Rex, Rex, Rex

Grossman should get a new contract only if the following happens next season:

Start all 16 games
Greater than 3,000 yards passing
Greater than 62.5% completion percentage
Greater than 8.0yds per attempt
At least a 2 to 1 TD to Int ratio
No games with a paseer rating below 75
Division title
One playoff win

The Bears should handle him exacly the way they're handling his situation now. Let him play another year and see how he handles the pressure. All he needs to do is improve a little... with the turnovers. 3000 yards, over 20 TDs are Superbowl Stats when you include that with the rest of the talent on this team. All he needs to do is limit the turnovers, which is why he sees his name in such a negative light right now. If he cut the ints in half next season, but still put up 3000 yrds and 20 tds he will get a contract extention. Man, I pray for this kid because he doesn't deserve the negative press he's getting right now.

Chicago fans have had so many bad quarterbacks that they think that Rex will be the one to take them to the promise land and win it. News flash...Rex didn't take the Bears to the Superbowl, the Bears took him and he found a way to spoil their party. I keep hearing that this is his first full year and that he did great. Really? Vince Young and Tony Romo played their first year in the NFL and despite normal rookie mistakes, they did not break down as much as Grossman. He is a good quarterback at times and can be great, BUT his problem is that he does not having the natural feeling to make a play when all hell breaks loose. Other quarterbacks do and that's how you can tell that he is going to struggle in pressure situations and on broken plays. He is afraid to scramble (I'm sure the injuries play a big role in that), he can't think on his feet and make a play out of nothing, and worse of all...he does not feel the pressure of losing his job. Very few quarterbacks that others have compared to him have had the luxury of having a great defense and special teams to help them along and still he couldn't get it done. He might develop one day, but will it be too late. I love great defensive play and Chicago has one of the best ,but Rex is a major speed bump and puts a lot of pressure on that defense. They will have an extremely hard schedule next year and you can bet that teams are going to come after him all season...if he can't think on his feet and make something out of nothing...the Bears won't win 10 games all year. You can bet that the defense won't bail them out of bad games because the level of talent they will face is going to be much higher. He can learn mechanics and he can study more film, but he does not have that "it" factor that makes you think...this guy is going to be a great player one day. The Superbowl for Chicago is on the other side of the door...Rex needs to let go of the lock to have any hope. Next year is the true test for this inconsistent, potential filled player. If Chicago does not win...they made a tremendous mistake by gambling a Superbowl caliber team on Rex Grossman.

With those criteria, you're dreaming, JohnF. As Greg Couch pointed out, he just got worse and worse as the season progressed. In his 16th regular-season game, he pulls a 0.0 passer rating because he's too busy thinking about partying on New Years!! WT*?!

Ah, but nothing changes in Chi town. Today Larry Mayer over at Team Central, ChicagoBears.com, tells us from on high that "The Bears remain committed to Rex Grossman, who has one year remaining on his deal, so I can’t imagine that acquiring a veteran quarterback would be a top priority."

So get used to another year of ass-clown interceptions and Lovie the Parrot squawking, "Rex is our quarterback!"

Jeff Garcia ? come on the guy is 100 years old why would the bears want garcia? we have griese who is no different than garcia. If you think the bears or smith are going to dump grossman you are going to be highly disappointed. Grossman is going nowhere in 07'. Smith is going to get on his little podium and say, "we won 15 games with rex as our QB and he remains our QB and we will go fom there" I say give grossman one more year to show a maturation process and see if he is steadily improving. The thing that really dumbfounds me is rexs' lack of ability to execute the fundementals of the game on a consistant basis ie; taking the snap from center and throwing passess that do not "float" in the air. it is amazing how a QB at this level still has problems in these and other area's. With this being his first full season and the ability that he has shown flashes of, I say let him have another shot at it.

To get back to the Super Bowl, the Bears Need to:

1. Keep Rex. Fire Wade Wilson and hire a QB coach that will teach
Grossman: the fundamentals, scrambling and moving in the
pocket, throwing over/between the defense, and finding the
least dangerous receiver in his read progressions.

2. Pick up a veteran safety (Adam Archuleta), a more athletic
second-string tight end, faster linebacker to compete with
Hunter Hillenmeyer, a run-stopping defensive lineman, and a
third-down/possession receiver.

3. Find their offensive identity and have an alternate game plan
when Rex is playing like Bad Rex. And, put a backup QB in when
Rex is in the 'tank'.

4. Re-sign Lance Briggs.

5. Find ways of putting pressure on the QB and stop having their
linebackers from running straight into blockers on blitzes.

I am not so sure that Rex is the problem. I think you may want to look at Ron. When He first came here the Bears had a pretty good Quarterback named Harbaugh. The first thing he did was take away Harbaugh's strenghth. The ability to creat. No shotgun, What was Kyle Ortons Stregth. The Shotgun, Why couldn't he use it?

Bring Jeff garcia in here with Ron Turner as coach and you will wind up with Jerry.

Bring in Jeff Garcia .Rex has had allot of chances to prove himself & in biggest game came unglued. Bears can't afford to have a QB that's up one game & cost the team the next.Garcia would add insurance to Bears plans. If Jeff was Bears super bowl QB I believe Bears would be holding the Lombardi trophy now.All the Rex lovers write about his lack of playing exp.. Write as if Rex was a rookie.He's has no excuses & was not a rookie in 06.Rex Grossman simply is not a good &/or smart NFL QB. Same mistakes,same lame excuses from Rex.Yes,Bears won 15 games in a weak NFL year.Lucky to win that many in spite of Rex.

Jeff Garcia is the answer to one thing - a trivia question in 2015 which asks, "Who filled in as QB for the Eagles in 2006 and led them to the playoffs?"
Grossman is the 2007 season Bear QB answer, like it or not. I, like others, worry about his fundamentals. Poor decision making in the clutch under pressure. Can you teach/train this out of Rex? I don't know. That's what next season will prove.
And it's just not the dopey-ass throws for interceptions, either - there are opportunities for Grossman to run with the ball and pick up yardage and he continuously fails to do so. A run by Rex, here or there in a game, could dramatically change the defensive tactics and open the field up.
So it's Rex in 2007. And, hopefully, the defensive line returns to some prominence. They appeared to take last Sunday off.

I say keep Rex. He did help get us there this year. The offensive line needs to stiffen up. Rex can't get going with bodies at his feet all day. If the Bears want to get back to the SB, I think they will need help from the HONEY BEARS!!!! The team is there, the coaches are there, but we're missing our cheerleaders.

I have no problem with the Bears' stable of QBs, my problem is simply that Rex no longer deserves to be handed the job on a silver platter. Lovie should simply declare an open competition at QB, and let the best man win. My suspicion is that would not be Rex, if the SB is any indication of how he deals with pressure. If the Bears feel that all they need is a good game manager to get over the hump, then either of our other QBs would likely be a better choice, as both are perfectly capable of taking a snap from center, retreating without falling over, and running for the occasional first down when it is staring them in the face.

Say goodbye and good riddance to Mr. Grossman, send him on his way and that's it, tell Griese to grab a play book and get him with Ron Turner, the offensive coordinator!
Lovie has to know now that Grossman is not a "Prime-Time" QB!!!
Why waste another year or a draft pick when Griese is ready and able and is getting paid to sit on the bench, while Grossman is
constantly choking when it counts, dropping snaps, bumbling passes, sometimes it looked as if his arm was a noodle, it sure had as much strength!!!
Money has been spent, Griese is the new starter, I don't see the
Chicago Bears making it to the play-offs let alone the SuperBowl, next year in '07, unless they change QBs and everyone on the team gets behind Griese, make a statement show that you are ready to move in another direction, maybe pick up some key WRs in the free-
agency market!! Please Lovie, don't make a mistake. Don't even think about it!

Please send Grossman to Cleveland..we always do better with an almost superstar at qb..his stats were consisent enough for the Browns to make the playoffs..and his receivers would be top notch..Rex the Browns should love to have you their..fans would anyway..

Too soon to give up on the guy. And that criteria is ridiculous. Even the best QBs have games under a 75 rating. Look it up.

I agree with Jermaine: "Bears took REX to the Superbowl". And I agree with R.B.; Chicago loves mediocracy. It so sad. We have endured losing so much that we are comfortable with second place. Lovie has learned conservatism real fast. Its sad to play to make a good showing instead of playing to win. 3 years ago the Miami Heat had a young promising team with a rising star. They were already a winning team that made the playoffs and were destined to make it interesting every year. But Pat Reilly traded some of those budding stars for an aging Icon. Reilly simply knew the importance of winning while the window of opportunity was open. Heat signed Shaq and in 2 years sprayed champagne on eachother. Bears missed 2 golden opportunities to spray that champagne this year and last year. Next year will be very difficult as Jermaine pointed out. Why even gamble with this guy. Bring in a STARTING QB like Garcia and make Rex play like he is supposed to - consistently. Garcia would have won that superbowl for us. Any veteran QB would have.

Hey,

How about changing an asst. coach or two. Did I say two, as in cover two...C'mon half times are for adjustments. Like the way the Colts pulled some stuff by changing line personnel as the game progressed.

Sorry that we didn't lose a guy to the Cowboys. Think we would have been better off.

2nd and 1 as we are moving the ball in teh 4th. Pass///NOT. Run the ball, all nite. We could have won that game even with poor statistics...

I cannot believe how badly Rex Grossman is being treated by Bears fans. Come on, he just finished his first season as starting quarterback for the Bears and led them to the Super Bowl. He didn't choke in the Divisional game against Seattle! He didn't choke in the NFC Championship against New Orleans! He did have a bad 2nd half against the Colts, but some of that has to be blamed on play calling as well. Why when down 22-17 and beginning to move the ball would the staff even consider allowing the offense to run a play where Rex could make a huge mistake. Look at what the Colts did. They didn't throw the ball down the field all that often or try to get big plays, they simply used short passes and runs to move the ball and that is what the Bears should have been doing. The loss of Cedric Benson really hurt the offense too. He and Jones together are a perfect combo since neither runs the same as the other and defenses have to be ready for both...they are good as each changes the pace/style the defense must play at. All that being said, I am not aware of too many QB's who have won Super Bowls in their first years...not Peyton Manning, not Joe Montana, not John Elway, not Dan Marino (never Dan Marino), not Drew Bledsoe, not Brett Favre, etc... but their teams let them keep going out there and learning and improving. So lets get off of our high horses and forget this win right now attitude. The Bears will be back and Rex will have another shot, everyone will see.

"Rex didn't take the Bears to the Superbowl, the Bears took him and he found a way to spoil their party."

Rex was an integra;l part of the :team" that got to the Superbowl.

"I keep hearing that this is his first full year and that he did great. Really? Vince Young and Tony Romo played their first year in the NFL and despite normal rookie mistakes, they did not break down as much as Grossman. "

How did Vince and Tony do in the playoffs? TOny will be remebered right up there with Leon Lett.

"I love great defensive play and Chicago has one of the best"

Did you post this in September? Sorry our defense should get no pass for their play in the SB. But you Rex bashers don't see it.

How about our super bowl coaching? Feel free to point out one play or adjustment that Lovie made? They called a horrible game.

"You can bet that the defense won't bail them out of bad games because the level of talent they will face is going to be much higher"

Ahh once again, the defense gets a pass.

Yes Rex did not play a great Super Bowl, but neither did the defense, special teams (fumbled, never made adjustents when Indy did), the offense and the coaching staff. To lay the blame at Rex's feet ofr this super bowl loss is laughable. It was indeed a total team loss.

Well I'm glad Bear fans and Greg Couch have returned to their level headed sanity. We certainly know Rex isn't the answer because of all the franchise quarterbacks we've developed over the years. God knows 23 touchdown, 3,000 yard seasons are a given here for first year starters. Yes, let's try free agency for our next retread, with all the success we've had with Rick Mirer, Cordell Stewart, Chris Chandler, Jim Miller. I'm sure Jeff Garcia's the next great find.

I'm convinced Bear fans are idiots. I mean really stupid. The dumbest of the barrel. Rex has the best arm and the most potential of any QB we've seen since Jim McMahon. And we're probably going to run him out of town. Just make sure that Greg Couch quickly follows.

I'm beginning to think very few of you actually know anything about football at all. You spout off Rex's stats without comparing them to others (because I'm sure you don't know them). This is why you can't see what is clearly shown in black and white: Rex is hardly a bad quarterback. Is he the greatest? No, of course not... But Unitas had horrible games too (and a horrific Super Bowl rating at one point) but he's probably getting a TV mini-series of the week here real soon. The guy has officially played one full season, made some big mistakes, and took the heat for them. However, replacing him with darn-near-too-old veteran QBs (Garcia? what are you people thinking?) is ludicrous. And all this talk about Griese - he's not any better!! In fact, he had his big chance on New Year's Eve and totally blew it. You criticize Grossman for his inability to play under pressure and then suggest to replace him with another QB who suffers from the same problem. Get your heads out of the Cheetos bags and do your research before being so quick to write Rex off. I just want to point out one thing: all QBs have their special talents and Rex has yet to secure his. Remember, the greatest thing about Jim McMahon was his presence and attitude; not his ability. Chicago has a history of making it to the top with braun and luck. Rex is one man and he can't be held responsible for putting a wrench in your SB plans. Everyone was a little off on that one day, when it really mattered... not just Rex. We did watch the same game, right?

No wonder Chicago has been through what 21 quarterbacks since 1991? There has been almost a whole generation of Bears fans used to seeing a new starting quarterback every year. People become too inpatient to find out what they actually have. Who knows if Grossman isn't the franchise quarterback that the Bears have been looking for for the past 15 years? If he could just become the quarterback he was for the first 6 or 7 games this past year, then we would have a pretty good quarterback. I don't want to give up on him too early, only to have it come back to haunt us like it did Atlanta in 1991. (Farve's Trade)

Regressing back to the '85 Bears for one moment....it was the defense and Walter Payton that got the bears to the SB NOT Jim McMahon...fastforwarding now to SB XL1....the Bears defense did not contain the Colts running game and the Colts shut down the Bears running game one of Grossman's passes that was intercepted was under-thrown because he was hit as he released the ball..he had less than 3 seconds protection in the pocket..did he fail to recognise a blitz or did the offensive line fail to pick it up? There certainly is enough blame to go around...Peyton Manning never got the kind of pressure Drew Brees received 2 weeks earlier...send Rex packing and he may come back to haunt the Bears in the play-offs next year.

The major blame for the lack of developement in the Bears offense is not only Grossmens fault, its Ron Turner and his pathetic offensive play calling. He believes the shotgun offense is bad for his type of game. How many teams in the NFL refuses to use any kind of shotgun plays? Would Grossmen fell down and tripped from the shotgun. All year I've sit through the poorest offense in the NFL. Rex Grossmen was shotgun quarterback here in Florida under Spurrior and Zook. Ron Turner nearly ruined the Illinois football program and his bad play calling and 1965 offense will keep the bears from ever winning the Super bowl. If he does stay, I hope he wakes up and gets into the 21st century in coaching offenses. The Bears got to the super Bowl because of good defense and not from the pathetic offensive play calling.

Rex has never performed like the all pro QB everyone has him out to be. He needs to be more consistent with his reads and be smart with the ball. He also needs a good supporting cast to help him out as well. Look at the way the colts exploited the bears defense. Rex should have been able to do the same to the Colts but couldn't. We win together and lose together. Let's all hope next year is our year to be the Champs instead of chumps.

HUH! So it was all Grossman's fault?? Who sent in the plays for two long passes in torrential rain...rain that held the passes in the air...producing easy interceptions? Manley was told to throw one long pass down the field...it was intercepted and the coach was smart enough never to call for another one. Did our Defense protect Grossman? Did the Defense stop the Colts? It took Manley 9 years to get a win and a one year Bear rookie quarterback is expected to do the job? He did more than others in the Bear organization have done....HE GOT US TO THE SUPERBOWL AND EVERYONE THEN LET HIM DOWN...

THE BEARS SHOULD KEEP REX FOR ONE MORE YEAR AND IF THEY AT LEAST MAKE IT TO THE PLAYOFFS AND HE DOES GOOD DURING THE SEASON THEY SHOULD WITHOUT A DOUBT EXTEND HIS CONTRACT. BUT IF HE DOESNT DO SO WELL I WOULD STILL EXTEND IT MAYBE ANOTHER YEAR JUST IN CASE

Rex Grossman will never be the quarterback the Bears need to win the big games. He does not have the leadership ability just like you cant make a silk purse from a sows ear. Time for KAPTAIN KLUTZ to GO!

There are a lot of things I don't understand about the media and fans in this town. A lot of people feel there should be a quarterback competition during training camp. Why? Because of Brian Griese? What has he done in his 9-year career that leads anyone to believe he can lead a team to a Super Bowl?

Looking back to 2001, Jim Miller led the Bears to the playoffs and the fans loved him. He ended up getting an extension because of his 2001 season. It's a fact that his season was worse than Rex's, but no one bashed him. Back then a 74.9 rating was great. Even 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions had fans excited. No one cared about the 7 fumbles either. Things have changed since then. Every quarterback must play like Peyton Manning if the want to keep their job.

Rex had the second best season for a quarterback in Bears history, while leading them to a Super Bowl, in his first full year. He has earned the right to keep the starting job. This team was last in nearly every offensive category the year before and they were in the top 15 in all of them this year. The only difference on offense was Rex.

Chicago is a tough town. Especially on a kid who is still learning and winning while doing it. I wonder how we would have reacted to the play of players like Carson Palmer, Troy Aikman, John Elway, Peyton Manning or Steve Young their first full seasons.

Carson Palmer 18 TD’s 18 int’s 8 wins 8 losses
Troy Aikman 11 TD’s 18 int’s 7 wins 9 losses
John Elway 7 TD’s 14 int’s 9 wins 7 losses
Peyton Manning 26 TD’s 28 int’s 3 wins 13 losses
Steve Young 8 TD’s 13 int’s 10 wins 5 losses 1 tie

Or how about Brian Griese? 14 TD’s 14 int’s 6 wins 10 losses

Did we forget about the Kyle Orton years……year? 9 TD’s 13 int’s 11 wins 5 losses

Has anyone noticed Rex looks to be so afraid of making a mistake he is almost predictable? Watching his receiver run his route? Afraid to scramble? I am sure fan pressure and media scrutiny has been a part of it. Hopefully this kid will work hard in the off season and come back and not make another mistake in the 2007 season and make us all happy.

Having this conversation over and over again is becoming annoying and distracting.Off the top of your head.....Can anybody name the last Chicago Bear QB who has started all the regular season games, no less the super bowl?

Having this conversation over and over again is becoming annoying and distracting.Off the top of your head.....Can anybody name the last Chicago Bear QB who has started all the regular season games, no less the super bowl?

Brett Favre? Remember him? Early on, he was traded by the Falcons cuz he was a brash QB who made some questionable throws. Others who made questionable throws coming into their 1st full season were Peyton Manning, John Elway, Aikman, etc etc. What's that? Romo and Young were better? Not really. Romo had a bad stretch of 3-4 games that he didnt do so hot neither (and didn't he come in at week 6?). Young? If not for his legs and athletic ability with them, you'd see he can throw the ball no better than 25% of the rest of the starters (did i read young had a 50% completion rating? Versus 72 for Rex?). Anyhow, I dont see how ppl are so quick to be critical of this fine specimen. He did throw some great games. he did throw some bad ones. The question is now this? What pipe dream do you complaining fans have for replacing Rex? Garcia? Ask Cleveland or Detroit how he can do. Draft? Are you willing to wait 3 more years for development? Free agency? Sadly, we are left with old men like Plummer, Garcia, and Bledsoe. Trade? Keep dreaming. Though I did like Mike Wilbon's wish for gettign McNabb HERE in chicago....

i have always thought that kyle orton was better than rex grossman. and, please stop saying that is his first year. he has been in the league for four years. with that said, even on the sidelines observing you have the opportunity to see how the qb position should be played in the nfl. this was vince young's first year, and unlike rex, he did not panic when he was rushed. he merely ran for the first down. this fella needs to be replaced. he does not have what it takes.

grossmen what a joke ive been a bear fan for a long time but will never watch another game that kid plays.

Based on 2006 stats for the entire NFL, if Grossman matches what I posted, here is where he would rank:

3000 yards - 15th
Completion % - 10th
Yards/Attempt - 12th

Has it come to the point that Grossman doesn't even have to be in the top 1/3rd of the league to continue to be the starter? Jeez....

People call in to talk shows and write to newspapers because they are frustrated with their life and looking to fulfill their own misery by criticizing others. But instead of ranting and raving about their job, their spouse, their kids, their car, they choose to spout off about politics or sports. Most of these people couldn’t throw a spiral ten yards yet somehow they are experts on what makes a good QB.

I am not the first person to say this, but by virtue of advancing to the Super Bowl the Chicago Bears proved they were a better team than 30 other teams in the NFL. As much as I wanted a Super Bowl victory, I will take this consolation. That doesn’t mean I like mediocrity—I am not a Cubs fan and would never accept this type of ineptitude from my team. I am prepared to stick with Rex Grossman at the QB helm because if management keeps this team in tact the Bears can be right back in the Super Bowl next season.

As a former player and longtime football fan, it is obvious that fans especially in Chicago have an extremely unhealthy fixation with the unknown QB. I call this the BARAK OBAMA SYNDROME. To these people, the man on the bench is somehow more desirable than the man on the field—even though the man on the bench cannot outperform the man on the field in practice and has never proven himself to have out performed the man on the field in games. If Brian Griese were better than Rex Grossman, Lovie Smith would have played him more. As a veteran QB, Griese might take less risks than Grossman, but it is doubtful that he can make the big plays or even inspire the confidence in his teammates that Grossman has.

Grossman is a perfectly fine QB who like others---even (Payton-less) Manning makes mistakes (a Manning interception was returned for a TD against Patriots in the AFC Championship game). The difference between Grossman and the elite QBs is that over time, the elite QBs have learned to find ways to overcome their mistakes during crunch time and lead their teams to victory. Ironically until Super Bowl XLI Manning was considered a choker in big games. Grossman has proven that he has the potential to win (putting up QB ratings over 100 in 7 games this season) and to overcome his mistakes and lead his team to victory (comebacks wins against Minnesota and Seattle). He has succeeded in this endeavor more than he has failed. But people who like to find fault in everyone but themselves only can see his mistakes and cannot see any growth. It is a shame because they are destroying a good kid and the best chance the Bears have to go back to the Super Bowl.

I don’t think Grossman is perfect. I was as frustrated as anyone watching Rex fumble the snap twice and toss two easy picks late in the fourth quarter. But we have to give credit to Rex for leading the Bears to this game (if he had failed to get the Bears to the Super Bowl you surely would have blamed him). Baring a trade it is doubtful the Bears would be able to pick up anyone who could perform better than Rex Grossman. With this in mind I suggest the Bears immediately procure the services of a QB expert like Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Steve Young, etc. to tutor Grossman from now until next February.

JERMAINE you hit it right on the head.rex can't handle the pressure !! I don't kanow if it's a maturity thing or not. How do you call two timeouts in a row??then fumble snap twice, losing 22 yards?? WE HAD THE LEAD!!!
I also agree with OPEN COMPETITION for next year. I can't Sit in the stands through another year like this .one- not knowing which Rex will show. I am also tired of being laughing stock of league- AND BEING TALKED ABOUT MORE THAN TERRELL OWENS.

I'm not saying it is all rexmans fault, he didn't have the defense playing prevent all game in the rain, against a dome team. People keep saying this is his first full season, and it is not. He's not just a bumbling incompetent, he's an injury prone bumbling imcompetent. If he plays for the bears again he'll probably get hurt before he takes the team anywhere.

You can see the bears brain trust is taking serious and decisive action after the super bowl embarassment, they fired the d line coach. I suppose all the rex supporters will be pointing out that they can't fire the dline coach because he didn't have tommy harris all season and tank got arrested and other lame excuses.

I saw a picture in the paper the other day of ted phillips, angelo, lovie and, m mcaskie all sitting at the mayors 2'nd city celebration for the bears. I couldn't help wondering if the 4 bears brass all arrived in one of those little clown cars they use to bring the clowns into the circus ring. I would have liked to have seen them all getting out of the clown car. I'd pay money to see them all climb into the clown car and drive out of town, that's one part of this circus i'd love to see.

Rex had a bad game in the Superbowl. Period. It happens to the best of them. Look at Elways first SB appearnaces, look at Marino's only SB appearance. He had a bad game. Deal with it. He made plays in the two previous playoff games to help the Bears win and make it to the SB. it's not like Rex was just sitting around wating for the team to carry him. If Rex doesn't make those plays, the Bears aren't even in the Superbowl. So lay off the "Rex was carried by the bears" line. He did as much or more than anyone else on the team to get the Bears to Miami. Looking back at the Couch article about Rex, he may have gotten worse as the season wore on, but not as drastically as Couch implies. The stretch of games leading to the playoffs (with the exception of the Green Bay game) were exceptional games on Rex's part. Despite the inconsitencies during the season Rex has held up remarkably well over the course of the year. Everyone at the beginning of the season was saying, "all we want from Rex was to play every game, prove he can stay healthy..." He did that and managed to help his team to a SB appearance. Comparing a young un-established QB to the likes of 6+ year veterans is unfair to Rex. He showed what he can do on the positive side (7 100+ passer rating games) as well as the negative side (5? 40- passer rating games.) Does he need to improve? Of course he does, he needs to improve and perform at a certain level just like everyone else does. Did he earn that right this year? Of course he did, and anyone who doesn't see that is being very shortsighted.

You don't give up on a guy who took the team to the Superbowl. Period. The experience is invaluable and will help with his growth. How many QB's did the Bears draft in the past 20 odd years and how well did they pan out? He has had the second best season as a Bears QB in the history of the franchise and you want to run him out of town? Rex may not turn out to be the guy we want him to be, he may not be the second coming of Favre or whatever, but he had a really solid year albeit with a lot of ups and downs, not uncommon in young QB's. He played in the Superbowl which was a bonus considering that we simply wanted to see if he can play a full season without getting hurt. Who are you going to get to play QB if not rex? Griese? A re-tread QB who couldn't stick with a QB starved Tampa Bay? A QB who has done NOTHING in the playoffs during his NINE year career? His credentials are truly overwhelming, quick give him the ball. Orton? We couldn't replace him with Rex fast enough last year. Garcia? He is 37 years old, the ceiling on QB's seems to be around 38 years old, so if the Bears don't win it all with him next year, then you go back to square one.

Quit dumping on Rex, yes he played bad in the Superbowl and the Bears lost. True. The Colts played better than the Bears. True again. But did Rex do enough to come back and play for the Bears again? Absolutely, he did more than enough. Rex is the best QB this franchise has seen in a very very long time (I know when you have the likes of McNown, and Mirer and Krenzel as comparisons, it may not be saying much... but there were also some good ones in there as well, Mcmahon, Kramer, Miller, Harbaugh...) and Rex has earned the right to lead this team once again.

Extend his contract for a few more years, he has earned it.

It's funny because 7 games into the season people were chanting Rex's name and then they found out...uh oh he's still developing so lets hate him. If you can do better why don't all critics go apply for his job then?

Extend him??? WHY?? So we can waste this defense for another year? Let's worry about the important keys to this team like BRIGGS. Grossman got a free ride in 06 and if he gets another free ride in 07 I will be pissed to the point where I will refuse to watch the games (not that it really matters to anyone). Why did we sign Griese to a 4 year contract? I'm also tired of hearing "this was Grossmans first full year" or "He's just a rookie". Are these people kidding? Is it anyones fault that Grossmans body is built like an egg(breaks easy)? We really wasted a great team this year and I hope Lovie is smart enough to not waste another season with WRECKS.

Jermaine, did you not watch Tony Romo fumble the game away to the Lions the last game of the year costing his team a home playoff game? Did you not watch him drop the hold on with game winning field goal? How about Vince Young and his sub 70 passer rating? I suppose he gets a free pass because he is exciting to watch. Rex is a gunslinger type QB, something Chicago has never seen before. He is a winner, he was won at every level, the problem is is that the Bears are too conservative at times on offense, and in the Super Bowl I am not even sure what the offensive plan was, but the time Rex needed to make plays the Cotls were dropping 7 and pressuring him with 4 guys. I don't care if you are Peyton Manning, you aren't going to have a great game if your offensive line cannot block for you and you are facine 7 guys dropped into coverage. The problem with everyone who is hating on Rex is the fact that is really easy to point out mistakes, but look at what he has done for a dead to the neck up offense over the course of the last 3 years while he was hurt. 3000 yards passing, 24 TD's, NFC Title. This is no comparison, but take a look at Brett Favre's lifetime stats, he is probably going to break Marino's record for TD's, but he probably has the most INT's of all time, not too mention never had a QB rating over 90, but people love him because he makes plays, and Rex makes plays. Give him one more year, then make your decision. He deserves to start.

What bother's me, is the fact that the Bears were still in the game by the fouth quarter. It was obvious to everyone that Rex was having a bad game. Any good coach would have changed quarterbacks considering the importance of this game. Lets face facts, that Lovie Smith has made some very poor decisions. And with that said, giving him an extended contract would be a big mistake by the Bears.

Just to clarify my Favre comment, I meant QB rating over 100, not 90. And he has thrown more INT's than TD's 3 times in a season over the course of his career. Do you think Green Bay was wanting him out of town after his 2nd season in which he chucked up 24 INT's and only 19TD's? Rex didn't even have that bad of a season, went to the Super Bowl, and yet you still want him gone, I just don't get it.

I don't fault Lovie for sticking with what got him there. I fault them for not having a backup plan. We had on ONE quarterback going into a season we KNEW we would get to the superbowl. That is sad. We were 7 away from winning and that is a shame how we came out like keystone cops. We keep talking about next year like its PROMISED to us or something. Ask the Whitesox how easy repeating is? Ask any NFL team how easy repeating is. The 85 Bears were the best defense you will ever see, and they didnt repeat. Rex has to be tested by a REAL NFL starter next year. Garcia, McNabb, Vick, Griese, whoever. We are trying to develop a guy and we already have a superbowl team. The window is gong to be closed by the time he feels like he is ready. Who is going to keep paying players while he takes his sweet time? Put him on the back-burner for the days when we are out of contention. For NOW get someone in here who can think on their feet and scramble. And who is SMART enough to take a sack or throw the ball away when needed. Time waits for noone.

Rex had a good run during the year, but the time has come for there to be some actual competition for the starting quarterback job. I wish people would get off the Griese bandwagon; he's basically a younger Chris Chandler with better decision-making skills.

I'll spare you my rant detailing my love for No. 18 and instead focus on quarterbacks on the market. Are people seriously thinking Jeff Garcia is someone the Bears should pursue? A QB in his 30's who is undersized and most decisively not a pocket passer? Why not bring in Damon Allen while we're at it? (Garcia is insane if he thinks he can start more than six games for any team other than the Eagles. Okay, maybe the Giants, but that isn't saying much.) I suppose it's too much to hope for the Bears pursuing a quarterback that could actually thrive in Turner's scheme (although the offensive play-calling was so bad in the second half of the Super Bowl I'm still resisting the urge to lapse into BBB-esque trolldom), someone like Byron Leftwich, Kurt Warner, or Trent Green, but I'm still going to, if they're really looking outside the organization for their next signal-caller.

So, wait a minute--what exactly is Vince Young's problem? He has no offensive line, no running game to speak of, and spent his rookie season throwing to Bobby Wade and Drew Bennett. That he came within a game of leading (and, let's face it, he really was leading) the Titans to the playoffs is nothing short of a miracle. Heck, I didn't even think he should have been starting (if you look back, I listed him on my "most overrated" list), but that's egg on my face. What made Young so good this year wasn't that he was fun to watch--I still cringe when I see his throwing motion--it was the fact that, not only did he not panic when he actually set foot on the field, he actually made plays. And yes, some of those plays involved the use of his feet, but unlike a certain water-bottle-carrying, prime-number-wearing quarterback, his brain was doing the thinking.

I'll agree that the Chicago defense carried the Bears to the Super Bowl (and were chiefly responsible for the lone offensive touchdown in it), but Rex isn't a complete bum, certainly deserving a look for next season. But the time in which his incumbency propels him into the starting role is done.

My problem with REX is one that is painfully obvious. Yes, he has limited NFL experience, so let's let him risk a superbowl season by letting him develop throughout the season because we drafted him #1 and that is a reflection of Jerry Angelo. Yes, Manning and Elway had poor games as all rookie QB's do, but they never looked silly playing like REX did in the superbowl. That was God-awful borderline sad. He looked like a high school QB. I remember seeing Elway and Manning in their early years and there was nothing remotely comparable to REX's bad games this year. And i think anyone who is capable of playing that way at this level, basically imploding when there is any pressure, really can't play in this league, at least not start regularly.
And let's not give poor REXY any competition in camp. His emotional psyche is simply too fragile. We must ensure him he is our man no matter what. Give me a break! I have never in my life heard of this in professioanl sports. You would think his name was Rex McCaskey! Why does everyone who supports REX think ranked 29th overall as far as NFL QB's ratings go is mediocre? And that was accceptable because the Bears won 15 games. IT's not...it's called near the bottom...and when you have a team like we do that is capable of getting to the superbowl, why settle for that type of performance at a very crucial position.

The other most-troubling issue is that Brian Griese never got a chance to demonstrate his ability to perhapse see if he was the man by actually getting a chance; to showcase what he could do by actually starting a game. He only got a chance vs Detroit and played well by taking his first possession from the bears 7 and taking them to a very critical FG when they were down. The other opportunity was when hs was inserted when the bears were down by 20 against the packers. Nice. We'll never know if he could have stabilized the position, and although Griese is clearly not the second coming of a Peyton Manning, i think he could have faired better that 29th overall in the NFL. A mediocre journeyman? Maybe. But to describe REX as Mediocre ignores many troubling facts. And those were on display, unfortuantely again, on superbowl sunday.

We have 9 guys on the Bears who can catch the ball.. we need a new offensive coordinator calling plays.. Ron Turner is a bigger problem than Rex by far.

Let's have Devin Hester do a Reggie Bush look alike in 2007.

Roman responds: For the first half of the season, the play calling was brilliant. The tight ends were being used, there was a balance of short and deep routes. But once Rex went south, the play calling wasn't as aggressive. It was like they didn't trust him.

I never said the Bears "CARRIED Rex to the SB". That is just simply untrue. I think some of you have been reading too much of this garbage Rex Bashing. The Bears wouldn't have gotten to the Super Bowl without Rex Grossman. His play was very inconsistant. As with any QB when the're young. But to say the the Bears got to the Super Bowl in spite of Rex Grossman is just bogus. Some of you never liked Grossman from the start and I don't even know why. Look at the game angainst the PAckers (season opener), Lions(both games)Vikings (game winning TD pass), Seattle(regular season and playoffs) Bucs(wouldn't have won it without him) Bills, Giants, 49ers and Jets. Grossman played good-to-great in every one of those games. I don't know what some of you guys are watching but it's not the Bears. You're just jumping on the Rex Bashing bandwagon, and thats not fair to him, or the Bears.Its a total team effort in the game of footbal. Rex certainly did not carry the team to the dance. But he didn't catch a free ride either. He made a lot of big plays for this team this year. For those of you to say he didn't are ignorant or just jumping on the bandwagon. Like I said, he just needs to limit the turnovers. He tends to panic when he's facing heavy pressure. Sometimes he needs to scramble more or just take the sack. The guy helped get us to the SB in his first full year starting.Some of you will argue saying its still its 4th year. there is a big difference in playing and watching. I believe he will get better. I thought he had a pretty good year if you look past all the hating. It's really bizarre how we finally have a QB that can put up 3000 yards and 20 TDS, and everyone wants to throw him under the bus. It's also pretty strange that we made it to the Dance,and had a 13-3 record and it feels like we had a losing season. I've never seen a team take so much abuse while still playing so well throughout the season. He had some games where you just wanted to strangle him, but the bottom line is he helped get us to the SB, and I believe he can do it again, but without all those turnovers please.

Next Fall with be my fifth season saying this so LISTEN up: Rex Grossman is NOT an NFL quarterback. He has NEVER earned this job and NEVER will with his play on the field. Ron Turner and Wade Wilsom BOTH have 2 GO. They stink just as bad as REX.

Rufus Parakeet says " I can't Sit in the stands through another year like this .one- not knowing which Rex will show. I am also tired of being laughing stock of league- AND BEING TALKED ABOUT MORE THAN TERRELL OWENS."

Are you serious?? If you can't sit through another year like this year (A Super Bowl Trip with only 4 total losses!!) then sell me your tickets and I'll gladly enjoy going to the games even with Rex's ups and downs.

I appreciate the comments of many people, but James Thompson and John F. are clearly heading in the right direction for several reasons...I was looking at my email comments to my brother who now lives in California, and I'll blog it verbatum, because I was responding to his criticism of Grossman after I had predicted a 28-13 Bears win..This is how I felt on February 5th..."You need to stop reading the LA Times...Grossman was 11/17 w/1Touchdown and 0 interceptions before those final two drives..They played conservative and didn't open up the playbook for him to go downfield until they were behind 22-17 late in the third quarter..You have essentially a rookie quarterback who has started only 20 games in his entire career go out and win 15 of 18 games and go the Superbowl...Manning?..Threw an interception downfield on his first possession and threw safe dump passes and handed the ball off the rest of the game..His one touchdown pass was nearly a sack when the Bears had blown the coverage,leaving noone w/in 10 yards of that receiver..Manning has 9 seasons of football and his defense and running backs won him a Superbowl..What you have with Grossman is a guy who is oblivious to criticism from arm-chair athletes and the media and out-played Drew Brees and Matt Hasselbeck to get to that game..and he outplayed Manning until he tried to do too much too late in the game with two huge interceptions..The play immediately before that 56 yard interception for a TD was a 1st and 10 after a big throw to continue that drive...And you know why I'd take Rex over Manning? He reminds me of Matt Hasselbeck's coach's most famous quarterback, Brett Favre...He has the balls to go downfield and try to win a game, not try not to lose it...unlike the Corporate Computer Quarterback Manning..He was dam-near apologetic after they gave him the MVP trophy, because he knows he has a Superbowl trophy after throwing 7 interceptions and only 3 touchdowns in the playoffs..What I hope happens is that Tony Dungy retires on top...Lovie Smith gets signed to a long-term deal with Chicago, and the Bears end up in the same game next year against the Chargers...There is noone to challenge them in the NFC..Back to Back 13-3 seasons..Grossman broke his leg in preseason last year and came back to play in the Carolina playoff game..well I might add..The Bears D-backs gave up 2 Touchdowns to Steve Smith last year...What I hope is that everyone wil keep hating on Rex Grossman because A. He doesn't listen to what people in the stands have to say, and B. In the next 5 years this guy will win at least 2 Superbowls...My favorite play of the Superbowl...Not the 1st opening kickoff return for a touchedown in Superbowl history by Hester for 92 yards...they squib kicked like bitches the rest of the game...but late in the fourth quarter when the Colts had a 29-17 lead and turned it over on downs on the 20 yard line instead of attempting/"risking" a fieldgoal with the best kicker in the NFL..Why? They played not to lose..not to win..Grossman can take all the criticism, but at least this guy plays to win, and he will win a Superbowl, and he will finish his career with more Superbowl wins than the silver-spooned offspring of Archie Manning.

Ok Rex has been thoroughly trashed and adequately defended and only next season will tell what Rex is or isn't capable of and that is 7 months away. why not talk a little bit about whether or not the Bulls will make a move before the trading dead line or if off season moves made by the Cubs will break their curse or will Cubs Management have to allow one of the fabled goat's descendants to grace wrigley field to break the curse?

OK...I see it different than most. I don't blame Grossman....I blame Lovie. This was the SUPER BOWL DAMIT. Lovie had a responsibility to the team, to make whatever decision he had to make, to win. And that includes putting in a backup quarterback when its painfully obvious that Grossman isn't going to cut it. Lovie took away any chance we had of winning, when he decided to stick with Grossman. His loyalty to Grossman was admirable, but what about his loyalty, and commitment to the rest of the team. For my money, Lovie lost it, not Grossman.

Do I think the Bears should look elsewhere for a quarterback? No. Here's why: True, Rex Grossman has 'been in the league' for 4 years. But that's not the same as being on the field for the past 4 years, is it? Of course not. Want to compare Grossman to Manning? Lets look at one glaringly obvious difference. Manning has had the same offensive coordinator for his entire 9 year NFL career, Grossman played a total of 9 games in his entire career. Grossman has played for 3 different coordinators. Think the problem is Ron Turner? Lets look at Ron's last stint with the Bears and we'll see that Turner's offense put up big passing numbers and was run by Erik Kramer, a veteran QB who set team records, many of which still stand. Looking still closely, we see that Ron Turner employs a timing-based West Coast style offense. The quarterback who in all history ran the WC offense better than anyone, Joe Montana, said it takes 2 years to learn the system.

So in Chicago:
We have a QB with less than 1/2 a season of on field experience going into the 2006 season, win 15 games running an offense that takes 2 years to learn, and we got to the Super Bowl. The 'experts' and sportwriters (not at the sun-times) want the Bears to either draft a QB in April, or sign a free agent. How about if we all calm down and think rationally. Rex Grossman has the tools to be a good quarterback. I didn't say great. But I don't think the Bears need him to be great if they continue to show the ability to find Pro Bowl players in the draft and stay committed to the running game, Grossman doesn't have to be a great QB to 'lead' the Bears to a Super Bowl win. I've seen references to Elway as a rookie. Let's not forget that as talented as Elway was, he didn't win his first Super Bowl until they gave him a running game and a good defense. So lets not push the panic button yet. There are 3 things a QB need to win it all, a good strong running game, a good defense, and ....experience.

Rex Grossman has the first two, lets not throw him off the train until he has at a chance to get the third.

Okay. First I want to be clear that if the Bears bring in Garcia, it would be a huge mistake, Huge. What is the future of the quarterback position with both Garcia and Greise on you roster? I will not defend Grossman's play in the Super Bowl, it was miserable, but I won't place all of the blame on him either. Anybody remember that blown coverage by Chris Harris that led to a wide open Reggie Wayne TD? The Bears were well out in front before that blown play. If Harris drops back deep and plays the correct coverage, chances are that Manning is sacked(watch the tape) and the momentum stays with the Bears.
Back to Grossman. This is the best quarterback the Bears have had in a couple of decades, look at the stats, and some of you fans want to give up on him because of a few mistakes. I do agree that Lovie Smith needs to open up the competition and let Rex feel the pressure on a day to day basis in camp(Remember Kyle Orton? He came from the same system as Dree Brees and has potential as well). Grossman needs healthy competition and some better coaching. He doesn't throw the deep sideline routes well. He is great at quick slants and seam routes. I really agree with people who say there needs to be some change with our offensive play calling. Every quarterback has his strengths and weaknesses, the Bears need an offensive coach that will call plays suited for Grossman's strengths.
Give Grossman another chance and I bet he will prove why he was a star at Florida(a school know for their passers). And for all of you fans who say that you will not support the Bears if Grossman is quarterback, then good riddance because I am sick and tired of being associated with you.

Roman responds: It's an interesting argument. I had to laugh at calling Rex the Bears' best QB in a couple of decades. Who's second? Erik Kramer?

I think that Roman said it best, "Roman responds: For the first half of the season, the play calling was brilliant. The tight ends were being used, there was a balance of short and deep routes. But once Rex went south, the play calling wasn't as aggressive. It was like they didn't trust him." It was obvious that the coaches in Chicago did not trust Rex because they didn't know what they were going to get from him. I don't know about the rest in here, but I did play quarterback and I also coached (if I were any good I would be in the NFL) but just because I didn't have natural talent to continue that doesn't mean I can't see what everyone else does. Why would the Colts kick away from Hester and give the Bears amazing field position? Rex is inconsistent and crumbles under pressure...the Colts dared Rex to beat them, but the coaches in Chicago did not trust him. Manning threw the ball and yes he threw the early interception, but he did not lose the game for them. All the comparisons of other quarterbacks and their first year playing is plain dumb. None of those players were on a team that had all the other pieces to win a championship ready to go. The Bears do and while I think that Rex can become a good quarterback...this team does not have the luxury to wait. They are not guaranteed a return trip to the Superbowl and every team they face from this point on will know how to play Rex and the Bears defense. Things could get better or they could get much worse!

To answer the question, I don't think they need to extend Rex now, but I don't see any point in running him out of town or chasing Jeff Garcia. Let him come back, show he can learn from this season's ups and downs AND stay healthy. Then again, they could probably extend him relatively cheaply at this point, whereas if he does improve next year, he could cost them a lot more or he could walk.

As discouraging as that loss was, I can't believe all the people who want to run the coach, general manager, quarterback, etc. out of town. They had the ball in the fourth quarter down five with a chance to win the freaking Super Bowl. The coaches deserve some credit for that. It may not have been scintillating viewing watching the Bears play a conservative prevent defense, but for the most part, they contained an explosive Colts offense. You can't let Rex off the hook for the first interception or the inability to take the snap from the center, but Danieal Manning's blown coverage on the Wayne TD and Cedric Benson's first half fumble allowed the Colts to stay in the game when the Bears had a chance to blow it open early. In other words, there's plenty of blame to go around, but fans also need to give credit to the players and coaches for a great season, realize they've got a solid nucleus in place, and unlike the previous dozen or so years, should be competitive for years to come. As long as ownership can un-pinch its fingers from enough pennies to keep Smith, Rivera and Toub around.

How long until Bourbonnais?

Or Decade; I guess it just feels like Decades.

Folks, I have to say I have been a Bears fan all my life. I pulled for the Colts this time as I lived there for 20 years. The problem with the Bears is not just the QB Sure he made some bad plays but so did Peyton M The bears were still in the game until the end but the D/fence is who could not stop the Colts.They could not stop the run.It's a team game. Live with it. Still a Bears fan at heart.

Let Rex play out his contract. Maybe it will keep him focused for all the games next year. Also, sign Jeff Garcia. He is the perfect fit for the Bears. Let the best QB win in training camp.

Open Questions to Rex:

1. Do you want to come back a Bear next session?

2. Do you believe your teammates want you back next session?

3. What are you performance goals for next session?

4. Is the constant complaining and whining worth the trouble?

dump Rex now. the Bears have one more chance at the Superbowl; that is next season. After that, the peak is lost since we are already two years into having a fine team. Spend any money to get a better than average quarterback. Keeping Rex as a learning experience for him in 2007 is an unspeakable process of babying the baby. Rex is over; Rex is so yesterday. I am sure the Bears will keep him and waste their last chance at a Superbowl for another ten years. Nothing new for the second sity.

Keep,Rex please. I,M Viking fan,he will help us win the divsion

Growing up in Chicago, and having moved to Bethlehem PA, I now pull for the Eagles and Bears. I live across the street from the Lehigh complex where the Eagles have their training camp. I believe I have an unbiased perspective on the issue. When I first saw Garcia at the opening of training camp, I was very impressed how good this guy kept himself in physical shape. Compared to McNabb, who works our extensively in Arizona in the off season, Garcia is in much better physical shape. He may be 36, but in this day and age, where conditioning and strength training are keeping athlete going well into their 40's,(See Farve) there is no question that Garcia will be around for a long time to come. In fact, I believe that McNabb who now looks as if he cannot sustain his weight below 225 lbs, appears to get injured very often due to his lack of elusiveness that he once possessed.

After seeing Rex play in several games this season, I was convinced that he simply does not have it. No pocket awareness. Panicky. Stupid throws. Poor fundamentals all around. He lost the Super Bowl almost single handily. (Yes the defense gave up allot but due to Rex's 3 and outs, were on the field all night and exhausted).
Garcia is a terrific quarterback. He was so good that in fact many in Philly would prefer to trade McNabb and keep Garcia. There is a good chance that Garcia will out last McNabb due to the issues described above. Many Philly fans see this and I happen to agree. As a Bears fan, you need a real Quarterback. Garcia likely would have been a Pro Bowler this year had he played earlier in the season (Remember- Tony Romo is in the Pro Bowl). Chicago has an opportunity to get a guy who would have won it for sure this year, and has several years ahead of him to help win it again.
Don't get fooled by the "old man" comments. Garcia is a class act, and will make some team proud for at least another 5 years to come.

Put Grossmen in the shotgun and tell him to learn to scramble some. I saw on two occasions on third down, if he would have run the ball he had a first down. If anyone should go it's the offensive coaching staff. They were out coached badly the second half of the game. The Colts seemed to be in the Bears huddle or Turner is so preditable they they would'nt have to be in the huddle. Dungy said they pretty much knew what the Bears were going to do on both offense and defense and he figured they wouldn't change a thing. Right on that coach!

U guys don't seem 2 know much about quarterbacking in the NFL. Rex has no pocket presense, he CAN"T step up in the pocket, he CAN'T run, he has way 2 many passes knocked down, he CAN'T call audibles, he NEVER changes a play based on what the defense is doing, and when the pocket caves in he PANICS. This guy is NOT an NFL qb. His short passing game is a joke. He almost NEVER hit the receiver is his hands in stride. They always have to break the route, jump, reach back or bend down 2 catch what should be a simple pass. Rex has more weaknesses than STRENGHTS. That's a FACT.

I do hope the bears don't get rid of the lil fellar, i'd kind of miss him. I've heard from quite a few Packers and Vikings fans, they all are hoping the bears stick with rex. The packers and vikings fans think that they can beat the bears with grossman at qb, now everyone in the league thinks they know how to beat the bears. Favre decided not to retire after beating the bears and seeing the lil fellar play in that game, you know the new years eve can't be bothered game? Well, guess Favre thought if the bears can actually go to the playoffs with their lil fellar then he wasn't too old to play either. Most packers and vikings fans think if bears play lil fellar all season, they won't make the playoffs next season. They might be right.

I can not believe that people want to discard Rex, so fast.

Jeff Garcia ??? Give me a break. He is a 37 year old has been who could not get his team to the NFC Champ game. Why would we want to get rid of a young QB, who in his first full season was 13-3 and brought his team to the Super Bowl.. Wake up Chicago !

Yes, Rex made some mistakes in the SB.. The fumbles were the worst. The interceptions were due to him trying to make a play because the defence could not STOP the COLTS !

The defence has gone under the radar gun for too long.. They did not play to their capability and Rex is taking all the blame.
The blown coverage on Reggie Wayne's TD was much worse than any interception Rex threw.. The countless 3rd down a 8+ conversions were worse than Rex's play.. Get real people !

Let's not make the mistake of running someone out of town, just so they can go somewhere else and be successful. Give him a chance to be successful here. Oh, guess what ? He already is successful. He went to a Super Bowl !!!!!

I know what the problem is with all the Rex bashers! They are the percentage of Bears fans that are also Cub fans. They have a long and gloried history of running out young talented players when they struggled during their development only to see the become amazing stars elsewhere. Anyone remember Lou Brock, Bruce Sutter, Joe Carter, Corey Patterson, just to name a few. It is clear to me when half the town still loves and wants to stick with Rex (White Sox fans), and half want to give up (Cub fans). They have no patience with delayed greatness. They would rather you run out Grossman for a journey man bum (Griese) just like they have done all along, hellow Juan Pierre for Patterson. That is why they are going on 100 years with no titles. So Please Cub Fans and Rex Bashers, concentrate you time on getting drunk at Wrigley and let Rex and Bears to the real fans.

Great comments Brian G and Tony G....finally, more intelligent, rational thoughts on a franchise that's on the verge of making a New England Patriot type run at the end of this decade...I won't get into too many historical references, but I was in the 9th grade when the 85 Bears made that incredible run, and two things happened...Mike Ditka and Buddy Ryan broke-up, and an injury-proned, but at-times brilliant leader Jim McMahon gets traded to San Diego..But I would like to comment on two more things..First, I love the way you think Brian G. Let the fair-weather, if Grossman stays here fans stay at home...Many people would gladly take the extra seats...Be like every other front-runner and wear the Steelers/Cowboys/49ers/Patriots jersey...and the real Bears fans can watch them keep their core intact and take the next Superbowl and reverse the current AFC dominance on Superbowl Sundays..
Second, in response to Roman's response to Brian G...Unfortunately, Yes. It probably is Erik Kramer. Better to laugh than to cry sometimes!!

I think Rex had an acceptable year for his first full season. He will improve if there was a better offensive coordinator. The Bears offensive line didn't help Rex either. I hate the cover 2 defense bring back the 46. We need a free safety who can hit like Plank and stay healthy. The defensive line didn't show up half the time. We made it to the Super bowl. It was a great year. I can't wait for next year to start. The Bears schedule is as hard as it gets. If they win their division they will be in the super bowl again and win it. Why can't the McCaskeys stand to have the Honey Bears on the sidelines. Bring them back too.

THE ONLY WAY THE BEARS SHOILD GIVE UP ON REX, IS IF THEY GET SOMETHING IN RETURN. LET'S NOT FORGET THAT THE KID IS STILL BASICALLY A ROOKIE, AFTER ALL THOSE INJURY PLAGED SEASONS. I DON'T THINK LOVIE SHOULD BE SO STURBON NEXT SEASON HOWEVER.PUT THE STARTING JOB UP FOR GRABS IN CAMP AND SEE WHO THE BEST MAN IS.
IF BRIAN G, OR KYLE O, OR WHOEVER WE BRING IN, OR DRAFT WINS OUT SO BE IT. THE BEARS HAVE A LOT OF "LOOT" TIED UP IN SEXY ,REXY AND HE SHOULD BE MADE TO EARN IT LIKE THE OTHER FIFTY-TWO PLAYERS
ON THE ROSTER. OH AND BY-THE-BY, THE BEARS NEED TO CUT TIES WITH THE TANK. AFTER ALL HE'LL BE IN THE OTHER "CAMP" AFTER HIS HEARING IN MARCH. LET'S HOPE THE BEARS CAN BUILD ON THE GIANT LEAPS THEY MADE THIS SEASON AND ACTUALLY FINISH..FINISH..FINISH, THE JOB NEXT SEASON, BECAUSE THEY WON'T HAVE A CUP-CAKE SCHEDULE NEXT YEAR.

Well, if I remember right the Colts scored 29 points. Rex was not the running back that fumbled and not the return person who also fumbled. He was not the person who had the blown coverage. If you look when Rex had the first intercept, without the td from thew blown coverage the Bears would have been on top. It is something to think about. I also think on the 2nd intercept the play should have been blown down were the intercept took place because there was contact at the point of the intercept. Bad call by the refs. Rex needs to get another chance as he is better than Griese.

These people who want to stick with Grossman remind me of the stay-the-course dead enders on the Iraq war. Their version of The Surge is to keep playing Grossman every down no matter how bad he is in the pursuit of their fantasy that the Second Incarnation of Brett Favre will appear in his uniform some years from now.

Hey, Pollyannas: it's called a window of opportunity and it can slam shut quickly and for a long time as we found out after Super Bowl XX.

Grossman hasn't displayed one bit of evidence in any part of his game to have proven himself worthy of starting for ANY team in this league.
All we have to do is consider what his record would be if he was to be the starting quarterback on any other team that wouldn't be able to mask his may deficiencies.
A team that lacks the athleticism of our receivers who made Rex look good on the long balls that were actually completed despite the majority being under-/ over-thrown.
Or despite having a pro bowl-calibur offensive lineman at each position, including the one snapping him the ball! (TWO snap fumbles in the biggest game of one's life)
There wasn't a moment during last season when another player or unit was having a bad game that Grossman bailed them out of, but on the contrary he was his lone inconsistency that cost the teams there losses. The rest of the team played relatively consistently well every week.
You can argue with me that the superbowl was a team loss until the cows come home, but it was evident how demoralizing it was to the defense after watching there offense go 3 & out almost the whole game.

I look forward to proudly wearing my Dump Grossman tee-shirt! The guy doesn't have the tools to be a champion QB, he had his shot & odds are against his ever returning to the Super Bowl. Start Griese, develop Orton and trade Grossman for offensive lineman and draft picks (if somebody even wants him).

There is NO WAY we extend Rex's contract until he goes the entire season next year without having a qb rating in single digits. His performance the last 1/4 of the season was a disgrace and unworthy of a contract extension. People keep saying the defense let the Bears down in the SB but what do you want? The defense couldn't get off the field because Rex either turned it over or couldn't get a first down. Yeah, the defense didn't play their best game but come on, if Griese (or the starting QB from Land Tech )would have been in the game, the Bears probably would have one. So, in conclusion, Rex better have a damn good season next year or it's ADIOS.

Roman......

If the Colts play the Saints in the SuperBowl next season, who will the Saints fans root for?

Trick question. They will be so busy hating on Bear fans in your blog that they will miss the game entirely.

Rex definately needs to feel pressure. If nothing else draft a QB to let him know that he has to step it up, or else. The fact that Lovie is giving job security to a QB who hasn't proven he deserves it, is ridiculous. And I don't buy this 'but he has talent' crap either, in order to play in the NFL you have to have talent, but talent alone doesn't make you a good Quarterback. Let him feel the pressure, and Brian Griese isn't the answer either, he can be just as inconsistent as Rex... He's a career SECOND-string QB for a REASON, he hasn't proven himself any more than Grossman or Orton. If you want a truly good QB battle (one that will result in a satisfactory performance), bring in a veteran free agent QB and drop Griese. Keep both Orton/Grossman and declare an open position battle at QB. But the most important thing is to let the winner of the starting job know that there is a good QB waiting in wings to take his job away if need be. If they can handle the pressure of knowing their job is never secure (and not crumble under it), then they can most likely handle the pressure of being relied upon to make big plays at key moments to get this team a ring!

Secondly, we need to find a way to utilize Devon Hester's avoidance abilities in a NON-special teams role. That man can do amazing things with a football but the problem lies in that, as a special teamer, he can be negated and taken out of the equation. Put him as a backup slot reciever and see what he can do to a defense with only 5-10 yards between him and the nearest defender rather than 20-30 as it is in kickoffs. If he can make plays as a slot reciever then consider keeping him there or using him as a wideout to attempt to use his speed to burn DB's. One way or another, find a way to get Hester the ball.

Anyone who thinks Rex Grossman deserves another chance your last name is Grossman or your smok'n someth'n! Bears can't gamble any longer on what Rex will show up . I've been a NFL fan for some 50+ years & never seen a QB play so poorly. Rex just will never get it! Just like Rex, mess up super bowl chances for Bears & now is out in Vegas with playboy bunnies.

You knuckleheads. If you review the tape, it was the OL, not Grossman, that caused Grossman's problems. He was on target when he was not pressured, but on the two picks, he had guys on the verge of sacking him. What about the perfect throw that Desmond Clark got at the end of the game that he dropped after getting popped? Check the tape. Manning threw one pick, had Urlacher tip another, Ian Scott almost picked another one, and this is from a guy that's supposedly the best in the league. And, he was throwing to Marvin Harrison. Roberto Garza got burned on spin moves, and Fred Miller was too slow on some blocks forcing Grossman to scramble. Even Ruben Brown looked foolish a time or two. We need fresh OL help, and we need another burner. As good as Moose is, his lack of top end speed hurts us. We need either Bradley to step up so we have two burners, or go looking for one in the draft. You're crazy if you give up on Grossman now. That's just nutty thinking. What're ya gonna do, trade for Brees, who looked thoroughly average against us?

You guys can keep kidding yourself's about Rex! He's a joke in the NFL and the rest of the teams know this and next year its only going to get worse!If you ever played the game at any level,all you have to do is look into his eyes and know he's a deer in headlights! ( yes they do talk smack and the line )QB ratings and stats are misleading,how many passing yards come after the catch?His passing numbers would have been much worse in the superbowl if Indy had not let him complete those little dinks towards the end of the game!Poor Rex everybody's picking on him! (wa,wa )Oh yea thats right,the defence threw the interception that took away any hope to win the game, or the off-line did'nt give him at Least 10 min to make-up his mind where he's going to throw the ball! Oh yea Lovie need to send in better plays,forgot about that one. ( maybe rex's could grow some and change the play at the line? )Stats,he's a rookie,give him time,bla bla bla.Quit babying him PLEASE! Just like the old saying,if you can't take the heat get out of the NFL!

arright...rex has a lotta sh*t to work on...but a coupla new coaches are needed as well...in SB XLI the bears coaches were outplayed...they stuck with the same gameplan and didnt make any adjustments, this game is all about adjustments, why couldnt rex pass like peyton and just dip n dunk to t jones when we were down 22 17 with 10 min to go..."no we gotta go we gotta score now."....
thats bs, look at peyton manning, he tore up our defense...and even though the defense didnt play their best game...they still only gave up 22 pts (maybe 25 because of vinateri's missed fg)...the bears were in the game until grossman threw the pick six (which mushin timed wrong and should have at least batted down like t jones)...if that ball hits the turf...i guarantee you we would have won the game...it was all there: grossman had just had a nice pass to mushin...why couldnt u just run the ball once to get the def on its heels..."nooo says ron turner...we must do a double move" if anything we need to see some better coaching...and that bob sanders pick...comeon rex step into that sh*t...berrian was wide open

sign lance briggs...make rex watch tape for at least 5 hours a day during the offseason...better coaching...draft a wr...goin to the superbowl again...and winning
comeon bears the afc has won 8 outta 10...its time nfc steps up and the bears are prob the best team still...

If you compare Rex's career statistics to Cade McNown's, you will see that they are virtually identical, except that McNown was able to scramble and run sometimes! No wonder we feel so sick to our stomachs! Example: Rex passing percentage to date = 54.4, McNown's was = 54.6 with the Bears. McNown rushed for 486 yards in his two seasons, Rex for 49 yards in FOUR seasons! I guess we have to hope & pray that Rex improves, because next season is going to be a rough schedule. Let the competition begin in training camp & see what Griese can do.

If your first year starter had these stats would yoy want him?
TD's-26, Int-28. passer rating 71.2. yards per pass 6.5. would you say he stinks? get rid of him? then my friends you would be saying that about Peyton Mannings' first year. Grossman? TD's 23. Int-20. passer rating 72.4. yards per pass 6.7. No, I'm not saying Grossman will be a Peyton Manning, but I am saying that based on those numbers many Bears fans would have wanted Manning shipped out of town his first year too. give the kid one more year, if he doesn't improve, they need to go to plan B.

Grossman. Definitely an interesting season. I think the Bears need to give him this year. I noticed several people in here saying that he has been in the league 4 years... blah blah blah. He's had 5 different offensive coordinators in 6 years (going back to his days at Florida). He made some dumb mistakes, yes. So does every rookie QB. He also made some brilliant plays (remember that pass to Rashied Davis in the first game against the Vikings), even in big games (that drive against the Saints). He definitely needs to be able to respond to being pressured better, but that comes with experience. I personally think he needs to wear gloves or something, something that improves his grip. I also like the idea of bringing in a Joe Montana, Steve Young or Dan Marino. However, the Bears need to refocus on running the football. I know Benson was hurt, but Thomas Jones only ran the ball 15 times and had a 7.5 ypc average. They should have run the ball 45-50 times! I don't care how tired TJ got... he has the whole freakin offseason. They need to run alot more play action to... alot of Grossmans best plays were on play action to Berrian over the top.

the Bears talent wise are in the same place next year as they were this year. a superbowl ready team with a lack of consistency on offense. the Bears gambled playing Grossman all year and lost in the end. we are the same as the other 30 teams who don't have a superbowl trophy. that is the reality of this past season. I blame Ron Turners play calling as much as Rex's poor play. after one full year and a superbowl loss under his belt Rex has only proven that he can throw long and last a full season. Rex is the biggest and most obvious questionmark, but there are many other problems on offense. these are; an aging offensive line, receivers and tight ends who don't get open very often, a starting running back who cannot get yards after contact and a offensive coordinator who is addicted to a long throw - quick score approach. here is how I would like to see next season. starting quarterback position is open for competition in training camp ( may the best QB get the job, sorry Rex everone has to earn the big payday), trade T. Jones (1 year left on his contract, to expensive to re-sign, value is still high, teams have interest), start Benson with A. Peterson as the change of pace back ( Benson is either the back we wanted for the offense or he isn't, Peterson deserves a shot to show if he can continue to be exciting almost every time he runs the ball), find a tight end and or a receiver who scares a defense, re-sign or tag Briggs (I still am pissed about losing Wilbur Marshall), start Anderson at end ( the kid's a monster, may light a fire under the other ends butts), look for a replacement for M. Brown ( each year when he is stuck in street clothes the defense suffers). in general the offense seems unbalanced. when and why you run the ball is just as important as looking at the number of carries vs. throws at the end of the game. the Colts finally became champions when they figured out that running the ball controls the clock, makes the passing game most effective (not vise versa), breaks the defense down and wins championships. we spent the whole season trying to turn Grossman into Farve when we could have worked on turning Benson into Bettis (ask Roethlisberger if he misses him!). long sustained drives down the field eat up clock, take pressure off of your offensive line and keep your bend but don't break "cover 2" defense resting on the bench. a friend of mine suggested that offensive coordinators will get more credit for great passing offenses than running offenses. throw in a desire to be a headcoach somewhere and it makes you think more about the play calling. football is a complicated game and there are many more people than I who know more, but it all boils down to yards and time. I had a blast as a fan this year. lets all hope that Lovie learned as much from his loss to the Colts as he did from losing to the Panthers the year before.

1) Jeff Garcia is too old. No thank You.
2) Someone said that Jim Mcmahon wasn't that great. I suggest you look at the tape of the 85 Minnesota game. He came off the bench. His first 3 plays he threw 2 touchdown passes. He turned the game around.
3) The Bears got to the Superbowl via a weak schedule and inspite of Rex Grossman. The proof is Kyle Orton's record from last year. I would like to see an open competition next year between all 3 QB's.
4) A QB's "intangibles" mean nothing if he can't take a snap from center. It's the one thing that a QB does most, and there is no excuse for mistakes.
5)Twenty four teams have cheerleaders. Why not us? It's a great opportunity for women. The Raiderettes have appeared on tv shows like Full House. Jennie Lee Harrison, Paula Abdula, Stacy Keibler, etc. all started as Cheerleaders. I'm sure the "Honey Bear calendar" would sell enough to justify their small pay checks.
6) God bless our troops.

Let me offer a little hard to swallow observations about da Bears.
One, their Super Bowl defensive strategy was terrible...4 quarters of the prevent D. It gave way too much room for Manning to operate. In the rain it would have been harder for him to beat us long, not short.
Two, the defense all year was unpredictable. It looked great and then it was manhandled. We won 13 in the regular season but it could have easily been 11. Indy made us look mediocre.
Three, Lovie should have been playing Griese more than he did.
Sticking with Rex that much opens doubts about his decision making.

If your first year starter had these stats would yoy want him?
TD's-26, Int-28. passer rating 71.2. yards per pass 6.5. would you say he stinks? get rid of him? then my friends you would be saying that about Peyton Mannings' first year. Grossman? TD's 23. Int-20. passer rating 72.4. yards per pass 6.7. No, I'm not saying Grossman will be a Peyton Manning, but I am saying that based on those numbers many Bears fans would have wanted Manning shipped out of town his first year too. give the kid one more year, if he doesn't improve, they need to go to plan B.

The question was should the Bears extend Grossman's contract and the answer to that is no.
Make him earn some thing for the first time since he was drafted.
Please get over this notion that he was a rookie in 2006. Kyle Orton was a real live rookie in 2005 and he was not given half as much slack as Rex was even when the Bears were winning the division with Orton playing. The Bears have babied Grossman because he has to work out for Angelo. He HAS to.
Jerry Angelo is the same man who decided that Steve Young was not a good QB in Tampa.
Last year both Orton and Griese out played Rex in the pre season and he was still named the starter. Griese was not signed to compete with Rex but to back him up because Rex had only proven that he was injury prone in his first 3 seasons. Rex was going to be given the job no matter what and it showed.
By the way, Garcia is too old and looked really bad with the Lions and Browns before having a handful of nice games with the Eagles. He is not the answer.
The real answer was Drew Brees. A proven QB who was available but Angelo made no effort to sign him. That would have been admitting that drafting Grossman was a mistake in the first place. That is why we will continue to have Rex forced down our throats no matter what he does on the field.

ok, now i rad most of u people. and everyone want to throw rex out the window. and the guy who said he 4 years pro, so he not a rookie, he has only 27-29 or so CAREER STARS tats not even 2 whole season inn the nfl, i dont know where u all learded to count but it must havebeen in our poor public school. last 10-13 yrs bears have been in the battle for last and worst passing game the nfl have ever seen in that time period. ok kyle ortan, i can throw father thean him, what has brain done, u let me know. now i like jeff garcia hey he has my last name but i like him 4-5 years ago not now. does anyone remember what our passing game waslast year, hmmm one of the last three. now where in the top 15. ok, he had 6 bad game wheree he was like 7td and 17int, but the other games he was 15 and 3 ints (my # are off i know, but i am sure i am close.) and any qb with 27 or so career start ever led thier team to the big game. no.... ANDF TO LET U GUYS IN ON Y WE LOST SUPERBOWL
1.) FUMBLES
2.) loss of benson and his fumble
3.) we lost the major 1-2 game plan for running game that was our bread and butter for last few games, as u see what indy did with their weaker 1-2 punch.
4) has anyone seen so many bas tackles in one game, i do i was against the steelers last year when we made bennis look like he was 23 again.
5.) OMFG the play calling on both sides of the ball, no blitzing when we had success at it in the 1st quarter. y didnt jopnes have 25-30 carrries that game espically in a close game and rex wasnt his best.
6.) speical teams fumbles, the one by gilmore was very costly.
7.) not finding a way to get hestner the ball cause he just a play maker.
8>) MEADIA AND FANS ALL U DO IS BASH THE MAN, COM ON WHEN THE LAST TIME U SEEN A BEAR YOUNG QB PASS FOR MORE THAN 250 YDS IN MORE THAT ONE GAME in a season. LEAVE THE KID ALONE, HE DIDNT QUESTION HIMSELF OR HIS CONFIDENCE UNTIL THE MEDIA AND FAN BASh. U ALL MADE HIM WEARY AND QUESTION HIMSELF. SO INSTEAD OF PLAYING TO WIN LIKE THE FIRST 5 GAMES I SUPPORT THE BEAR FOR ALONG TIME AND I SEEN OVER @) QB WHO COUND HIT ME IN MY FACE IF I WAS nEXT TO HIM> JOHNATON QUINN, CHAD HUTCHINGSON, CHIS CHANDLER, HENRY BURRIS, JEFF BLAKE, SHAWN MATHEWS, CADE MCNOWN, KRAIG KRINSAL TO SAY THE LEAST AND THAT ONLY LASTR FIVE YEARS SO GIVE IT A BREAK,

U GUYS WERE ALL OVER HIS NUTS THE FIRST 6 GAMES NOT U TURN Ur BACK ON A GUy WAITED 2 YEARS TO PLAY> get real stop playing john madden football and read a book on football. now rex isnt by far the best qb in the league. but he hads potenisal to be one of the leage best let him deveolpe. now i agree with a new qb coach and off corridinator cause they do sux.

NOW HE DONEST HAVE THE INJURY BUG HE HE HAD, TRUST ME FROM EXPERIENCE WHEN U BREAK TO THINGS IN UR LEG ON CONSECUTIVE SEASONS U ARE WAERY OF gETTING HIT CAUSE U WANT TO PLAY BUT THAT NEVER GOES AWAY. (THE FEELING OF NOT WANT TO GET HURT AGAIN) just look and big ben from steelers he didnt want to take another him abd he was in a motocycle accience. but it metally efected his gamee for the 1/2 the season. sorry for typin this long but i caouldnt help to tell all u media head and band wagon fans to shut ur whining we were in superbowl,that sould be enough said.

jeff garcia jake plummer or anyone welcome to below 500 season. if any how about daivd carr, bring him in for some compettion.. not aging dinos. thanks

Alright, y'all are making sit here and type with a broken arm to defend Grossman.
Here are some thoughts:

Season Stats in FIRST year of starting:
Yards: 3193 TD: 23 INT: 20

Peyton Manning in Year One: Yards: 3738 TD: 26 INT: 28

Farve in Year One: 3227 TD: 18 INT: 13
Favre in Year Two: 3303 TD: 19 INT: 24
Year Three: 3882 TD: 33 INT: 14

Brian Griese (Never Has Started 16 Games in his Career!!)
First Year Starting: 3032 TD: 14 INT: 14 (14 Games)
2nd Year: 2688 TD: 19 INT: 4 (Awesome, but only 10 Games)
3rd Year: 2827 TD: 23 Int: 19 (15 Games)

The point I am making is this: Grossman, for all his ups and downs, had a solid year. It's common to think that he started hot and then faded down the stretch, but let's not forget the Rams game(200 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTS, 114.4 QB Rating), Bucs game(339 Yards, 2 TDS, 0 INTS, 104.3 QB Rating), and the Lions (197, 1 TD, 0 INT and an 80.4 Rating). Three games straight in December with the season on the line...5 TDS, 0 picks.

Oh yeah, two playoff wins with no picks and a Super Bowl appearance. Show me someone who can claim this in their first year starting. I agree he made two awful passes in the Super Bowl, but I think he gives the Bears the best chance to win.

If y'all want, I could gladly pull out stats from other start QBs who have had terrible games, or have I shown that Rex deserves some respect?

Ya know as a coach and former player I just remembered something a coach told me after dropping a touchdown pass "Excuses Satisfy Those Who Make Them"

I agress with several posters in that the game plan was flawed. We didn't seem to take advantage of notable Indy weeknesses. short rhythm passes of the 8 - 10yd variety was the order of the day given the rainy conditions. And lord help me if we did not fall into the same stubborn trap of a year ago (remember the Steve Smith debacle?) and make NO DEFENSIVE ADJUSTMENTS AT HALF TIME. True, the D did well to hold the vaunted Indy offense to 22pts, but it could have been much less with a couple minor adjustments and attention to detail. All game long we watched Manning "adjust" after he threw that interception... taking those short underneath throws which the deep linebacker drops in the "Tampa 2" allows. He managed the game and took his shots when the opportunity presented itself. All that being said, we witnessed the tale of 2 QBs... both residing in Rex's head. On the one hand we have Sexy Rexy, budding pro bowler in the making. Then we see the "Florida/Spurrier" Qb curse raise its ugly head. There is only so much a shotgun arm can bail you out of. It seems to me that some pros forget that it is having solid fundamentals to go along with those awesome physical talents that get them to the next level. We hear year after year the Upper echelon QBs talk about what they did to improve their games. Manning talked about throwing on the run. Brady talked about improving his release. Palmer talked about pocket awareness. Let's see if Rex can win the hearts of the city back by continuing to grow!!

My computer was down for several days and I spent the last few just catching up on what people are saying. A lot of comments blame Rex and that is expected. A few blamed Lovie and a few Turner. But Brian G put it on the money. Ron Turner's O needs time to learn it . I've said it before that Turner made a lot of guys look great in the years that he was here,before. Kramer was a joke to BEARs fans before 95. Rex is still learning this O and there are just people in Chicago who are annoying regardless. You have fans calling each other losers for accepting a loss without ending up in DCFS. A lot of people look at the BEARS and see a lot of fans who act like they were entitled to a perfect game played every week. They say that WE act like the Super Bowl was ours and WE only have excuses because OUR team lost. They say WE got what WE deserved because WE mistreated our opposition's fans like dirt. I am totally embarrassed to be confused with the WE they are talking about. Some of you guys are miserable ASSes who jump on people because you are condescending DOLTS to begin with. Misery loves company and you want the rest of us on your level. I am embarrassed to be associated with you silly idiots. The world hate us because you guys hate everyone else and drag us down with you. Some of these people were right about what ails the BEARS and I won't put my 2 cents in because they covered it well from what I can see. So, some of you guys won't be fans if Rex is there next year:big deal. There are enough fans to cover for your absence. Who will miss some of you kill-joys anyway. That's the problem:you think too much about yourselves and expect that your opinion matters. You can cut that kid Rex down and if that makes you feel better than by all means go ahead. And I bet that next year if he was better you'd celebrate with all the guys that supported him all along. Soap box fans and bandwagon jumpers are the worse kind of fans. You try to cut everyone else down to size and in reality you build them up because they unite to stick up for their team. I love the BEARS and I love winning. And you're not better than me because you demand they win the Super Bowl. I'm not a loser because a football game was lost 8 days ago. You guys are the losers because in reality you can't live with yourselves without someone winning something FOR you. GO BEARS!!!

The comment about the BEARS not getting a 2nd QB that could take them to the Super Bowl: Who can you get that will guarantee you a Super Bowl win? How many QBs become available who can take a team to the SB. No great QB is ever available. Name one QB picked up in free agency,anywhere, who won a SB for any team. Who traded a SB caliber QB to another team and he made it to the SB the next year? Now can you name a low round pick who took his team to the SB in their first year? QBs who take their teams to SBs don't grow on trees and when lightening strikes and a guy gets there no one can take much credit for it. Brady is the only one that comes to mind and every year they went to the SB everyone was saying it was a fluke. They waited a long time for Brady to come back down to earth. Don't mention Dilfer because he wasn't exactly a 4th year guy. He was a failed number one guy from somewhere else who everyone could've had for chump change. No one expected him to do it that year and if they could've patented it he would've won it again. Football is filled with flukes who don't repeat what they have done ever again. Garcia wasn't much before last year and he came back down to earth in the playoffs. You guys will give him a chance because you think he'll do it again next year. I really don't. Courage is great but talent trumps everything. Over time a lot of good players are solved. Even guys who go out and wing it eventually get solved. Not For Long(NFL) remember? Talent goes a long way. Talent is cream rising to the top. Rex will have it.GO BEARS!!!

I have listened, read and understood everyone's comments about Rex (good or bad) however I find it appalling that we would think about replacing Rex, becuase of comparisons with Tony Romo, or Vince Young. Tony was a bailout for the Cowboys and if you remember started to show his true colors by the end of the season and then placing the icing on the cake with his feeble attempt in the wild card game. Vince Young start in pretty good fashion but rookie flash is one thing. We all know that teams adjust after having seen one full season of your best and worst. The kitchen sink was thrown at Rex over the last month or so; including the best NFC east team, the best NFC South and the best AFC overall. 2/3 isn't bad for a team, spearheaded by a 25 year with a solid arm, a sliding defense, no superstar receiver, and a game by game experience resume.

Trade rex while you can still get something for him, like a couple of draft picks to spend on offensive linemen.

Lets face it folks, he's not going to be brett farve.

The NHL Referees are short sighted when it comes to penalties.
Havlat,Vrbata,and Rutuu are bounced around the ice like rubber balls and no penalities are called yet,if the Hawks defensemen look at Paul Kariya, Teemu Salanne,or Henrik Zetterberg, the wrong way they are sent to the penalty box. Tallon should look at the tapes of games against the top teams and he will see that I am correct.

Like Rex or not, when a quarterback starts every game and the team goes to the Super Bowl you have to give credit. He is alot better then Trent Dilfer, and much better than Greise or Orton. He had average stats this year, he finished middle of the pack the NFL in quarterback rating. Does he need to cut his INT in half next year, YES. Is he is bad as alot of you are making him out to be? NO. Give the kid another season, we did not waste this Super Bowl or season because we had Rex at quarterback. In fact, without him we would not have made it at all. As a reminder, Brett Favre (I am not saying Rex is him) had a MUCH worse first season then Rex, and BTW... the Packers were not in the SB his first year...or second year.... or third year

How do run a west coast offense withou using a shotgun? The shotgun is used for to give a quarterback more time, be able to see the the field quicker and as people has seen in New Orleans, Indianapolis, New England, San Diego and Greenbay they run an offense that has the shotgun offense as a potent weapon. His play calling at Illinois was terrible and he was so out coached vs LSU in the Sugar Bowl. Ask Manning, Rivers, brees, Young and Bret Farve if they would like to quarterback without the shotgun formation.

Rex needs to be played as much as possible and given his props. Rex, the best is yet to come.

WHY does Lovie resist open competition for the starting Quarterback postition...? How many top-tier NFL teams operate that way...? How many top-tier MLB baseball teams guarantee the prime position to a player...? Most of the time the best coaches make you EARN the right to the starter...You EARN respect from your team mates. What if Brian Griese is actually better than Rex...? All I know is Brian Griese took The Michigan Wolverines to an undefeated season and a share of the National Championship...He has the experience and talent to be given a chance to compete for the starting quarterback postion. Lovie is a great coach BUT I think he should realize that he does NOT have a Brady or a Manning on his team...Most coaches with the Bears' line-up would have their quarterbacks COMPETE for the job...Let the most talented quarterback be the starter...Period.

I thought the Bears inability to tackle anyone contributed more to the loss than anything. There was a good chunk of the game where the defense did nothing to get off of the field. If they could have at least held the Colts to some short drives and force a punt, it allows the Bears to get more opportunities and limit the opportunities that Peyton had.

It took Peyton nine years to figure out that he did not need to score a 16 point TD on every play. This season he finally realized that he could be patient and opportunities will open up. Grossman needs to learn that. Given time I think he can.

Rex is much better than his RECEIVERS. Bernard Berrian FINALLY matured by the end of the season. John Tate and other members of the front line for the "o" needed to be kick started in the first half of some tough games (ie. Patriots, Green Bay, Miami). Rex had 13 hurries, he was hit 8 times and sacked 3 times in the first half of the Patriots game. That's Rex's fault right? Half of his interceptions were because of the receivers. Moose dropped more passes than I have ever seen a Bears receiver drop in some years. Wade Wilson should be replaced. Rex does need to learn how to read defenses better and he needs to scramble once in a while. Rex was proclaimed the MVP of the league in the first five games. Other teams made adjustments to him and the Bears did not. Rex still got the job done and found a way to win. Compare Rex's stats to Aikman, Favre, Bradshaw and Peyton Mannings first complete year. Rex is a good QB! Period. I was at the Vikings game (and every other home game) and Brad Johnson had a worse game than Rex because the winds were not allowing a pass to get off. The next week they both threw for 100 passer rating. I wish that I could say fans but PEOPLE NEED TO LAY OFF OF REX! I would not rather have TOny Romo. Tony Romo was only good because he has very good veteran receivers. If the Bears had those receivers - we would have won the Superbowl. We still would have won if it wasn't for the play calling (not made by Rex). All of you Rex haters can bitch about the Cubs this year if they choke and not win the NL as predicted. REX IS THE MAN!!!

People are probably tired of thinking about bears quarterbacks or have their minds made up. I was hoping for rex to have a good superbowl, thought once he got out of the cold weather he would be able to grip the ball better. Who could have known it would rain like it did, guess the conditions have to be just perfect for rex to grip the ball in his small hands. And does anyone really think he is still growing and his hands will get bigger, or he'll get taller or more athletic? Its not his talent or makeup that is lacking, he just lacks the size to play the position in the nfl. When you see him on the sidelines playing around with his baseball cap so he will look half an inch taller, you know he knows it too.
I guess all the rex backers weren't bothered so much when the bears gave up on Michael Haynes and cut him, the number 1 draft pick taken just before rex. Why is rex so precious and haynes wasn't? Rex has had more time and more chances than haynes ever got, so why it such a big deal if the bears cut rex? Maybe angelo doesn't want to look bad for trading down and taking two first round players who are both busts, but wishing they were better won't make them better, or taller, or faster, or stronger, or better hands, or better instincts etc, etc etc. Maybe instead angelo should try trading up for a change. Once angelo and lovie get their contracts, rex is finished as bears starting qb anyway.

Man, Bears fans are looking bad right now. I mean, we are looking like the latter-day Elway-worshipping clowns in Denver who booed him off the field for the better part of a decade and who have spent the last decade grinding Brian Griese and Jake Plummer into dog food.

Am I happy with Grossman's performance? Heck no. For that matter, I said back when we drafted him that it is always a mistake to draft a Florida QB with the expectation that he will be able to run an NFL offense. But I think this kid is our best chance under center to win a Super Bowl or two in the next few years. He's already got the things you can't coach...arm strength and all that stuff. What we need is an offensive coaching staff (i.e. somebody other than Ron Turner, AKA "Shoop-plus-the-long-pass") that can teach him the things that CAN be coached like reading defenses, going through your progressions, and when to pull it down and run).

Because Grossman is entering a contract year, I can see us drafting a QB on Day One or picking up a free agent like Garcia to push him in '07 and replace him if necessary in '08. But Grossman is our best chance to win right now. By our conduct, we Bears Fans have to decide if we will be part of the problem or part of the solution...which means we have to choose whether to act like idiot fans like in Denver or New York.

Da Bears also need more depth on defense so that losing two guys doesn't leave us vulnerable to being picked apart on short passes (See Joseph Addai, 10 receptions, 66 yards, 3 receiving first downs) and getting run over for 200 yards rushing.

The Super Bowl loss was a group effort? Sure, the defensive line struggled with a Colts offense that came a long way during the season, but they certainly held their own. No, the only hands that were on that ball both times it was fumbled during the snap were Rex's. The interceptions left REX's hands (and going in a very dangerous direction every time), the person that was perfectly willing to tackle himself when nobody else was around to do it was REX.
I hear about how awful the offensive play calls were, and how it seemed that they didn't trust REX. Well, my question is, has REX given them any reason to trust him?
I am certainly not saying that they should bail on him because he is a kid and could possibly develop into something great, but lets lay blame for that embarassment the other Sunday where it is due. The kid screwed up. Now the real measure of him will to see how he recovers from it.

Rex shows to be a very good quarterback when he has time to throw, has protection, and is relaxed in the pocket. When Rex has space in between him and the D-Line he can see over them and throw the ball very well and accurately. Rex must be used in the Shotgun. All short quarterbacks play better in the shotgun because it gives them enough space to be able to see over those tall D-Line players. Rex did well at the beginning of the year when he had time to throw and had the space to throw and see over the line and down the field. If we use Rex in the Shotgun formation most of the time and he is calm in the pocket I would bet money on it that he would make the pro bowl. That's right I said it. He has arm strength and he is accurate. he can thread the needle when he has to. Jeff garcia was the product of the system everywhere he has been. He would flop in Chicago. McNabb however if da Bears can make some trades with the eagles would be a winner pick. I say if you give up on Rex then go to McNabb and give up some serious draft picks for him. Give the Eagles a 1st and 3rd round pick and we got him I think. Our first round pick is #31, that is prett much a second round pick. Anyways, put Rex in the Shotgun and he will prove everyone wrong including the "ignorant" Jay the most anti-homer I have ever seen in sports.

Terry Bradshaw horrible at first. 4 rings and HOF

The Chicago Bears win the Superbowl! It was never going to happen against Payton Manning. He has far more experience than Rex Grossman. By the time Rex is good as Payton, The Bears defense will be too old. Next season will be a failure due to a harder schedule. Our division in 2006 didn't show much challenge and nor did the playoff. Imagine the playoff starting with Bears against Patriots or Chargers. The Bears would have lost their first game and Rex should be fired because the Bears defense can't wait. As a QB he can't bring anything powerful to the table. I could snap the ball and hand off to Jones. That's not what a QB gets paid for and the Bears shouldn't settle for Rex performance.

Does anybody besides me notice that Rex
Grossman's year was about the same as Kyle Orton's
was lastyear. Rex is at best a work in progress.
He needs to get his body in shape -- just look at
those pudgy legs. He needs to improve in footwork,
mobility, passing mechanics, and, oh yes, decision
making. Lovie and much of the Chicago press gave Rex
a pass this year. No more. The staff and Rex have a lot
of work to do before the Bears fo to camp this summer.

They went to the Super Bowl. Keep him 4TW

NOW LETS GO CUBS!!!

Hey Chicago, if you'd like to know how the rest of the country regards Wrecks, then check out Rick Reilly's on-the-mark account of your lil leprechaun in Sports Illustrated. In part of it he says 'no brain-bearing fan can actually believe in this guy'. I guess that leaves you people out and is the main reason you still spout off about this pathetic excuse for a qb.

Meanwhile, the virtuoso Brian Griese gets no playing time but still earns $6,000,000 for the year for sitting on the bench. Go Brian!! Excellent managing by Angelo and coaching by Lovester--NOT.

This conversation would not even be taking place right now if the Bears had done what I said should have been done in 2003. Remember when the Bears had no chance at the playoffs, with three games left in the regular season? Here is what should have happened... "Welcome to the NFL Rex. Go out there and learn something." Let him get his hits in. Make some stupid mistakes. Sure he would have gotten his but kicked, but next season he would have never been injured, and we would be in the SB twice, and most likely would have won it this year. That said, Lovie is a genius.

Rex?

We should have been grooming Orton....

or

maybe is there still a chance for Garcia?

Wrecks is not the answer.

someone teach grossman the fundementals of qb. in every situation i have seen grossman play bad is simple. basic first day, not just first year, funementals. i have coach youth football and the first thing we teach young qbs is keep your palms together. you have less chance of fumbling the snap.
he has made some bad decisions, and some really bad decisions. help his lazy butt prepare for games. show him tendencies, show him blitz packages and where they can come from.
think back to when bledsew's first year. parcells showed him every imaginable blits package that he was likely to see. back then he was a decent qb. that is just example. give him game by game starting with pre-season. if he doesnt perform up to his potential then see ya rex and start looking for a qb that can run, not manage, the system and be productive. past teams have shown that you dont need an exceptional qb to win the big games for you. think back to the 90's, what was his name? oh yeah, eric krammer. where the heck did he come from? he put up some great numbers for the bears. but didnt have the defence to go far. time for rex to decide if he wants to play in the big boys game or if he just want to live off what he did in florida. i think the bears let him go, maybe he can have a great career somewhere else, if someone is willing to take a chance on a player who doesnt prepare well. maybe as a back up who doesnt have to worry about loosing a game.
the bears have a good defence, and a good offensive line. but they will get old and then we will be looking to rebuild. so lets do something now while the players are still in prime.

I don'understand why people in this city just can't deal with the facts and move on. Rex does not have the qualties required to be successful in this league.Recks Gross man is at best 6'1. Starting behind linemen that are on average 6'3, 6'4. You can not coach pocket pressance.In Pop-Warner football kids are taught foot work and how to throw a football. How does a NFL team plan to be successful and WIN a Super Bowl with a quaterback that does not posess these qualities. Doesn't the coaching staff review film. In 90% of his interceptions,Recks under preassure doesn't move to find the throwing lane, reset his feet and throw off the back foot. Instead he'd rather loft the ball over the line and see what happens. If Recks starts next year I predict that they go 5-11 with injuries taking down the defense. This league will not ignore the facts about Recks because PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS PLAY TO WIN!! Not just to play the game i.e. being down 5 points in the 4th quarter of a SUPER BOWL and not accepting the facts about Recks. If you can watch how Garcia plays the position and then watch Recks, they are about the same hieght but have different coaching staffs and Organizations. You will see what i'm talking about.

my god, i hope all of you people posting arent from chicago otherwise the entire city is in trouble...listen to yourselves...all of you say the same few things. he had bad plays/games, the bears lost the superbowl, he fumbled some snaps (in extremely we weather)...fine your all right, and when you say hes been in the league for 4 years ok, how many games did he start? how long was he healthy? all of you go back to your miserable lives and lay off this guy, having someone brand new to the system WILL NOT help, it will mean we have someone in the same position as rex this year, learning the system, trying to adjust to it...im wasting my time posting to this, does this site have people who know anything?

Dumping Rex isn't possible for the Bears right now. If there were a better option for the Bears than Rex I would jump on that bandwagon. The problem is that Greise and Orton aren't any better and at least Grossman can throw it deep. I say draft for quarterback in the first round. Let Rex feel some heat to improve. Secondly, hire a decent QB coach and make Rex work harder to improve.

This guy is a huge question mark right. Is he just a 25 year old rookie or is this is as good as he gets? Is he still learning and growing or is he a waste of time to tutor? The team can't solve its QB issues in a trade or in free agency this year. It possibly can through the draft. There are good number of interesting choices to draft at QB in this year. Draft a good prospect and let Grossman feel someone breathing down his neck. He will improve or he'll lose the job.

I find it hilarious at the arm-chair quarter backs and fair weather fans who dismiss Rex so quickly. Yes, Chicago had a good defense. Good, not great. Too many holes late in the season and oh yeah, couldn't tackle worth garbage in the Super Bowl. But wait, you blame Rex. The rest of the team could do no wrong. A defensive line that couldn't pressure Manning. Linebackers who couldn't stop the run. Cornerbacks out of position. An offensive line who couldn't protect the QB, open running lanes, or do much of anything on that Sunday. Stop me when this is suppose to be a great team.
Rex played badly in the Super Bowl ONLY when the team fell behind and he had to play catch up. Sub-par play calling from Turner coupled with a line that couldn't stop a high school junior varsity squad equals no offense. I love that people couldn't see that the Bears were just dominated by the Colts.
I've been a life long Bears fan and will continue to be with Rex starting for us next season. But people, learn the game of football. The passing game DEVELOPS from the running game. Let's see, Colts stuffed the run. Run stuffed means they KNOW the ball has to be thrown. So what happens, they DROP BACK MORE COVERAGE. Simple math, 7 players in coverage compared to 3-4 players running routes. Yeah, looks like double coverage on almost everyone. Easy to make passes.
Simple fact is, Rex was a damn good quarter back. 4th year player sure, but 1st full season on the field. Big difference from 4 years RUNNING THE OFFENSE as compared to WATCHING THE OFFENSE. For any QB to go out, throw for 3000 years, 20 TD's and complete better that 60% passes makes for a good season. Play calling took away Rex's best weapon, Desmond Clark.
It cracks me up, because Lovie KNOWS what's going on, the "Rex-bashers", have no clue. Rex will be back next season, and throw for over 3000 yards again, possibly 4000. You bash him, but who did he beat to get to the Super Bowl? Hasselbeck, Brees, Farve, Bulger, and so many other ESTABLISHED QB's.
Decision making and protection from the offensive line need to improve, true. With those two areas, Grossman will become a damn good QB. To those of little faith and calling for his dismissal, go cheer Minnesota, Detroit, or Green Bay. Chicago doesn't need you, fair weather fans. We back Rex all the way.

Forget about the mediocre numbers, forget about comparing Rex to Carson Palmer or Phillip Rivers, forget about the Bears record or going to the Super Bowl, forget about whether you think that this was Grossman's first real season or his 4th. (It was his 4th)
I have never seen an NFL QB have so much trouble taking a snap or pulling away from center than Rex Grossman. If he cannot master the most simple of tasks required by an NFL QB, or a QB at any level for that matter, then what would you call him except a major bust?
It is a lot easier to throw TDs against the 49ers with a 21-point lead than to throw a real pass for a first down at Foxboro with the game on the line. When the Bears need a first down in a crucial situation and Rex has the ball in his hands what do you expect him to do? I think that most of you feel the same way that I do.
Any one else who compares this stumbling, fumbling head case to Brett Favre, Johnny Unitas or John Elway needs to have his own head examined.

Did anyone notice that every time the Colts snapped the ball it was with only a few seconds left? In essence Manning used the whole play clock to get the ball out and three plays used up 2 minutes on any drive. If a drive went 50 yards with the Colts it usually took 8 or 9 plays and used up 7 minutes. He didn't tire them he made them wait till the last second to respond. Time of possesion isn't the same for the BEARS. Their 3 and outs usually take a minute or less. Panicking will get you 3 and outs faster and the BEARS did panic. I also, questioned why the Sanders INT wasn't downed where there was contact. It was very obvious. I kept yelling to the television the same thing. But,I also thought that the first INT was carried out and that wasn't the case. Why didn't they show us the penalty that called back a play for first down earlier. I wanted to see that. We didn't get too many calls and several went against us that were close. I'm not saying that that was the reason we lost. I still say that that was a team thing across the board. I'm not blaming Rex or anyone else. I still say the COLTS were better. No shame in that. GO BEARS!!!

How can some of you call yourselves Bear fans? I mean, seriously! So you will go to a Bears game wearing a "dump Rex" Tshirt. I have supported the Bears decision to stick with Grossman this entire year. I don't understand this Rex Bashing bandwagon thats going on. If you look past all the Hating, you would realize that the kid actually had a pretty good year considering the past ten years of QB play in chicago. 3000 yards, 23td and 20ints is way better than 2000 yrd and 11tds, 19int that the Bears have been Averaging the last ten years. Some of you have been waiting for a reason to dump on this kid, and you know what? I hope after this season Rex leaves Chicago and play for a team and city that would embrace him better. The same thing happened to Jim Harbaugh. Fair whether fans basicly ran him out of town also. He went on to become a pro bowl QB for the COlts. The same thing is gonna happen to Rex. There is a reason the Bears hardly ever had a pro bowl QB. Fair weather fans who are obsessed with the "other" QB. Never supporting the Guy the coach and the players believe in. Now the media is dumping on the guy because he played bad in the SB. I have watched that game 3 times. The reason the Bears lost is because they got out played, and out coached...period! we should be proud of our team. Instead, it feels like we were 3-13 or something. It don't even feel like we were the top seed in the NFC, improved on offense this year, was 2nd in the league in margin of victory...etc. It feels like we had a losing season because people like some of you cant see a good thing if it bit you. We had a marvelous season. Rex had a good season also. But if we listened to some of you, he would be the worse QB ever. But yet everytime he made a good play this year, most or all of you are cheering your rear ends off. GO CHEER FOR GREENBAY OR THE VIKINGS if you can't support you own players! What kind of two faced people are you anyway?

I hope the bears take a qb in the draft this year, and orton and griese both deserve a chance, especially after being good team players all this past season when everyone could see that rex wasn't cutting it. I don't think rex is going to grow in the offseason and he probably won't get smarter neither. Course he does have a lot of backers and believers, even over in indiana they still pull for their boy. Although i heard his nickname over there was Stumpy, and he was known by that by some down in florida too. guess it was because all his fingers are the same size which may have something to do with not handling snaps too good, or with floating passes when he can't grip the ball. dont know for certain but sure is hard to watch. Trying to run the offense Stumpy looks like eliza crossing the ice floes, you're hopin he makes it but it sure looks like trouble when he's got the ball in (or out) of his hands.

Blah, Blah, Blah, Grossman haters be quiet. Seriously, learn something about the game of football. Or at least be original with your comments on Grossman. Why change something that works. A quarterback makes it to the Superbowl in is first full year as starter. Guess what didn't happen this year? 30 out of 32 quarterbacks didn't make it to the Superbowl. And by the way, to all of you who say that Cubs fans are the ones who are the Grossman haters, WRONG, I am a BIG Cubs fan, but also a huge fan of Grossman.

Rex is terrible - Can't move in the pocket or even take a snap. Simple football basics like taking the snap from underneath the center should not be happening at this level. You don't blow the snap. I liked Kyle Orton at least he proved he could move - unlike Rex who if he can't stay in the pocket and be protected until his receivers get open so he can throw the big bomb for a big play. Perhaps it is a maturity thing, but I just don't think this kid Rex is going to cut it in the bigs. Why can't Chicago get a QB? How long has it been since we had a good one? I know it is not easy to draft that talent but Rex is terrible and should be let go.

Rex did not lose the super bowl. The bears where outcoached by the colts. They need to work in the shotgun to the system. Rex cannot handle the pressure of third and long under center. And everyone forgets that rex is short. The defenses know this and use it to their advantage. He needs the shotgun and they need to implement some kind of no huddle offense. I say keep rex work on the defense and will be back in the super bowl.

See! that's what I mean by people talking crap, But not knowing what they are talking about. Mr. R. Harris, Do you understand what the "term" Pocket means? The offensive line is responsible for creating, holding, maintaining a "Pocket" a small area for a quarterback to work and throw from. The quarterback doesn't really determine or control what happens to the pocket. The term you are looking for is "scramble"? but only a few quarterbacks in NFL are good at scrambling. Most of the others just have more TIME to throw. If you want to talk crap about Grossman then PLEASE know what you are talking about.

I wouldn't get rid of Rex. He still has a lot of promise. I would put his feet to the fire about preperation of games and fostering his ability to actually play the game and his position. You don't just throw the ball, you control the whole offense. That means read defenses, call audibles, run with it when needed and take a sack as well, among many other things.
I would not make the same mistake that management did last season and just hand him the job when someone better than he was on the bench. Sure, Griese may not have the same arm strength but he hit the long ball and most assuredly, he would not have made the same mental errors that Grossman did. We had very little trust in our 2min. offense and like many other post, Those who think Grossman took us to the Superbowl are lost in their own world. They went there despite him and his mental errors. Rex can do it, he just needs to work for it. MENTALLY !
I'm hopeful but not too optomistic that much will change offensively or defensively.
We should have won and we weren't prepared! I propose a new motto for 2007-8 season...
" Take no Prisoners, Leave no Doubt ! "
Mike

Roger, and the rest of the HATERS

Have you EVER watched a Bears game before the SuperBowl? Please have a clue about this team before forming a opinion.If you're going to say a guy sucked, at least admit that he's played "a few" good games. Most of you hating on Rex and calling him names like "stumpy" probably haven't watched most of the games. Real bear fans have seen this kid play well in Most of the games played this year. To sit there and say that he is a bad football player is just not true. He is inconsistant, but not bad. We all know the Bears are not going to even look at Jeff Garcia, or Kyle Orton or any body else until Rex have a terrible game and the Bears Lose a couple of games next season. Lay off the kid. Calling him names is not going to help him play any better. Does he need to improve? yes. But not as much as some of you are putting it. Like I said, 3000 yards and 23 TDs is a major improvement from years past.LIKE IT OR NOT! I seriously doubt Brian Griese or Kyle Orton would've done better this year. Especially with the inconsistant pass blocking Rex got this season. And I would be willing to bet $$ that on some of those picks Rex threw this season was not all his fault. Some of the picks were because he was facing tremendous pressure 1 second after the ball was snapped. Some of them were probably because the reciever ran the wrong route. We don't know that! All some of you couch QBs know is that Rex threw a pick. You're acting like a bunch of amature fans who don't know anything about football. Do I think Rex needs to improve? Yes. I think all he needs to do is eliminate some of his turnovers. He needs to learn to take a sack, and scramble sometimes. But I'm sure his coaches will work with him this off season on those things. But I will continue to defend him until the Bears say its time for him to go. I will continue to support him as long as the Bears keep winning and he continue to put up better #s than most Bears QBs in recent memory. People tent to go overboard when they say Rex played a bad game, or a bad half. The playoff game against the Saints is prime example. Everyone, including the so-called experts, writers, and fans said that Rex played a bad first half. NO HE DIDN'T! I think he went 5-17 or something, but remember he threw away at least 3 balls becasue no one was open, and there were 3 dropped passes. He simply did what he had to do and simply didn't "want to make the mistake" like he said during post game interviews. So for people to say he had a bad game don't know what they're talking about because they don't know what's going on in the huddle, the sidelines, or the booth. SUPPORT YOUR PLAYERS if you are a fan.Oh, and STOP HATING!

Get rid of Turner not Grossman! And while were at it Rivera too

The mix of Ron Turner and Rex Grossman does not work. Turners unwillingness to use the shotgun snap and Grossmans inability to scramble and make plays in the pocket equal a formula for perpetual failure.

Grossman still has potential. In my opinion this was his rookie season where he made some big plays but also created even larger disasters. I mean C'mon this isnt the NBA where some freakishly tall highschooler can step in and throw down 20 points a game. This is the NFL where it is rare for college or high school stars to step in and make big contributions without a 2-3 year development and learning curve. Some may say, it is his 3rd year. Nonsense. You cant substitue bench warming in this league for real game experience. Get rid of Turner and bring in an offensive cordinator that embrases Grossmans strengths not draws on his weaknesses.

Also, while were at it get rid of Ron Rivera too. He seems to be interested in every head coaching vacancy from here to enternity, and has shown no real desire to remain with the Bears. His cover defence was one of the main reasons the Colts sliced through the Bears D like a warm knife to butter.

So to sume it up, get rid of Turner and Rivera. A new oc and dc, a more seasoned QB (that must have learned something from this year), a healthier defence, and a great special teams, in what will still be a very weak NFC North and relatively weak NFC = NFC North and NFC Champs 2007. Then its 2 home games and back to the Super Bowl in a stadium where the Gods must surley be wearing Blue and Orange.

I am a born-and-raised Bear fan. We have been ruled by the evil tyrant Mediocrates for decades. Yes, we won a Super Bowl 21 years ago. Strange oddities have appeared lining up behind center since then. We have visited the playoffs with teams that relied on the D and not the QB. That has me thinking...Does Vince Evans have a kid ready to play yet? I mean, Bear blood runs thick. I see our D sided minds went for a Butkus. HMMMMM

Suggesting that the Bears run the shotgun is comical at this point since Rex can not even handle a straight snap. He will be the starting QB in 2007 so that is that. If he does not get his head out of the clouds then he has to go or at least be a back up.
The Bears never gave Kyle Orton this kind of slack and he was a 4th round rookie who held his composure a lot better than Rex has done.
Rex is Angelo’s boy and it is unfair.

Do you remember Cade Mcnown's first pass? It was a 50 yard incomplete pass. Man,that was pretty though. Something we never saw before. A 50 yard incomplete pass..was our most impressive offensive threat in years. So I hardly think, we as die hard lifelong Bears fans are hardly qualified to assess a quarteback's performance. Let's be angry instead at the fact that our lifeblood
, reason for living, ominous defense is associated with......eeek.......Tampa Bay! And the number two! Our defense is supposed to be number one! Let's get our identity back!!!
Also thanks for those five great games this year Rex, and please stop reminding us.

although it is not entirely Rex grossmans fault we lost the superbowl he sure dident contribute to us winning the SB at all. His proformance was just sad to watch and cost us the superbowl. Rex may not be on payton Mannings level but he proved he has no game.