (65% completions, 2to1 TD to Int, accurate passing) they will look VERY bad in the eyes of their players. Other players will start wondering, "why aren't I playing more, if they could be so wrong about Griese, they are wrong about me too", which will lead to a very unhappy lockeroom.

Even if Griese plays adequately, it would be better than Grossman is playing now. And then you are stuck, you can't go back and play Grossman again and hope for the best.

I think pride and ego is playing a big part in their decision to stick with Grossman.

I've been supporting Rex all year, guys have been ripping him all year rather he played good or bad. Now, he has had 3 bad games in a row and has gottin worse with each game. Yesterday was as bad as any QB could play. Part of it was the weather, as you could see Brad Johnson didn't play any better, and the long throw to Berrian was picked because, clearly, the wind caught it. Rex looks like he has completely lost his confidence. The coaches needs to put in a game plan with short passes and screens to get him in a rhythm. His game rely on that so much. You can see when he's on, no one can beat the Bears period. Do I think Brian Griese needs a shot? Maybe. I would give Rex one more half (with a simplified gameplan), to get his act together. If he doesn't then I'd go with Griese.

Lovie needs to answer why it was ok to change quarterbacks last year when Kyle had a great win loss record, but not ok with benching Rex. Kyle was better than what we are seeing now. At least bench him for a game to let him watch.

Best team since '85???Absurd!!!!86,87 and probably 88--better.Then again the league was better and players were basically on one team their whole carrers.The 85 Bears were 15-1.The'86 team was 14-2 and set a record,at the time,for fewest points allowed.But alas,their brave QB went down in mid season and they were stuck with a goon for the playoffs.(Where I am I headed with this?)I love this team and I believe that a great "D"can overcome ALMOST anything.But as that 86 season proves,not everything a QB does.So please Rex,PULL IT TOGETHER, BRO.

Just a little addition to Grossman's statistics from yesterday.
Rex Grossman - #8 - Quarterback - 6'1" - 217lbs
News: The Bears had their lowest amount of first downs passing (ONE) Sunday since >>1941 Impact: Rex Grossman's longest completion was for ten yards. So that's not very good. (Mon. Dec 4, 2006)

I heartily agree with you Paul. maybe someone could find a Columnist brave enough to ask Lovie Smith why it was OK to remove a 10 game winner with a 39.6 Rating (Orton had no Interceptions vs Atlanta and the winning score came while Orton was still in the game) but it is not OK to pull a guy who had a rating at one point in the game of .00

I sure would like to hear Smith's reasoning on that one.

If he ever does get asked, and someone hears his reply, would you post it on here? I live in Oregon so don't get many Post Game Interviews.

Have faith. Lovie will pull the trigger on Rex soon enough. I dare Rex to throw 2 picks in the first half Monday night. (Yes, only 2). Griese is close to getting the nod. Then we can all blame him (and Lovie) for not winning the Super Bowl. Damn, I hate being a BEARS fan. NORRIS CHAMPS!

The last 7 Chicago games were featured on America's Funniest Home Videos last night. It was a 5-hr special.

ok guys...rex had a horrendous game...probably the worst one of his career...in fact..it is the worst one...he has 4 games...to pick himself up....(probably 1 in fans eyes)...last shot buddy...against a crap rams team in a dome..no weather problems...lets go rex

ps. break a leg....but not literally like u did in st. louis last year....figuratively speaking...our defense could probably win a game with just running w/ benson n t jones....

As I Bear fan living in Florida perhaps I can give you some perspective, the Bears record means nothing they've played a weak schedule and their current offense production cannot beat the top teams. Yes the only hope for the Bears is their running game.
It's time the QB understands everytime he throws the ball he helping the other team. My advice is running plays and throw only when the Bears are losing in the fourth quarter. To all those thinking the Bears are a Super Bowl team not with Rex your not. Your another Chicago team that doesn't have a coach or general manager with balls and brains.

Let me tell you one thing I've learned: Winning in the NFL is hard. Used to be home team ruled. Yesterday 5 home teams won with the BEARS being one of them in 13 games. Strong teams lose.Colts lost to the Titans. Pats came close to losing to the Lions at home. Broncos lost at home to Seattle and Chargers almost lost to the the Bills. anyone can lose .Rex could be all world before the season's over and we could still lose to anyone. There isn't one person on these blogs who thinks about one game at a time. We're putting every game in the winning the SB basket before the post season even hatch. Come on think about it. You have to feel like while winning games they are letting Rex do whatever. If the post season was on the line there would be change. We still have four games and I think it's better to play each game one at a time. Not one person said that Rex has got to play better against The Rams. Hello,that's our next game. All I see is so many people ready to concede the rest of the season after the 12th game. One and done. What about getting through the rest of the season first. You guys always say they lost because they were looking ahead. True. But where are we now? 3/4 through the season and throwing in the towel and firing coaches and letting guys go through free agency. Let's get through the next few games first. If you want to rant and rage it's your choice. I'm the eternal optimist. I'd rather fill the glass all the way up with optimism than see it half empty or half full. I'm not saying you're wrong for being disappointed. I am too. But that pain in my stomach is from drinking milk when I know I'm lactose intolerant. Not from worrying about how a team of rich millionaires earn their paychecks when I'm only catching up with them on Sundays for entertainment. Love 'em or leave 'em but don't lose sleep over them,please. That said,GO BEARS!!!

It really hurt my eyes to see Rex play so bad. It really did. Although I'm happy with the win, I ws disappointed Rex played so poorly. Mainly because I really wanted him to shut his critics up. He is the reason so many people were calling them the best team in the league earlier in the season because noone was used to seeing a QB perform like that in Chicago. But I was waiting for him to go through some tough times because of his lack of experience, but I never expected him to play so poorly Sunday. Cade McNown never played THAT bad. So I have to admit, I was upset. Now it's all up to the coaches now. If we are going to have to live with Rex, Lovie and the crew have to get this kid's confidence back. Just saying "Rex is our guy" isn't going to cut it. They need to make him hit some shorter throws and then work his way through it.

Alright I think alot of you have either reached the edge of the cliff here with your frustrations. I understand that Rex is pretty much breaking our hearts here but what most of you need to see is the big picture. We will have home field and our D and ST are the best in the league. Yes the QB is terrible but I don't think any team in the NFC can come into our house and beat us. Don't talk about last year and Carolina. This is a different D. They have a better secondary especially with the Manning's in there. They are faster and a year hungrier. We should all be supporting our team not turning on them. Whatever happens with the QB position will happen but I have faith in the D to pick us up when we need it. Next, to the idiot Dallas fan. First off the Giants did play like they did against your Cowgirls when the Bears played them. The only differance was our D, #1 in the NFL, shut them down in the second half. Romo didn't look that impressive to me yesterday against a Giants D that is basically all back-ups and has-beens at this point. You won't get the luxury of a DE fumbling after a pick and a corner letting a sure INT for a TD slip through his hands when you play this Bears D of ballhawks. You should be very afraid of the D because they will make Romo look like Bledsoe. Also we won't need a 4th quarter comeback because we will already be in front. Your D looked terrible and got picked apart by the same QB that looked lost against the Bears. I hope you want to come to Soldier Field in the playoffs because then you can witness first hand what our D does to first year QB's. Good luck getting here. To all Bears fans: Support your team regardless of what their issues are. Booing doesn't help anything, especially a fragile QBs phsyche. If Rex is the QB support him because like it or not we need him just as much as he needs us. that said GO BEARS!!!!!

Rex and I are from Indiana, I would "love" to see him excell, watched him win a State Championship, be crowned "Mr. Football" and have a some what steller career at Florida, but right now he is stinking up the place!, never saw he play so bad, he looks lost out there, he had better get his game in high gear RIGHT NOW!, because if the Bears go out like last year and the spotlight of blame is centered on Rex, there will be HELL to pay on and in the Bears management!

The bears should tie Lovie's future to Rex's. Lovie lacks the single most important skill a good coach must have-the ability to recognize and change his scheme if it doesn't work. He did it when Steve Smith shredded his cover 2 in the playoffs and he's doing it now with Rex. This team is too talented!!! If the bears go one and out, dump Lovie and Rex!!!

While I admire coach Smith for sticking with his QB.

I think he is missing the point.
(I am a Cowboys fan by the way)
He is hurting any chance Rex has to recover his confidence
by continuing to play him.

The kid NEEDS to be on the sideline for a game or two just so he can have a chance to regroup and regain whatever he has lost mentally.

He is playing himself out of the league!(He is becoming a national joke)

If coach Lovie truly believes in him, he should sit him a bit, for his own good.

Also I think the Bears can win the Championship with Brian at the helm and allow Rex to learn and grow while not killing the what has been a special season.

Clipboad duty is truly best for Rex and the Bears right now and if the moment comes -as it did last year with Orton- I think he will be better prepared.

Please stop blaming the play calling. Grossman is horrible period. No matter what the play is he still needs to execute it. While I agree some of the play calling is suspect the bottom line is Grossman is not even close to making the plays. Play calling has nothing to do with bad mechanics and the in ability to check down. He is playing terrible so stop making excuses he sucks end of story. I guarntee griese would not make ALL those mistakes. ANY other QB would manage the game better at this point. I say "lovie your the coach, your call about who starts but, if your wrong and grossman costs us a championship, YOUR DONE!!"

All we are saying is give greis a chance... well, look on the bright side, rex didn't fumble or drop any snaps, so he has that going for him. And he wore gloves so maybe he could grip the ball a bit better, although his accuracy seemed worse, so maybe he needs one glove for not fumbling and one glove for not throwing interceptions.

also on the bright side, mondays game is indoors so rex should look better and be able to hold and throw the ball a bit better may not even need gloves. Although, he still won't be able to see over line or move in pocket and he's more likely to get hurt on the fast track turf there. If only he played in someplace warm with slow natural grass, that would best suit his limited attributes. So maybe rex, lovie and angelo can all go to say tampa bay after this year. then if the mcaskies sell the team the bears can start fresh and bears fans will have only lost 4 or five more years from their lives. Which is worse being a cubs fan or a bears fan, tribune vs mcaskies? And if you are both it may be best to just move up north and take up ice fishing and the puckers.

I agree with Blake entirely. Stand behind the team or stop complaining. The first sign of trouble everyone bails on the QB, on the team and hey, why is it always the coach's fault? There are alot of things that we'd all like to see the coaching staff change or try out but really it depends on the QB. Used to be back in the day that the QB had to understand the fundamentals of the game enough to call their own plays and now we have guys on the field and in the booth taking over that job each with their own understanding of how the game should be played.

For Rex I'm sure a big confidence booster would be to have the city of Chicago behind him, like in the early part of the season. It must have felt good. But because he was too smug and trash talked some players, he's got none now (did you guys see him shakin at the podium?) And yeah it's his fault but I seriously think he's been punished enough, having utterly humilated himself in front of his family, his teammates, his peers from Florida, his superiors, his fans, the city, and about the entire sportsworld. I can already tell there are probably bets goin in Vegas on how many turnovers Rex gets next week. Yikes!!

I would suggest Rex himself go back and look at tapes of previous Bears games (both good and bad) during cold weather or whatever that he could study. In fact give him a playbook and have him understand which plays to call in which situation against which defensive tactic. Memorize, practice, and execute. Know which men can block you during a certain play. Then maybe we could see more screen passes and shorter throws ensuring a better game out of Grossman while adding to his confidence. Once he gets it back we are golden.

He needs to understand his place in the game now and that you can't just play your way, there's a method to the madness and more often than not you have to follow those rules. No more throwing down the field, how about getting us down there first? The last thing Rex or Lovie needs is an entire city of disgruntled fans breathing down their necks. We still have 4 games which includes the Bucs and the Packers, both of whom have terrible wins to losses ratios. And yes it has been an easy schedule but think, what if it wasn't and we were looking at a possible 5-6, 6-6? Aren't you glad we're 10-2? It puts us in a better position to get to the superbowl. 4 games by which to reboot Rex's confidence and with it comes 41-10 wins and 27-0 shut outs. Along with an already superb D and ST, it's an unbeatable combo as we've seen. GO BEARS!!!!!

I have more confidence in Rex than I do in Lovie. Why doesn't Benson get more carries? How many times has Adrian Peterson run the ball this year? Once!! Very poor play selection. We saw in preseason how Griese moved the offense down the field. With the Bears running game, Griese would be devastatingly good. Rex is going to get a receiver killed--he always throws behind them. Plus, he just doesn't have the arm strength that he thinks he has. Most of his long interceptions are way underthrown. I would like to see Lovie fired after this season no matter what happens on the field.

Come on Rebecka, Orton was a first year 4th round pick.Rex was a 1st round 4the year guy who has been costing a team a whole lot of money and he was FINALLY ready to play after he had been hurt so much. They DO have politics in sports. If a guy is drafted in the first round and fail it's on the guy that drafted him. If enough guys are drafted and fail it looks EVEN worse for the guy that drafted him. Around Halas hall Angelo does the drafting. Do you think a lowballed coach who is making less than some teams special teams coach and less than MOST coordinators is in on decision making when it comes to draft choices. Remember,that's the reason that the guy in Miami refused to come. Not money,final decisions for the roster. Smith is a good coach because he always end up working with whomever they supply him with. He go along with Angelo and that's why he got the job. Going along with the boss to show that cream rise to the top. Anyone who knows the politics go along with it until further notice. He'll be a successful coach no matter where he goes. Will WE find a good coach once we run him out of town while he's winning games and divisions when we are not used to doing these things? We really take winning for granted around here. We act like we've done it so much that it's expected. Let's get real people. The BEARS have been losers about as much as the Cubs in recent years.That's a fact.Since 90 we've lost more on average than the Cubs and now the fans act like we are about to become losers. Really I don't know what team we were rooting for for the last 16 years but until recently we have been losers. Look it up. One division title since 90. 2 preseasons in 14 years. Less than .500 for more seasons than I can count. We make ourselves losers because once someone shows a little winning around here you EXPECT championships. You guys don't know what it takes to win championships. Start winning and if he doesn't get your there let's fire him and take our chances. You know where you end up with Angelo finding the next lowball coach? Right where we were when they were firing Ditka after he posted a 6-10 team. Thank you fellow BEARS'fan when we are back where we started at least we'll know why. GO BEARS!!!

If Rex is the problem why does Lovie keep playing him?

If Rex is not the problem why doesn't Lovie tell us what the problem is?

If Lovie knows what the problem is why hasn't he fixed it by now?

I lived in Denver when Griese was quarterback. He was great,had a better record than Elway. If you want to win the Super Bowl go with a PRO GO WITH Griese!

Leave Grossman in! Rex is the key to New England's slim Super Bowl victory hopes. Go Pats!

I think Grossman has naked pictures of Lovie. Thats why he wont make a change.

gressie sux i think rex grossman just needs a little more practice

gressie sux i think rex grossman just needs a little more practice

I think you should put in Griese. Rex Grossman looks like he has lost all confidence in the passing game. I mean you can't just do a running game all day,they will just read you like a book. Brian Griese on the other hand will do better in the passing game. And really Grossman had like 15 or more turnovers in the last 7 games. It just hurts to watch the game. But I still watch the games because I love the Bears. But that's just my comment.

Rex did get'em there..he diserves the chance to take us all the way. Loyal fan.

Once again I'm going to blame the offensive schemes as much as Rex. I know Rex makes the decision as to where the ball is going on pass plays. Don't we run any medium routes as a series? I haven't seen the Bears run clear out and comeback patterns since week 2. Just because you have guys running go patterns doesn't mean you throw to them. I watched Leinart and Harrington chew up the middle and medium range against the Vikings. I would love to see Rex overthrow a couple flys and then just rip medium timing routes for 2 periods. We would have a 2-3 Td lead and then just pound the run and let the D line pin their ears back and go. The weather was extremely cold on sunday, but you still have to complete a couple throws. The NFL has adapted to what Rex was doing, now he has to react to that. I sincerely hope he does because I really hate how devisive the issue has gotten up there.
And why haven't you guys lynched Mariotti yet? He probably ripped the 85 Bears too. Man he's annoying.

And, I thought Cade McNown was out of Football. It looks like he has been reincarnated and came back as Rex Grossman. Actually, that looked more like the Mighty Quinn (Jonathan Quinn) on Sunday.
Lets not allow this odor, which has been permeating Soldier Field (and other stadiums,) knock us out in the playoffs. Bring on the deodorizer (Brian Griese, Kyle Orton, etc.)

Hey GRIZZ good to see you. How's the weather in Florida? I still think that this team will make it to your sunshine state in 2 months.GO BEARS!!!

Put Griese in to get the rust off. Look around the league, most teams are using two quartbacks. Griese is a provened winner. I don't want to wait another twenty-one years!!! It might help to get Grossman to go through at lest two readings and prevent happy feet.

The Bears have four weeks to unravel. This coaching staff can't make adjustments and can't keep the players focused on the task at hand. One or two key injuries and we are done for the season. Enjoy the division championship over the weakest field in decades. It looks like that's all we're gonna get this year. The only hope is for Lovie to start doing the opposite of what he thinks he should do. If he does, we still have a shot. Keep your fingers crossed.

you have nothing to loose by putting Griese,remenber his been around for a long time,he knows the game very well,give him a chance,if he starts messing up,you can always put Grossman back. Maybe this way Grossman will get his head focus better on the game,and not make so many errors.

I think the major problem I have is that Rex did not earn the starting job, and it's obvious that the orginization are seeing their investment through, regardless of it's outcome. Typical Chicago coaching. Every QB has bad days or throws interceptions. The mistakes Rex is making are rookie types of mistakes. You are a fool to believe that this offense, run the way it is, will ever be playoff caliber unless the move down to H.S. Ball. Turner already admitted he has dumbed down the offensive scheme to help Rex. Did it work? Griese, with this team, is tailor made. I know he certainly wouldn't be throwing the bomb on 3rd and 2 as Rex does...repeatedly! He needs a lot more work and while playing against crap defenses, Rex did great but even now he can't play them hard anymore.
Here's a better topic...Mark Anderson takes over for Hunter at LB position.
NOW THATS WHAT I WANT TO SEE. The dude is Wild animal strong !
How about Benson? What more does he need to do to get more touches. Jones was supposed to be this great blocker but I've seen him wiff plenty. Benson likes the contact. He looks to punish defenders. I LIKE IT ! Wear them down from both sides of the ball I say. Force Rex to work on his check downs if you still want him leading this team.
When have you seen Rex operate the hurry up/ 2 min drill ??? None this season that were successful if any. HE CAN'T!
Dusty, oh I mean Lovie was never known as a master strategist but blindly following a plan with no adjustments is a sure fire remedy for 1 and out playoff scenario.
Oh Well.....LET'S GO BEARS !!!

Start Brian Griese! Chicago Bears without our Defense and special team we could've end up with a record of 4-12, offense has to deliver NOW..or else will be out in the second round of playoffs.

PLEASE

we don't want another dissappointing playoff 1 and out. Do you not understand how brutal the management of this team has been for so long?
Do you not understand that it DOES matter who you played and the fact that we beat on crappy teams in the beginning and everyone was falling over themselves calling Rex the next Brett Farve and Lovie the greatest coach to ever live, has made us a laughing stock of the NFL. Our D will only get repect but the long minutes on the field EVERY game is starting to show affect. By post season they may be more injured or just plain tired.
WAKE UP FOOLS....the time to make a push for the Superbowl is NOW not next year of after. We will not have the same team next year and should not have the same coaching staff. There lies the big problem!
Mike

Ok Lovie, Rex is the Bears' QB...Ill say this one more time...The play calling is the problem...Rex is a QB who excelled as a pocket passer under Steve Spurrier at Florida...He looks just lost at times...Here's what a local sportswriter said about this situation..."In some ways, Grossman has been hurt by the dumbing down of Ron Turner’s offense, just as Orton was a year ago. That only makes a QB unsure of himself and throws a hint of doubt into his decision-making under pressure."...Nuff said...Da Bears!

When is the reality that Rex has bad mechanics, makes BAD reads, has NEGATIVE yardage running the ball, is very SHORT, and has NO pocket presense going 2 sink in? This guy is NOT an NFL QB. I repeat, NOT an NFL QB. Let me say it again, NOT an NFL QB.

Woe unto all Bear's fans. They will be the team with the best record in the NFL and one of the first to be eliminated in the firstround of post season play. What a cruel joke they have played on us this year. Will we have to wait another 25 years for a Super Bowl in Chicago --Heck! I'll be 85 years old. After having watched this pathetic excuse for an NFL team for so many years, I cannot believe they have never had a decent quarterback since Sid Luckman. Most of the stiffs they put in are in one year and out the next. Rex is no exception to the QB Curse. Good Ole'GSH never thought the QB position was essential to a team's success.Running backs and defense is all that counted. Put Griese in now while he may help the Bears get a little deeper into the playoffs. Sticking with Rex is just plain stupid.

You people are hilarious. Six weeks ago on this very same blog, nearly everyone declared Grossman a superior quarterback to the one that led another Bears team with a great defense to a Super Bowl championship. Now you're at the very least looking to give Griese a shot, and at the most looking to run the guy out of town. Moderation, folks...he wasn't as good as you were convinced he was six weeks ago, and he isn't as bad as everyone is making him out to be right now. The coaches need to call plays that he has both the skill and confidence to run come gametime. And that means not forcing us into third and longs because we called 15yd+ pass plays on first and second downs. Grossman has been poor and needs to execute, but right now he's more a mask for Ron Turner's horrendous play-calling than directly responsible for the collapse of the offense.

I am a bears fan from Cali. I think GROSSman gets one more game to prove himself that he is not a fluke. The problem with grossman is his height and mobility. He has difficult time seeing over defenders, with any type of pressure he throws the ball up for grabs. He needs to get out of the pocket and do more roll outs. Ron turner should have made this adjustment after the Phoenix game. The defense is pressuring the QB from all directions knowing the QB is not going anywhere, Grossman does have a good arm, but his height and mobility will always be a problem in NFL. It is time for Griese....

It's way past time (and almost too late for this season) to smarten up the game plan and do some actual coaching. We had these same problems last season. Orton was not the problem. Rex is not the problem. The coaches are not getting the job done. Even if a player isn't performing, it should not happen for more than a game or two maybe three. The coaches should adjust the plan to the player’s ability, correct the player’s mistakes or replace the player. The coaches have done nothing except talk at the problem from the podium. That's why things keep getting worse, sorry a$$ coaching.

I hope after this week end that the fair weather fans fly south for the winter. I can't wait until we get a new coaching regime in here so the ones who have all the answers can keep up with the doom and gloom. I've asked you guys who keep talking about bad coaching to name which coach we should've hired from the crop of the last 3 years. If I wasn't bald my hair would turn gray waiting for an answer. Who would've been better? All this talk and no answers. Typical. If your kid play sports you're probably bullying his coach or wishing you were the coach. I have an answer for you that you've always wondered; your kid sucked and it wasn't the coach's fault he struck out all the time or was the 3rd string QB. They say we live vicariously through our kids. Probably because some of us sucked too,in sports. Lay off with the hatred because it doesn't look good on MEN!!GO BEARS!!!!

Thany you Mr. Donald. I fully agree with you about the gloom and doomers out there. The Bears will be fine if they just run the ball and go with a conservative pass scheme. Keep the defense rested and we'll be allright.
I think everyone should just relax. It's not like we can do anything about it anyway. The temp. is about 68-71 daytime down here, how's it up there?

Do you guys wonder why Rex waited to get back to Chicago and play his worst football against a team that was his best chance to pass against? Do you realize that the guy was trying too hard because you guys are TOO hard to please? Don't think for a minute that Sharper's words didn't resonate in this guy and coupled with the instant booing that he was out of it fairly early. QBs can be mentally challenged as easy as a CB burned just once in a game? Remember Tomzcak going to therapy because Da Coach drove him crazy? Tomzcak and Harbaugh played for a lot of years. And most of them were away from this city. They were pretty decent after they left here. Why was that,I wonder? You guys always want to start guys for your pleasure. In Dallas no one wonders why Barber isn't starting. They accept the success that Jones and Barber both bring. It doesn't matter where you start-it's where you GET as a team. Not one player. If Urlacher was the only playmaker on defense would we be successful? It takes a whole team acting for the better,together, to win time and time again. Reggie Bush doesn't have to start for the Saints it's a tandem. They compliment each other. Benson could not run alone and the team be great. He was getting tagged against Minnesota and took hisself out because someone had wailed on him. He could not beat 8/9 men fronts all game long.Even with 2 TE and the 5 linemen that leaves someone free to tackle him. Once we were no longer able to pass I was seeing guys with 50s on their jerseys making stops IN the backfield.Against Jones and Benson. All it takes is for one guy to slow you up and they can gang tackle you. How many passes have Benson caught this year? You can not be one-dimensional. Every back who is considered a great back could catch the ball out of the backfield. That keeps defenses honest. If all he could do was run they can stack and stop ANYONE. Let then both play and it doesn't matter who starts. Everyone has to contribute. Don't aways blame the coaches.Rex is the one who wants to go long all the time. They have plays designed where he is suppose to check down and he just looks for the man going long. I'm sure the coaches tell him otherwise but like I said these QBs are so fragile in the mind that they think too much and try to do too much. That's Rex. He feels like a stepchild trying to get the ugly sisters to let him get to the ball. You guys need to show him some Love. Plain and simple. What harm would it be. If he's in there support him. Don't boo at the first sign of trouble. If you have to boo wait until it's over and he's heading to the locker-room. Booing Rex is like a recreational sport,right now. You guys need to go to Showtime at the Apollo where it's appropriate to boo. Even then they won't boo kids. Cheer him regardless.Not one person attending the game would die if he couldn't boo. Stop acting like booing is the answer. I know you paid for your ticket but you are mainly there was a fan for the BEARS. Last tine I looked Rex was a BEAR.Starting QB for at least one more game. Treat him like family. GO BEARS!!!

Rex should have a good game indoors against the pitiful rams defense. As long as he doesn't fall down and hurt himself again. I think this situation is as much the coaches fault as it is Rex's "shortcomings". The coaches and angelo are more worried about not looking bad and keeping their jobs than addressing the situation, taking the pressure off rex, coming up with a gameplan to counter what teams have discovered can incapacitate rex. Of course, instead of trying to out coach the opposition and putting their players in a position to win, the coaches could just change quarterbacks. But it's much easier for them to just do nothing, or rather, to keep on doing the same thing over and over again. What is obvious to everyone else must be obvious to them, so why don't they address it? Its either gross incompetence man, or just covering their own assets.

So the fans are to blame for rex's poor play? If he is not "tuff" enough to take some booing by the fans and media he is in the wrong line of work. It comes with the territory , fair or not!

Good Grief...give Rex some breathing room and let's ease his tension that the press has placed on him. Let him PLAY....

Good to see Griese is getting half the reps in practice now. Looks like a change is in the works if Mr REX( I arch my eyebrows too much to worry about football)Gross-man doesnt produce on monday night. 3 ints will lead to his benching on Monday. Then again, hell probably throw 6 tds and be called the next bret favre again!

Yes Frank it's our fault. I've decided to bring orange slices for halftime and cup cakes for after the game. I have a trophy for Lovie for being 10-2 without doing any coaching. Imagine how good we'd be if he could coach well. I hope that helps. It doesn't matter if they win, just as long as they have fun. Go Bears! They're so cute.

Frank, I never said that the fans were to blame FULLY for his meltdown here in Chicago. Why wilt in front of the home fans? If you can't see that QBs need confidence to be successful I don't know what to tell you. Every player on this team or any team needs confidence. If you're a RB and you fumble don't tell me it's not front and center in your head the next time you run. I have never seen a RB fumble and the team recovers it and he stayed in on the next play. If a OL gets beat by a speedy DE on one play how many times have you seen him jump on the next play? A LOT. CBs get beat and they start to go that way on every play until he shuts them down. The reason is confidence. If he's lost it the opposition keeps trying him until he proves them wrong. QBs are very much like CBs where a guy can lose his confidence fairly quick and then all hell breaks loose. Booing a guy before he gets his confidence could be a detriment. If he doesn't bounce back it's over. Yeah, he could be in the wrong line of work-but it's up to him to realize it. He could have false bravado and fake the ability but I'd hate to lose a QB just because we didn't help him get over the hump. Some of these fans act like these guys are in a Roman coliseum and they are looking for blood. If it's the opposition's blood-so be it-but our own QB. That's just a bit much and for some too easy. I watch on TV but I never pull an Elvis and shoot out my screen because they're doing stuff I don't like. I just say OH Well if they lose. That doesn't make me less a fan because I can take them losing once and a while. It makes me sane because I refuse to not let this stuff control me past 20 minutes after the game end. There are more important and serious thing to do than wonder what the BEARS are gonna do. That said,GO BEARS!!!

You know: some of you guys are as subtle as a chainsaw cutting jello. I would love to see how the people around you respond to the criticism I'm sure you carry around all day. There is a nice article in the Sun-Times today on how some people like you scarred a 7 year-old boy with your snarky and hatefilled comments that bordered on obscene in his presence about his father being the BEARS QB during a game he was playing. Imagine you screwing up on your job and people cussing you out on bring-your-kid-to-work day. I'm sure your kid would love to look you in the eye if you could even look him in the eye. For those who scream obscene words to somone else in front of kids: you really need to be in a padded cell. GO BEARS!!!

After Mondays game, it was decided that Rex would have the initials on his jersey sleeve changed from 'GSH' to 'STHU'