That was an impressive drive, and it should have converted - or at least silenced - the last remaining Rex Grossman enthusiasts.
It's not that Brian Griese was great, but he doesn't panic. Even when the electronic feed from the coaches goes off. He's a pro. What would Rex have done? And no turnovers for Griese.
Makes you wonder what would have happened in February if Griese had been starting.
To just blow apart this entire thread right off the bat, could I just direct everyone's attention to the Leagues current STARTING QB's. Will someone please note how many of these starters are over 35, how many DIDNT START THE SEASON AS #1 and how many you NEVER HEARD OF until this year. Ill give you a while. There are a ton of them.
Also, for those of you who are stataholics, go compare Rex's stats to Eli' Mannings. Career stats. Rex had 1 season with more than 3 starts and that was last year (and he went to superbowl). If you compare their best years, they are almost identical. and how come everyone talks about Eli finally maturing? The guy has started every game for the last 4 years....HOW FLIPPING LONG DOES IT TAKE TO MATURE IN THIS LEAGUE??
THEY SAY NY HAS TOUGHT FANS>....I SAY WE ARE THE TOUGHEST. WE WOULDA RUN ELI OUT 2 YEARS AGO.
Team Starter
BAL Steve McNair
BUF Trent Edwards
CIN Carson Palmer
CLE Derek Anderson
DEN Jay Cutler
HOU Matt Schaub
IND Peyton Manning
JAC David Garrard
KC Damon Huard
MIA Cleo Lemon
NE Tom Brady
NYJ Chad Pennington
OAK Daunte Culpepper
PIT Ben Roethlisberger
SD Philip Rivers
TEN Vince Young
NFC Teams
Team Starter
ARI Kurt Warner
ATL Joey Harrington
CAR David Carr
CHI Brian Griese
DAL Tony Romo
DET Jon Kitna
GB Brett Favre
MIN Tarvaris Jackson
NO Drew Brees
NYG Eli Manning
PHI Donovan McNabb
SEA Matt Hasselbeck
SF Trent Dilfer
STL Gus Frerotte
TB Jeff Garcia
WAS Jason Campbell
Roman, we won because the electronic feed went off. All those bogus check downs because of the conservative play calling by Turner went off the table. Griese has been begging for more aggressive play calling. When he got the chance he executed. Fire Turner a.k.a. Jon Shoop 2007.
Yeah...lets just Fire the Coaches and let Griese call theh whole game from the line....maybe just make him..player Coach....maybe he will lead team to Superbowl too..like Rex did.
I gotta question...If Griese doenst take team back to Superbowl...will he get a pass? I mean, its the same team...just with Rex out. So, obviously, if he is better than Rex, he should take them farter...and the only farther to take them..is to WIN THE SUPERBOWL.
So, if Griese doesent win superbowl? what will everyone say...? Give him another year? Wait till he learns the offense? He will be better in his 40's than in his 30's?
I mean...am I the only one who longs for a homegrown QB that has the support of the entire CITY??
Roman responds: Rex had a better RB, and the OL and defense were so much better last season.
And Culzie, I love the irony in a guy who lives in Ariz. talking about a homegrown Chicago player being cheered by Chicago fans.
You mean Packing right? Cause that is the only thing I want Rex to START doing. Talking about him is like talking about the Cubs. Its so last season.
"""????Rex Grossman enthusiasts????."""
That even sounds gay...
"I gotta question...If Griese doenst take team back to Superbowl...will he get a pass? I mean, its the same team...just with Rex out."
Is this season's defense playing as well as it did last year? How about the running game? Clearly this team is not the same as last year's.
And can someone tell me where the hell Benson's alleged speed has gone? Or his power rushing? I'd like to believe he's going to be able to contribute, but each week he looks worse. Obviously the line isn't getting it done consistently, but he should be playing better than this.
Good call Roman. Culzie you are standing by your guy and that is commendable. I still think he can play, but for a team just like the Giants like you say. He still needs to DEVELOP. We NEED a guy to compliment the MANY pro-bowlers we have on the team NOW. Offense is starting out on the 40 almost every rip and we can't score??? What kind of foolishness is that? Dude lost a job that was even easier than last year's. Hester was spotting him 7-14 and he was still choking. Not even getting the ball to Robbie Gould - which is all he needed to do. Thats like advancing 40 yards. Thats downright comical!
Many folks wrote Moose off, just like the NFL did Terrell Owens and Randy Moss. But you see what happened when they ALL changed Quarterbacks? All of a sudden they can play?????? And those other two guys are having career years. We might as well compare Bob Avelini's stats to Eli Mannings! We should trade Rex while he has values as a starter for another team, because we don't need him here. I have the utmost confidence that Orton can at least do as good as Rex did this year.
Ha..leave it to Hitman to lick the Sugar off the Advil. Yes, this is not a hobby. What are we coin collecting or something? Enthusiasts? The last of the remaining FANS would be more to the point. No doubt Rex would not have marched them down the field without some kind of mishap-at this point in his career. Maybe in 5 years when he has 'matured'(another stupid and useless term to describe a quarterback who sucks for so long, the team finally builds the offense around his abilities-to cut their losses).
Ibuprofen without a sugar coating is hard to swallow man.
GoooooooooooooRexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx your 'enthusiasts' are waiting--------------------- in Green Bay.
Roman responds: Do I have to dumb down everything for some of you? Ok, fans. Do you understand that?
And the Advil line was funny. Gross, but funny.
I was all for benching Grossman. I was calling for it at halftime of the Dallas game. I wanted to see Orton get a chance though, instead of Griese. And up to the last minute of the game yesterday, I was hoping they would go with Orton next week. Griese did an excellent job on the last drive, but again, where was he the first 58 minutes? I thought the offense was pathetic, until the last drive. He left a lot of points on the field again. The win was great, but the Bears should have been playing with a 10-14 point lead going into the 4th quarter. The Bears definately have to stay with Griese, but unless he starts playing better during the entire game, I don't think it's possible to make the playoffs, which I'm still hoping for. That goes for Benson and the running game too. It would be nice if Griese could throw a winning TD in the last minutes of the remaining games, but that's hoping for a little too much. Griese reminds me of a boxer who doesn't do anything until the last 20 seconds of a round, then puts on a flurry of punches and that's what the judges score him on.
Griese did come back and win the game for them yesterday which is a good thing. The big goose egg on the interceptions was big too it makes a difference in getting back, or staying in the game. And even watching the stream live from Denmark (that was the only one I could find yesterday) that last drive was exciting. The Bears needed that win badly, but I still don't think they have a QB. Grieses numbers were not great yesterday. Compared to Eli, both Rex and Brian are better; who cares. They are both better than the other lessor brother QB Tim Hasslebek too, again who cares. When they get a QB you can compare to Peyton, or even Matt, they might be in business. bcluz is right Eli would have been drummed out of town years ago.
Why can't Chicago ever have a franchise QB? Is that as unanswerable as why can't the Cubs win the Pennant?
The Bears QBs are exactly who we thought they were. Same old, same old since my Sainted father watched in horror each year. Lets go Defense!!!!
BEAR DOWN!
Roman responds: What are you doing in Denmark?
Yep, for the Dolphins.
Also, is Mark Anderson still on the Bears?
Roman responds: I believe he is, but those Richard Dent comparisons (from me) have dried up.
Outside of Tommie Harris, the d-line is playing like straight up diddly-poo. The Bears really miss Tank aka 'Got more guns then Rambo' Johnson.
Good call Roman. Culzie you are standing by your guy and that is commendable. I still think he can play, but for a team just like the Giants like you say. He still needs to DEVELOP. We NEED a guy to compliment the MANY pro-bowlers we have on the team NOW.
YOU JUST PROVED MY WHOLE FRIGGIN POINT.
IF WE HAVE SO MANY PROBOWLERS AND THIS IS OUR SHOT...THEN SHOULDNT GRIESE TAKE THEM TO SB AND WIN IT?
OR IS EVERYONE SAYING THAT WE ARE REBUILDING WITH GRIESE AND WE WILL ACCEPT LESS THAN SUPERBOWL THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE TRADED THOMAS JONES???? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
And Culzie, I love the irony in a guy who lives in Ariz. talking about a homegrown Chicago player being cheered by Chicago fans. (roman)
give me a break dude..if your going to diss me cause i moved to AZ for work, then you are dissing probably more than HALF YOUR POSTERS.
Keep in mind...there are NO HYPERLINKS to YOUR BLOG in the print paper...its the ON LINE paper that lead me to you in the first place...and if I found you because I longed for my ST paper and this was the next best thing...that I PROMISE YOU. I am not the only one...
and what about your DRINKING BUDDY IN CALI???
DB
And Culzie, I love the irony in a guy who lives in Ariz. talking about a homegrown Chicago player being cheered by Chicago fans. (roman)
give me a break dude..if your going to diss me cause i moved to AZ for work, then you are dissing probably more than HALF YOUR POSTERS.
Keep in mind...there are NO HYPERLINKS to YOUR BLOG in the print paper...its the ON LINE paper that lead me to you in the first place...and if I found you because I longed for my ST paper and this was the next best thing...that I PROMISE YOU. I am not the only one...
and what about your DRINKING BUDDY IN CALI???
and what about your DRINKING BUDDY IN CALI??? Sweeny/?? Is he not allowed to be passionate about the City he was raised in? Or Stuckincheeseland??? BAD CALL ON THAT DISS PAL!
Roman responds: I said it was ironic. LIghten up Francis. This is why I take WRD's side in things.
Born in HP
Lived in Evanston for my first 5 years.
Lived in Glenview for the next 3
Lived in HP for 4
Lived in NB for 4
Lived on Foster and BrynMawr for 2 Years
Lived in Racine/Kenosha for 2 years
Lived in Kentucky for 2 years
Lived in Morrison Co. for 6 months
Lived in Walnut Creek for 9Months
Lived on North/Damen/Milwaukee for 5 years
Lived in Pilsen for 8Months
Lived on Wabash for 2 years worked on Michigan ave
Lived in AZ for 3 Years
ITs a rare block I havent Been around....
Roman responds: What are you doing in Denmark?
Hey...how come he gets to post comments without getting assualted? Hes not in Chicago???
If he gets Up...we will all get up....ITLL BE ANARCHY!!!!!!!!
Strange how not its the defense that crumbles in the 4th quarter and the offense puts it together. Well maybe not crumble - they did make the final stop after the TD to get the ball back. And whats this about Hester being a non-factor until his 4th quarter catch. How many kickoffs or pooched punts gave the Bears great starting field position? You can erase at least a few of those field goals without the Hestor factor
I don't think anyone can ignore appx 30 minutes of dribble drabble with Turner barking in Greise's ear, then a 97 drive that would have shamed Tom Brady thanks to a malfunctioing yellow dot. Brian Greise must be a Depeche Mode fan as he definetly "Enjoyed the Silence"
Bears still have a shout. They'll put the Lions away next week and be 4-4. However, running game has to improve or the playoffs are out of reach.
Like I said last week,
Sack Turner,
Sack Benson.
I've said it once, I will say it again. Greise would be 100% better off calling his own plays. For he 4th week in a row, Greise has lead the Bears to a td with the game on the line. That speaks volume about his skill set. It also points out how weak Turner's game plans reaaly are.
As it relates to Grossman, he is/was the worst qb in pro football in the 4th quarter. Period.
Culzie, I was kind of thinking the same thing. It's like, what's the line of demarcation? Griese keeps playing well, we keep winning - he comes back next year. I'm all for the playing well and winning, but the next year part is what I have a problem with. Maybe he can be a guy like Kurt Warner or Drew Bledsoe, where a young QB could come in here and learn from a veteran for a couple of years and turn into Eli or Tony Romo. But Griese is so far a pretty good remedy for the Rex disease that had been infecting this team, but I still doubt he's much more than a band-aid. I am sure he nailed Rex's coffin shut with his performance yesterday though.
Roman (I'm not even saying that to get a response), don't even start with what could have happened in February. You, and many others have said the SB loss was not just Rex's fault - which is right. It was Peyton's year, no matter who was under center for us.
Roman responds: Whoa, Nelly. A game is rarely if ever one person's fault, but Rex stunk and I said so. Two dropped snaps and a pick for six nailed it.
ENOUGH ALREADY ! REX LED THE TEAM THE FIRST FIVE GAMES LAST YEAR AFTER THAT THEY WON IN SPITE OF HIM MOST OF THE TIME. YES THE SUPERBOWL WAS WON BY MANNING AND CO BUT HOW DIFFERENT IF WE DID NOT HAVE TWO SECOND HALF INTERCEPTIONS AND TWO BOTCHED FUMBLES GIVING MANNING EXCELLENT FIELD POSITION ? ABSOLUTELY GRIESE GIVES THEM A BETTER CHANCE TO WIN !!!
It's so funny how people say that Wrecks took the Bears to the Super Bowl last year. Until the Bears draft a franchise QB we should be happy we have a decent QB playing right now. I for one am so glad we don't have to watch Wrecks anymore. Griese looked awsome yesterday with 1:52 left and I hope he can take us to the promise land and succeed. Buh Bye Wrecks Hexman!!!
First off, Roman, BG did fumble the ball at the 2 yard line, costing a potential TD, so lets not use the term "no turnovers" so literally! Second, BG has played decent, and although I like Rex, he needs a change of scenerely (much like BG did whn he was booted from Denver). But, BG has thrown more than 40 passes the last three games, and, unless I am mistaken, that is not a recipe for winning football most of the time. I mean, I thove the Bears, but does anyone, I mean anyone, really believe that this team can hange and beat the top five teams in the NFL. I realize that they beat Green bay, but I am not even sure they are team number five on that list.
The talent gap is widening between the Bears and the rest of the leagues teams out there (see Detroit). A new influx of free ganets and skill position drafted players, along with new offensive linemen is in order (I am not even going to talk about the vaunted "D" (insert sarcasm)). In addition, I remember when Moose caught a TD in BG's first game and everyone was saying "there's the Moose we thought we'd get!" the guy had 5 catches, I would hold off his comeback story...he is terrible when compared to other top flight recievers, and hopfully gets cut next season.
Roman responds: It wasn't a turnover.
Well first we should be thankful to "He-Man" Ed Hochuli (his biceps seems to get bigger and bigger every week) for making a call on a ruling that no one have ever heard off. Carl Sandburg called Chicago The city with big shoulders and sure enough we got help by a very smart referee with big shoulders.
Now to answer your question. If Rex "the Hex" Grossman started, I prolly would have turned off the TV before the last drive even started cause I know I would just end up cursing the QB with plucked eyebrows and a confidence level lower than Britney Spears.
I think what we should discuss now is how much should Griese be given the liberty to call his own plays. I hate to say this but I'm not sure we would have gotten that touchdown if his headset was working.
We still have a way to go, need our defense to get better and I want to see Hester in more plays. I still think we have a chance to get to the playoffs but it's going to be a long hard road ahead. We are not called the city of big shoulders for nothing though. :)
I am very proud of the Bears this weekend for showing much heart and tenacity....
...but it does kinda prove my point that Lovie/Angelo blew it last year sticking with Rex...
Do the Bears look like a Super Bowl Team.... It will be interesting to see what happens the rest of the year. Rex is done in Chicago, but Turner and Benson aren't. I still wonder how Rex was treated after the great September he had last year... Rex will get a chance somewhere with a different running back and coordinator and then we will have a better chance to see what he has. I liked Rex and his potential, but I feel that we all agree that he has been under tremendous pressure from the media and that has not helped.
Griese won the game, with a little help from obscure rules. A win is a win,though,and maybe now we won't hear any more talk about D.Mc. coming home to Chicago. I still think Rex is a better option for winning a Super Bowl, but certainly hope Griese and the Bears continue to stay lucky until they get totally healthy and start playing like a professional team.I've generally said I'd rather be lucky than good but have nothing against the Bears being both.
Come on, you Rex-Heads:
Griese spread the ball around yesterday to 9 different receivers. I bet Rex can't name more than three of the Bears receivers. He might not realize the Bears have 9 people who can catch the ball (okay, neither does Turner).
I will say in weak defense of Rex that Olsen and Hester were not on the field as much as they are now that Griese is playing.
Still, I'm not sure Rex would have found either Olsen or Hester. For one thing, Rex doesn't seem to know that TEs exist (same as Turner).
One last thing, if Rex still has potential, how come you never see him on the sidelines talking with Griese in between offensive series? Kyle Orton seems glued to Griese's hip when he's on the sidelines. I never see T-Rex anywhere. So much for that "team comes first" mentality that you like to see out of your quarterbacks.
I still like Grossman. He's young enough to learn. Look, the Bears are not goin anywhere this year even if Griese has a career year. Focus should be on the future. The defense is decimated with injuries. The offense has no wide receivers, other than Hester. We're rebuilding. Grossman has 20 times the upside as Griese. Call it like it is folks, because beating the Packers and the Eagles will prove to be simply blips on the path to last place this year. However, Grossman will never stay because our fans and media have turned on him and would never give him a chance. He'll star somewhere else and we'll be posting here about how he used to be a Bear and how did we let him get away.
27. Hey Ced, I'll save you a seat right next to me. It's not all bad...It's like having season tickets, but we get paid for it!
Submitted by: Rex Grossman
Griese at this point does need to remain the starter- Key words being "at THIS POINT". Rex does still at this point have an upside if few people fail to see it....yes he is young and still has made mistakes, but he does have one of the best arms in the league and whether or not he has made many bad decisions....he is AGGRESSIVE, which in this day in age you need to be in the NFL...Brett fAvre is one who that when he was young....was as aggressive passer who made numerous mistakes, but nonetheless the team was still confident in him and his style, and a few years after taking the helm got them to a Super Bowl Victory.....
Rex had a lot asked of him last year and this year...it is VERY uncommon for a QB to actually help lead his team to a Super Bowl in his FIRST full season.....REX nade his share of mistakes last year....but especially in the NEw Orleans game and and the first Vikings game, he was put into a position to make plays and he did so, only because the CONFIDENCE aspect of his coachiong staff was there...this year they had little ocnfidence in him....in the Dallas game this year, he was down 10-3 and MADE plays in the 3rd quarter...its too bad the defense stunk up the field the second half, and his receivers dropping the ball in the first half didnt help REX look any better, yes he did throw a pic 6, but he wasnt the only one that screwed up the game for the team that game...it didnt help that Al and Madden were kissing Romo's jock the whole game either with the rest of the league....
the Bears would be foolish to let Grosman go....the dare I say it, "potential" is still there....maybe by watching a veteran such as Griese for awihle may help his game improve.....the first couple of years he was injured....he didnt have that luxury of watching a veteran while on the sidelines...Griese at this point is only a stop gap solution for the short term, whereas the Bears will only experience more growing pains is they draft another rookie this year compared to Grossman....if you look at many great QUARTERBACKS PAST AND PRESENT, MANY HAD THE LUXURY OF LEARNING FROM A VETERAN FOR AWIHLE...like Steve Young, Romo with bledsoe, Tom Brady with bledsoe, just to name a few.....
I do feel that Griese should remain starting at least until if and when the Bears do totally choke this year...if this does happen it would be best to put REX back in to see if he has learned anything...if the Bears do make the playoffs with Griese, at least bring REX back one more year at least just to see if he could honestly earn his job back next year....it wou;d be scary to see REX end up somewhere else like Tampa or Atlanta or even Green Bay if Favre retires, only to see REX torch the bears for a few years
The thing that bothers me more than anything is the insistence of the Bears brass, through a multitude of Rex Grossman shortcomings game after game after game, that he gave them the best chance of winning. Now, either this braintrust has a bigtime glitch or they saw no chance of ball control capabilities this year and banked on the big arm of the big play. Either way you have to question the decision making competence of our G.M. and coaches.
Looks to me like some quick healing may be the salvation to their early absence of brain-wave activity.
Tom Brady has such a strong and accurate arm and the system he works in is methodical, but he also has enough time to bake a cake back there. Griese manages the game very well with the hand he's been dealt and even better when he deals himself.
Woo hoo I have been upgraded to drinking buddy.
Homegrown means something else to us here in Cali well, I guess Matt Leinart was homegrown but he plays in Az now.
It's hard to be an out of town fan. I understand. For example:
I am not in Denmark, sorry about my misleading grammer Ro. The only Internet feed yesterday was from there. I had Tom and the boys from the WBBM stream telling me what happened 7 sec before the relay from Denmark (the Danish dudes were funny but impossible to follow) and all of that was 5 secs behind the text msgs that flooded my phone with 9 seconds left in real time.
Imagine how depressing it is when they loose after all that.
And always remember there's a fine line between passion and stupidity when it comes to Chicago sports Roman.
You would think that when you leave you might be cured. Distance didn't cure me I doubt it cured bcluz. Thanks for the passionate title dude it looks better than stupid.
BEAR DOWN!
I sure do still want to see him satrt because any throw griese can make Rex can and better.Obviously he can fumcle center snaps too and throw unterceptions. Rex was a scapegoat of the media and players dropping passes and fumbling early in the season. I do hope he goes somewhere else so he can come back and reall burn the Bears
I'll Take JB, Jimbo Covert and Sweeny on my side over you and WRD any day of the week and twice on Bear Sunday!
Although JB did let my BClub quote slip right through her fingers.
Griese is not our future!!!
Hopefully he will win just enough games to get a huge contract so we cant
BEST POST THAT MOST RESEMBLES MY POST FROM A COUPLE MONTHS AGO...
He'll star somewhere else and we'll be posting here about how he used to be a Bear and how did we let him get away.
Posted by: Jimbo Covert | October 22, 2007 01:43 PM
(also...i admit...i totally took the bait...i mean...if this post wasnt a snare trap waiting to expose me as a Pro Rex backer...I dont know what is). Not that I dont want us to do well with Griese, its jut not the long term Solution at QB.
Oh well...back to mediocrity...it was fun being dominant while it lasted.
First off, any idiot that says Mark Anderson has disappeared is sillier than the people that run the Bears. If you watch the game you will see that he is in CONSTANT double teams. I blame Ogunleye because he is the only starter on that line other than Anderson that is remotely healthy. If Anderson gets doubled, somebody else should take advantage.
Next, Yes I do want to start Grossman. Why not. Unless you can tell me Griese is gonna be the future, I don't want him starting. You all are starting to sound like Wannstedt, when he used to just wanna get to the playoffs even if it meant he didn't have a rats ass of a chance of winning the Superbowl. If Griese wins the Superbowl, then I'll endorse him. Until then, give me somebody like Orton or any other potential franchise Quarterback!
too funny, stuck...reminds me of that salt lick/ taser/ petting zoo idea I'm kicking around...
Rex Grossman enthusiasts....ok, not fans...but.... the ones who want to hunt him down ...take him out from 250 yards...I get it..that's pretty brutal of ya, Roman
Brian and Kyle look like buddies out there
I'm happy for Brian...he was good coming out of Michigan....he was just ripped most of the time he was in Denver..still good, tho...He's sober now and bringing along Kyle....makes sense if ya think about it...
We're a RB away from being a high powered offense....4 good WR's and two excellent TE's...Veteran QB...
If I was a Rex Enthusiast....I would be saying...."PULL!!!"
Wait a minute people, did the Bears WIN yesterday or did Grossman LOSE?
Personally, if Grossman never plays again for the Bears, I will not be upset. I think a lot of us hate to admit, but the Chicago Bears went to the Super Bowl in spite of an inept Quarterback. He simply displayed a few flashes of good tosses and we GOT GIDDY, as usual!
Oh yeah, another thought! Of all other games that you people watch how many times do you hear NOT ONLY THE ANNOUNCER, but the opposing team know an audible is being called. If having a very good quarterback, they are allowed to change the play at the line of scrimmage - and I mean Change It OFTEN. BUT NOT WITH THE DAMN CHICAGO BEARS! I am glad a headset stop working.
Didn't Jim McMahon used to act like his ear-piece was broken at crucial times of the game, and called his own plays?
BRIAN GRIESE act like you can't hear nothing NEXT WEEK & THE REST of the season. and keep playing good ball!
What does this say about Ron Turner? The greatest drive in Bears history and the QB calls his own plays because of a broken Headset! Why do they even need Turner? As for Rex, Chis Collingsworth said it best " This appears to be the end of the Rex Grossman era in Chicago" THANK GOD!!!!
I just don't get all the Rex-love! He has been as effective as Benson - who is totally OUT of excuses - NOW that he has a passing game. Offense is just moving along without BOTH of those jokers! Benson is being carried today - every bit as much as Rex was last year! Nobody is looking for either of them! They're terrible! I don't care about what they are going to do 5 years from now - what about today?? Checks are payable today!! ONLY reason we are even talking about Benson is we have given ourselves NO other options! Just terrible - with a SB defense.
Don Hoffman, you must be a Gator fan. You can hope all you want but the only way you'll see Hexman start again is if Griese goes down with an injury(KNOCK ON WOOD or Dons Head). Roman, when do you think if ever the Bears will move Orton up to number 2?
Roman, now you will understand why Wrecks fanboys are not for conversion: they put Wrecks above Bears and won't accept any thing other than Wrecks is or potentially will be superior to any Bears' QB no matter what those QBs do.
Roman sez: "Makes you wonder what would have happened in February if Griese had been starting."
It makes me wonder why Smith didn't pull out all the stops, and at least give Griese a chance in the 4th quarter; considering that it was the biggest game of the year, on the biggest stage in the world, and Grossman had done absolutely nothing to inspire confidence up to that point.
Actually, I don't really wonder why Smith stuck with Rex. He's pig headed, stubborn as a mule, and was Hell bent on proving that "his boy" was up to the task. I firmly believe that he was more concerned with being able to say, "I told you so" than with giving his team the best chance it might have had to possibly win that game.
Roman responds: I can guarantee you this, that decision would have to come from Angelo.
While Griese may not be a franchise quarterback, at least he can move the team. That is something the "Wrecks-periment" could never really do at crunch time when points are needed. Griese just needs to play good enough to win the game, without losing the game like "Wrecks" did many times. I agree with some of the others ini this blog...let Griese call his own plays. Turner is just one more thing that can go wrong!!!!
Bculz sez: "I gotta question...If Griese doenst take team back to Superbowl...will he get a pass? I mean, its the same team...just with Rex out. So, obviously, if he is better than Rex, he should take them farter...and the only farther to take them..is to WIN THE SUPERBOWL."
_______________________
Wow! That's a mouthful.
It's amazing how your Tourette Syndrome is able to manifest itself in a medium such as this.
Take your medication 'culz.
Rudy sez: "I thought the offense was pathetic, until the last drive. He left a lot of points on the field again."
I believe it was Ron Turner who left all those points on the field. After his influence was nullified by a audio malfunction, Griese was kind enough to "retrieve" 7 of those points for his team.
What we had at the end of the game was "a failure to communicate", and we can only hope for more of the same next week.
(if I posted this already...sue me).
I'll Take JB, Jimbo Covert and Sweeny on my side over you and WRD any day of the week and twice on Bear Sunday!
Although JB did let my BClub quote slip right through her fingers.
Griese is not our future!!!
Hopefully he will win just enough games to get a huge contract so we cant
BEST POST THAT MOST RESEMBLES MY POST FROM A COUPLE MONTHS AGO...
He'll star somewhere else and we'll be posting here about how he used to be a Bear and how did we let him get away.
Posted by: Jimbo Covert | October 22, 2007 01:43 PM
(also...i admit...i totally took the bait...i mean...if this post wasnt a snare trap waiting to expose me as a Pro Rex backer...I dont know what is). Not that I dont want us to do well with Griese, its jut not the long term Solution at QB.
Oh well...back to mediocrity...it was fun being dominant while it lasted.
hey, who you callin' Nelly?
Y'know what sucks - seeing Rex on the sideline in full pads, just one injury away from coming back.
Rex did not take us to the Super Bowl. We got there in spite of him, kind of like the Ravens when they went with T Dilfer. It is easy to speculate what would have been had BG been at the controls, because you can't be proven wrong. But be careful what you wish for, all you Rex lovers. Remember, this is the NFL and BG is only one rolled on knee away from letting Sexy get a second chance. Although it makes me physically ill to think of such a thing, I get a perverse joy out of thinking about Rex smashing our hopes again and wondering what Rex lovers will come up with to excuse the too short, throwin' off his back foot, starin' down the primary receiver, over coddled sissy of a QB. To compare him to Farve is a joke. Go Rex! And take Benson with you.
hey bculz - i'm impressed with the B-Club quote! Never thought I'd see that worked into a Bear's Blog!
Go Bears!!
Mark, I'm not a Ron Turner fan, but Turner didn't fumble a snap, underthrow Hester, throw a bad pass to Olsen, and not see Berian beat his man in the endzone while throwing a short pass to Olsen. The Bears scored 3 points in the first half, should have scored more. The offense scored 10 points last week in the first 57 minutes, and should have scored more. I'm glad Griese pulled the game out, but this will come back to hurt them if it keeps up. And Ron Turner did call the play on the winning TD.
It's amazing how your Tourette Syndrome is able to manifest itself in a medium such as this.
(thats a mouthful....."in a medium such as this"....that really cracks me up...why didnt you throw a few "twas'" and "good marrows" in there too. Are those the biggest words you could string together? are you just feeling left out Mark Vanilla? you just feeling a little saucy? feel like wanna walk up to the playground bully and throw sand in his face?...what gives you away is that you chose some random inoccuous comment i made to pick on, and you throw some lame tourretts syndrome comment in there...come on dude. if you dont come stronger than that...you wont get another reply out of me).
I aint fallin for the banana in the tail pipe!
Thanks Carl...You always were the eyes and the ears of this Institution! By the way....that clocks 5 minutes fast.
oh and Roman......You just made the list, buddy.
The name's Francis Soyer, but everybody calls me Psycho. Any of you guys call me Francis, and I'll kil you. (psycho)
I once got my ass kicked in Wisconsin. (winger)
Men, welcome to the United States Army. I'm Sergeant Hulka. I'm your drill sergeant. Before we proceed any further, we gotta get something straight. Your mamas are not here to take care of you now. It's just you, me, and Uncle Sam. And before I leave you, you're gonna find out that me and Uncle Sam are one in the same.
John Winger: Uncle Hulka?
We're all very different people. We're not Watusi, we're not Spartans, we're Americans. With a capital "A", huh? And you know what that means? Do you? That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world. We are the wretched refuse. We're the underdog. We're mutts.
but.....WERE ALL BEARS FANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Culzie take a chill pill bud. I didn't take Roman's comment as having dissed you. Like Roman I'm a native of East Chicago , Indiana but the last four years I was living in the Buffalo area and now am about 60 miles from Charlotte and am still an avid Bears Bulls and Cubs fan, when the Bears aren't on national TV I listen to the live audio stream of WBBM, I purchase the League pass to see all the Bulls games and well the cubs I catch when I can on ESPN or WGN superstation. I know on a couple occasions I have mentioned I no longer live in the Chi-town area and I'm sure Roman has noticed that from my isp address, what I took his comment to mean was that it is ironic that the most outspoken blogger here is not living in chicago which is a testament to how far reaching support for Chicago teams is and arizona has probably the largest number of Chicago transplants.
Now that I've got that off my chest, for all of those that have said Rex took the Bears to the SB last year....think again it was the defense and Devin Hester that got them there.
Roman responds: Once a Region Rat, always a Region Rat.
Can somebody help me remember why Griese was cut in Denver? Then in Miami? Then not resigned in Tampa. Denver believed so much in him after a monster season they gave him a long term deal, then a year or two later cut him loose. Why? Griese has never won anything. He took over a team, in Denver, that just won the superbowl, put up great numbers but fell short. I live now in Tampa, and Bucs fans that I talk to don't miss him at all. The offense coming to life, a little, is because the Bears are now using their best players (Olsen and Hester). Not Rex's fault. Where was Mushin when he got open? In the slot against a nickel- back or linebacker? No matter what, our o-line and Benson have to play better if this season is going anywhere.
It's hard to take anyone seriously who says that Rex led the Bears to the Superbowl. Do you watch the actual football games or do you just like to argue? The defense, special teams and Thomas Jones bailed Rex out since week 5 of last year. all the way to the Super Bowl. This year, there was no hiding with all the injuries and departures. Yes, both Griese and Grossman have 6 interceptions, but Griese has 8 touchdowns and many crucial passes at the end of games, while Grossman had one touchdown pass.... both played with the same offensive line, terrible running back, etc.... Goodbye, Rex, good luck in the Arena Football League.
Yes, Rex could do the same. Last I checked, Griese started every drive at the 40 and got only 12 points, fumbling once at the goal line. And the drive came against the prevent defense, which we all know prevents you from winning. So let's not get carried away here.
As much as I hate to admit it, Brian Griese is the better option this year. I was always supportive of Rex because not only of his potential, but it would've been nice to have a home grown QB on the Bears for once. Not to make any excuses for Rex, but for some strange reason, the Kid had tremendous pressure on him. I think because of the injuries early in his career, no one really got a chance to see if he could really play. So when he finally came back healthy (at the end of '05), You could see his talents. Last year was his first season starting, and it started great for him. People were comparing him to Brett Favre and everything. But after that Arizona game everything changed. Dispite the Bears winning, and him rotating good games from bad games, all people tend to focus on was the bad games he had. So this season I think he just folded under the pressure. He didn't have 1 good game this year. He had some moments in the Dallas game, but I think he just folded. Home crowd booing him on national TV like that... Its gotta have an effect on some of the toughest people. So what do you think it does to a head-case like Rex? Favre, Manning, and some other great QBs never went through that and they've all had horrible games. Twice as many as Rex. Sometimes I would google Rex just to check out some of the articles written about this kid, and there are web sites and writers seemingly devoted to ripping him up. I wondered if there was anyone who actually wanted to see him do well. Haters man! So yeah I feel bad for him from that standpoint. But then from another aspect I don't. Because If I was Rex, Knowing that everyone was hoping I'd fail, That would've driven me to work even harder to prove every one wrong. And sometimes, I have to question his desire to succeed. His reluctance to run even when he has a wide open lane (like in the Superbowl),Bone-headed plays seemingly right after he makes a great play, and all the other drama, I can see why Chicago got fed up with him. At least with Griese, there is some leadership and some calm. Which is what this team needs right now. The QB should be the Leader of the Offense. Not the center. Seems to me, Brian is establishing himself as a leader on that Offense. Something Rex never was able to do...willingly.
Right On Bear Fan!
I wish somebody will live in the present,Rex is Dead no Brain no foot movement no Talent, I always thought why get a Griese and not use him when the young boy was in trouble.
Trade him now and get something of value.Why try and run him out there again?.....I hope Bob Griese never let him out there again..
The guy was awful!!!!300yds. a week should keep him on the bench..
as a matter of fact put him on the taxie squad...
You talk of next year,can you stop and deal with this year?
Compliment Bob Griese now because he is having some success with this mess Rex left.
Trade Rex-Mess for a running Back, anybody.
The Bears can get Healthy and pull out of this mess.
Go Bears.
'culz sez: "feel like wanna walk up to the playground bully and throw sand in his face?...what gives you away is that you chose some random inoccuous comment i made to pick on, and you throw some lame tourretts syndrome comment in there...come on dude."
I see that you're also delusional, and have a persecution complex.
Tell us; what color is the sun in your world?
Yo, SonnyBlack:
To paraphrase Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie, "Twins," the first rule of negotiation is never immediately go for the throat because it leaves you exposed. And Dude, you are exposed.
Mark Anderson HAS disappeared. The fact that he is getting double teamed makes very little difference to me. The thing you need to understand is that teams constantly adapt. They have adapted to Mark Anderson. Now, if he really is as good as the Bears think he is -- good enough to make Alex Brown sit on the bench -- then Mark needs to adapt to what teams are doing to him. For example, the Vikings' Adrian Peterson's longest runs were run right at Mark Anderson. Unfortunately for us, Anderson was getting buried by the Vikings O-line.
I'm sure Richard Dent, Mark Gastineau, Reggie White, etc., etc., faced just a few double teams in their respective careers. The difference is that they found a way to beat the double teams. Anderson has to do likewise or he will be another flash in the pan.
I feel ya Tim little!!
I'm supposed to hand Griese the kitchen sink because he scored ONE touchdown the whole game? Frankly, I'm disappointed in Mcnabb. He got right up into the redzone and couldn't convert. He's a lot better than that.
The MVP of this game was Robbie Gould, not Griese.
Roman responds: MVP? Gould missed a chip shot from 39.
I think it's funny that some people are still trying to say Grossman didn't help get the Bears to the Superbowl last year. He didn't lead the Bears to it like Manning or Brady, but he was a big part of the reason they got there. He played anywhere from decent to outstanding in 11 of the 13 games the Bears won. the defense and special teams bailed him out in 2 of his bad games and he was responsible for losing 3 games. Devin Hester came up with big plays but and accounted for 36 of the 427 points the Bears scored last year. Thomas Jones had a decent season but he only had 4 games where he rushed for over 100 yards and scored 6 TD's. How is that carrying the offense by himself? The Bears ranked second in points scored and the offense was responsible for most of the points. In fact, Grossman helped Jones get going last year with the deep passing game. Jones averaged 3.0 ypc the first 3 games and it wasn't until the defenses started backing off, because of Grossman, that Jones started running better. Grossman sucked this season and needed to be benched but give him some credit that's due him for helping the Bears to the Superbowl last year. I said it last week and I'll say it again, I would gladly take last years offense over what the Bears have this year, even with the 4 1/2 terrible games Grossman had last season.
Rick-- Brian Griese shined in Denver when Shanahan built the team around Griese. For some reason later on, Shanahan sort of went with a different offense, more suited to fleet-footed blokes like Elway and Plummer. In fact, if you look at Mike Shanahan's "success" stories, you look at Steve Young at SF and John Elway in Denver--both these guys could get away from pressure with their feet. Brian isn't good at this and consequently got his ass kicked week in and week out when he had no time to throw. Goodbye Brian.
Griese's stint with Miami completely sucked because the lame-o coaching the joint was Dave Wannstedt--remember him? Dude was clueless 24/7 and Griese had no business associating with a loser like Wannstedt.
Brian Griese went to Tampa Bay because Jon Gruden wanted him to be the starting qb, which he ultimately became. He deposed of Brad Johnson and Chris Simms and easily won the starting job. Only a jackass would say that Griese wasn't a success at Tampa Bay. Before Zach Thomas of the Dolphins rolled up Griese's knee and tore all of every kind of ligament known to man, Griese had compiled a 5-1 record with Tampa Bay in 2005. Simms ended up getting all of the credit even though he finished up at 5-5. Gruden for sure did not want to lose Griese, but the general manager Ron Allen thought that Griese was used goods and sent him packing. Letting Griese go was probably the biggest blunder ever made by Tampa Bay--just ask Jon Gruden.
When I heard that Griese got the Chicago gig, I was completely stoked since it was OBVIOUS he was about one million times more talented than the rest of the bunch. We all knew he'd start immediately, but of course, well...., last year came and went, so whatever.
There are only about 5 teams in the league where Brian would not be the obvious choice as the starting qb. That's where we are today.
Wow, that felt good!
Trent:
Do you really think Rex could "stick" in the Arena Football League?
First of all Bender, the clock's 20 minutes fast. Second, could you get your quotes right.....I have a very low tolerance for dehydration.
bculz Could you please explain??? You say that last year "Rex took us to the Super Bowl" and the only way to prove BG is the better choice is if he wins the SB. Your philosophy behind this is that it's the same team. Well what about the year before last? Was that not the same team? Oh but Orton didn't get us into the playoffs it was the defense and it was the defense that lost us that game? It had nothing to do with Grossman's 54.1 % rating? If RG is such a good QB that he is the only reason the Bears made it to the SB last year, then why didn't he do it the year before?
Fact is the defense has been carrying this team and now they're tired. It is time for the offense to take the weight.
And please if you give the "it was his first year" excuse then leave Benson alone seeing as this is his first year as starter.
I am beginning to see bculz' logic: Grossman + Bears = Super Bowl. Therefore, Griese + Bears = Super Bowl. Since they are the "same team as last year".
In bculz' mind (probably in Grossman's as well), this is a no lose situation. The Bears are not going to make the SB this year. Grossman will be able to tell everyone, "Hey, if they had stuck with me, we could have made it back. They didn't and look what happened."
I'm sure this is the same argument that Trent Dilfer has made to team after team since he "led" the Ravens to their only SB. The team has floundered since, but "if they had stuck with Trent," they could have returned to the SB.
Team after team has obviously bought into Dilfer's version of reality. But in the end, Dilfer is just not a good quarterback. Perhaps that is the ultimate conclusion we will come to about Grossman. Some of us already have reached it. Others, like bculz and his "harem scarem," have not.
By the way BC, I cannot stop laughing at the Brady Bunch analogy! Good stuff man, good stuff. I can't help but feel as though you paid me a compliment with the Marcia reference - so, thank you, but I'm left wondering why you'd make yourself Sam the Butcher. I mean, didn't he date Alice?
START REX GROSSMAN, FIRE RON TURNER! GRIESE IS A DECENT CONSERVATIVE QUARTERBACK, BUT GROSSMAN HAS A STRONGER & MORE ACCURATE ARM AND A QUICKER RELEASE. I BELIVE 70% OF HIS TROUBLES WERE THE PLAY CALLING BY TURNER KEEPING HIM ON A LEASH AND TRYING TO MINIMIZE RISK AND TURNOVERS. TURNER LOST FAITH IN GROSSMAN LAST YEAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEASON WHEN HE STOPPED LETTING GROSSMAN BE THE GUNSLINGER THAT HE IS. JUST LOOK AT WHAT TURNER DID IN THE SUPERBOWL, KEPT REX ON A LEASH THROWING SHORT PASSES AND NOT GETTING IN ANY RYTHM, THEN EXPECT HIM TO START SLINGING IT DOWNFIELD WHEN THEY WERE LOSING IT LATE IN THE GAME. GROSSMAN IS THE BETTER QB THAN GRIESE, WHO IS YOUNG WITH A LOT MORE POTENTIAL. DONT GIVE UP ON GROSSMAN!!!
Oh please... if we don't get to the superbowel then we don't. I wouldn't blame Griese just like I didn't give Grossman credit for getting us there. The special teams and defense got us to the Superbowl last year. Now most of them are hurt or just not with the team any longer for various reasons.
Also the defense lost the superbowl because they were tired. How many times did they have to rescue Rex and his interceptions throughout the whole year.
Tom Brady must have it that nice to the point that his line gives him enough time to just throw up passes to the end zone so Randy Moss can play jumpball all day, and make Brady look like a Quarterback guru in the process..im sure if Rex was in NEw England he would be heralded as the next great QB if he had Moss and Stallworth and Welker too....its too bad Grossman didnt have much of OLsen and Hester in the first few games this year....because between Moose, Berrian, Olsen and Hester...they have the potential to be as dangerous as New England in the passing game given the right offensive line protection and the right play calling
Seedy...exploited or exposed?
bculz: Scratching my noggin over your last question.
Real Bears Fan: It sounds like you need a hug. Can't (and don't want) to do that, so thought I would throw some sappy lyrics away (suggested by the last line of your post at 3:09 pm (courtesy of David Soul of Starsky & Hutch fame from his song, "Don't Give Up on Us Baby). Real Bears Fan, you can insert Grossman's name in place of "baby."
"Don't give up on us, baby
Lord knows we've come this far
Can't we stay the way we are
The angel and the dreamer
Who sometimes plays a fool
Don't give up on us, I know
We can still come through"
Feel better?
Jermaine said it so well. I couldnt agree with any one post more than his.
Im almost sensing a back lash against the Rex grounding.
Keith too, your right about Turner listening, maybe he reads this Blog?? BearOne?
Vanillo, relax pal. Go pick a fight with someone else, im in too good a mood today.
Thanks JB. and Ive seen her Dehydrate....it pretty gross!
Wardo..I do leave Benson alone...he is still starting in my leauge, but I took another loss this week. There are 8 teams outta 12 that are 4-3 right now and Im one of them. Benson is starting to wear me thin a bit, but i have faith and Peyton Manning.
Seedy, I think your Dilfer anology applies more to BG than RG.
Umm....Sam the Butcher....because...he lives outside of the house he so longs to be a part of.
Paul sez: "There are only about 5 teams in the league where Brian would not be the obvious choice as the starting qb."
That's what has me baffled.
I know that Angelo had a great deal of credibility riding on Grossman after drafting him in the first round, and I can thoroughly understand him wanting to give Rex every chance to succeed.
But why then go out and obtain a pro bowl caliber quarterback, and pay him 5 million dollars if you only plan to use him as a clipboard holding insurance policy?
I have never, in my entire life, seen a coaching staff so unwilling to at least explore each individual's level of talent through open competition.
But I think the thing that galls me the most is that Smith would bench players for missed assignments, penalties, dropped passes, and fumbles, but Rex was granted blanket absolution for any and all transgressions. There isn't another team in the league that would have allowed him to finish out the season last year as the uncontested starter. Even a goose egg passer rating wasn't enough to get him yanked.
I'm surprised that Griese has been able to hold his tongue for this long.
Seedy - the problem with your argument is that Dilfer has a ring. Grossman doesn't. Whether or not you agree with the term "led," the fact is that Dilfer was the starting quarterback of a team that actually won the Super Bowl. I don't know why the Ravens got rid of him, and it doesn't really matter. Rex is not that good, we all know that already. He could not lead his team to a Super Bowl victory, and he was more than shaky to start this season. A change was warranted here.
Someones Pissed off....geez buddy....he in...rex es out...chill out homie.
Roman responds: "MVP? Gould missed a chip shot from 39."
Sorry Roman, I had to give him the MVP after that awesome chip-in off the upright. Call me silly. It's really the fact that he stepped up and gave us six when we couldn't rely on Hester or the offense.
Mark Villano:
"There isn't another team in the league that would have allowed him to finish out the season last year as the uncontested starter. "
There are plenty of teams that wouldn't start Griese: every team he's been on except us, for starters.
"I have never, in my entire life, seen a coaching staff so unwilling to at least explore each individual's level of talent through open competition."
You're right. Putting Hester in at WR smacks of nepotism.
After being a faithful of this blog for 15 months there was always one guy who managed to put a positive spin on the Rex saga and that was Jermaine. If he can let go of that support and anoint someone else the starter I'm inclined to believe that even Rex's stauchest supporter has taken his blinders off. Now the other blind mice should follow suit. Griese isn't our future. Of course not. He still has 3 years left on his contract and everyone knows that Rex didn't get a chance to fulfill his. Wait.. He did. So which one is the future? Being that Griese is only a year or two older than Peyton and Donovon, 5 years or so younger than Farve, Garcia, and several other starters playing right now including a guy who babysat George Eashington's kids in Testaverde,that rationale goes right out the window. He can conceivably play another 4 or 5 years. Maybe you guys don't want him to but he just might. After the talent subsides guys usually have to resort to smarts to play longer. Griese isn't a dummy right now. He's a guy that is a borderline jerk. He rubs people the wrong way. He puts players in their place and sometimes they don't like that. He knows his job an expects everyone else to know and do theirs. A LOT of guys are great because they expect those very things from their fellow players. A guy loafing doesn't want to be told he's loafing. But he needs someone to tell him. Look at Griese in the huddle. There is no mistaking that he's in control. I'm sorry but Rex never did that. On the outside looking in, he just called the plays and smiled when they worked and had no expression when they didn't. Was he using that ability to visualize a play or was he just staring off into space. I don't know. I just know that he didn't approach his position like he had anything to lose. Lovie and those guys stood behind him so much that he probably didn't know what he needed to do to get better. He was coddled so much that he was delusional. He just didn't know that he was that close to losing it all. Did he work to get better or did they get their big Daddy Warbuck's contract and throw him under the bus by letting his biggest asset bolt for bigger dollars somewhere else? I don't know, but all this is just my opinion,on the outside looking in.
Paul Anderson: great information on Griese.True That.
What has me confused is they are still trying not to hurt his feelings by not moving him to end of the bench behind Orton,Orton should be number two.So if Griese go down the team has see this
guy again REX MESS?
And to think I was ready to crown Angelo/Lovie.
How could you screw up the Superbowl like they did hanging onto a
QB like Rex?????I can`t come to grip with that yet.
As long as Brian Griese is healthy he should be a Chicago Bear
every Good Team need a Bob Griese to build from.
Geta Franchise QB in the Draft and go from there.
Its not that easy but with Griese and Orton we can wait.
Rex should be released!!!!!!!!Why is he still around? waiting for his fingers to grow? Learn to move around in pocket?Learn the play book? All the lame excuses they used for this player,I thought I had heard all of them all but I think they made up some more.
I don`t care where he wind up just leave Rexie.
There Yes I said it! Go!
Glad the camera stop following him on the side line.
Take slow witted Turner with you.
Old 3yds.and Punt.
well I guess I have to respond Roman, since I've been one of the bigger Rex backers.
I have to admit, the Bears made the right call in making the switch. I hate Griese's popgun arm but he seems to see the field and make the decisions that Rex never could.
That said, Griese has been in the league a long time and Rex was in his 2nd full season.
But yes, the Bears did the better thing for the team "at this time".
They'll still have to draft a franchise QB, because Griese is nothing but a stopgap measure.
As to your question - what would have happened in February?
The Bears would have still lost - that's what would have happened.
The Colts were very clearly the better team. (or were you hoping to pull a rabbit foot out of your behind?)
Bulz: Are you The Blogger Formerly Known as Bculz?
Sorry, but the Dilfer analogy is dead on. The next time either Dilfer or Grossman lead a fourth quarter rally will be their first. Of course, Grossman will be doing it in the Arena Football League.
No doubt, you'll still be cheering for him!
Mark V. 10-23-07 5:23pm - great post. My whole thing about all if this is the Bear's priorities. They have (and sign) all of these great defensive players who are in their PRIME - to play with the oldest offensive line in the league (veterans) and groom T. Jones to play with them. THEN they blow it all up by anchoring it all with a QB and RB that needs 3 years of starts minimum before they are EXPECTED to produce. Meanwhile they tell the COACH - they want nothing less than a NFC Championship or Superbowl before they will reward him. Its downright daffy. It doesn't surprise me ONE bit that this team is off and running with the veteran QB. And if they are smart they will get a VETERAN RB.
You know it's strange that the more I look at the quarterback situation of the Bears the more I can't help but see the overall TOTAL weakness of our offensive line.
As much as I've grown sick to watching Rex' decision making his last 15 games or so, I can't help but wonder if we would even be in this discussion, or Q.B. change for that matter, had the 'O' line been much more productive. It has to be tough on a Q.B. with so few N.F.L. games to know he has to get back in the pocket FAST AS POSSIBLE (which may have contributed to some dropped snaps- seeing our refusal to go shotgun), and then get his pass off A.S.A.P. because the pocket is collapsing faster than a card castle on a windy day. Granted not all quarterbacks have the TIME and AGGRESSIVE SYSTEM Brady has the pleasure of working with, and quick, accurate decision making is a must. Therefore, I think with a more accomplished offensive line Grossman would have been the better answer. Better arm and experience would have grown well together. BUT as it turned out, our line is below average and the more relaxed veteran decision maker is the better choice. One thing that puzzles me though is why the Bears are finally choosing to go shotgun much more now. I'm confused big time.
Anyway, I hope the Bears start opening new avenues now to keep the ball rolling.
-Why not let Griese go to a no huddle offense a couple times early in games, and call a few of his own plays.
-With the new found field position we're seeing, get a aggresive early.
-Devin Hester needs a few more long ones his way. Guy just flat out outruns everybody. First and ten on the forty with Hester and Berrian doing flies and everyone else blocking, I guarantee someone's getting open and Brian has time to see which one.
-This bend but don't break 'D' needs to take chances at the start of drives instead of waiting til' the other team is at your own twenty. Shoot, these corners are playing ten yards off the ball anyway. It's not like they're gonna get beat long.
-If teams are going to put seven-eight men in the box on 'D' and continue to dare you to throw, OBLIGE ALREADY. You don't need to set up play action when everybody and their Mother is already expecting you to run on pretty much every down as it is. Who says you have to set up for the pass; why not set up for the run?
-Have some fun Lovie, you look way too serious.
Mutual understanding
Griese's poise, grasp for the game link him to his old understudy, Tom Brady
October 24, 2007
BY MIKE MULLIGAN Staff Reporter
GREAT ARTICLE...
THE Stats about Rex coming from Behind are a bit staggering...
I hope more than anyone Griese can catch fire...and be the man he thinks he can be.
Mr. Anderson their are more than "5 teams in the league where Brian would not be the obvious choice as the starting qb." You think to high of Mr. Griese.
Um, the thing I still don't get is how some of you think that Orton should be the starting QB. You must not remember '05. Another thing is how come Orton gets a free pass and Grossman Don't. I just don't get it. Last year for most of the season the Bears Offense looked better than it ever has. The mix of running and passing almost always kept defenses off balance. Grossman was a big part of that. In '05 under Orton the Bears led the league in 3 and outs. It got to the point when the bears offense got on the field I would go get a snack, or use the bathroom because I knew go three plays and a punt. Yes orton looked okay in preseason but on occasion he'd still show flashes of '05 with his accuracy. Grossman sucked this year and should be benched. I hope he play for another team next year that is more sutable for him. It would be funny if he ends up playing for the Vikings or Detroit. Both teams needs a QB. Both teams would be better for him because of the style of offense. And you don't have their local media and fans trashing the QB every chance they get either. So whats gonna happen if Griese starts playing poorly?
Julie B: I'm not a Grossman backer, but The Blogger Formerly Known as Bculz is.
The analogy works. Both Grossman and Dilfer benefited from having strong teams around them. In particular, defenses that could score. I agree with you about the differences between them -- that Dilfer has a ring and Grossman doesn't. But what is similar about both is that they will be marginally adequate back up quarterbacks for a pro football team. Dilfer in the NFL. Grossman in the AFL. They will never get another whiff of a SB -- except as a back up (or as a coach) -- because neither one can lift their respective games to a higher level. In fact, in many aspects of their respective "games" both have regressed.
yes
What is this crap with people calling Grossman "Wrecks?" Why kick a man while he is down? Yeah, he's done. Yeah, Griese is doing better and gives the Bears the best chance to win right now. So drop the damn "Wrecks" comments. Grow up people. If you don't, you'll end up like Mariotti.
3 things ,
1)If Griese does not make the final drive, are we complaining about how we had great field position and still lost the game?
2)Is TJ so muck better than Benson, or is the TJ-Benson combo so much better than the Benson-Peterson combo?
3)Is our offensive line signing up for AARP during the bye week?
How would Griese have won the superbowl for us when we couldn't stop the run (against Seattle or Indy.), and Dallas Clark was running wild catching everything on our great defense? Maybe Hester and Griese could switch positions, and Griese will show he is a two way player(as well as the offensive coordinator). Then the McCaskeys could sell him the team, and we could win every superbowl from here to eternity. We were not gonna win last year, Indy had the momentum, and the Patriots blew a 21-3 lead in the playoffs to give it to them.
Good Post Anthony. Bears are running shotgun because BG can catch the ball. Teams are daring the Bears to throw it now, but that is going to change soon, and we will have to look to Benson. That is depressing....
Jermaine, please let the Vikings know that they can send us their runningback for Grossman. In fact, tell them to send us their back-up running back for Grossman.
I cannot believe folks are waiting for Griese to mess up! Griese is a lot like Jim Miller. He is the guy for this time. Dude is putting up 300 a game and was only second to Mr. Brady last week. He's doing that with almost no running game, a average/good defense and great special teams. Devin Hester is easily the brightest star this season, but Mr. Griese is the reason we will have a winning season and make the playoffs. He saved our season. Without him and its over for us at Green Bay and us fans would have to watch the Bulls/Blackhawks. I would venture to say that without him - management has to let go a lot of veterans next season. Moose's career was on life support. And Devin Hester (God bless him), would have been neutralized after teams simply stopped kicking to him. We owe Griese.
The guy you all are secretly rooting for in your hearts had a GREAT Defense behind him, a thousand yard Rusher (who rarely fumbled), and a good special teams unit. His only problem was himself. He pissed away 2 years of Great Defense and had us in LAST PLACE this season before the Bears brass mercifully said...no more. You guys think you really liked Rex, but noone pulled for him more than Angelo and Lovie!! This team and the fans had dreams of getting back to the playoffs/superbowl, but DUDE LET EVERYONE DOWN. He simply made it impossible to succeed. And I cannot fathom the love he is still getting...
But to answer your question, not this week, they made the right move but at the wrong time. Even though Griese still has not done anything special, he hasn't hurt the team either.
Of course, someone will come up with a stat of how Griese is better than Manning, Brady, Favre, Montana, and Marino with 3rd and 14 or more between 12 and 9 minutes remaining in the game (just a 3 minute window), and have the STATS to back it up. Griese does it with less talent as well, offensive coordinator calling plays in the dirt, a "technology malfunction" (my new favorite phrase), coach benching all the starters, and a category 5 hurricane, all on his off day.
One more thing, do we have such a low expectation for our team now? We beat a very beatable Eagles team at home, during our backup qb's 4th game (where his record is 2-2). The talk as if it was the Superbowl preview, it was game seven of the season, let's see if Griese can keep this up for the rest of the year. This is only week 4 for Griese. Also, which great defense did he shred? I'll check back in in a few weeks.
It's hard to understand how anyone could feel strongly about either of these quarterbacks at this point in time. I think Griese has done enough to deserve to be the starter and I'm optomistic about his ability to improve each week, but I also agree with Chuck that without that last drive, we'd be talking about the great field position he blew the whole game (and probably calling for Orton to start against the Lions). I also understand and agree with, to some extent, the Grossman supporters who argue that he has more raw talent, has shown brief flashes of brilliance and has the potential to be a star for us for years to come if we could just develop him right. The problem is, Rex seems too arrogant or too lazy to work hard at improving. I don't see the level of intensity on the field or on the sidelines I'd expect from someone in his position. How many times do you see him yucking it up on the sidelines instead of being focused on the game and actually trying to learn something. I think Rex hasn't improved because he lacks the drive to do so. I can't support someone like that.
Chuck - Totally agreed with your "3 things" post and with your last post about the "stats people". To address your second question/point, I don't think TJ is any better than Benson as evidenced by his mediocre play in NY this year. The problem with the Benson/Peterson combo is that it's not a combo. We aren't utilizing Peterson enough. How hard is it for teams to prepare for a running game that consists of handing the ball to Benson and having him run up the middle almost EVERY TIME? We're a one trick pony when it comes to rushing and that's very easy to shut down.
Pete sez: "What is this crap with people calling Grossman "Wrecks?" Why kick a man while he is down? Yeah, he's done. Yeah, Griese is doing better and gives the Bears the best chance to win right now. So drop the damn "Wrecks" comments. Grow up people. If you don't, you'll end up like Mariotti."
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There are worse things than ending up like Mariotti, but I can't think of any at the moment.
When it comes to the adolescent practice of mocking or bastardizing a person's name Jay has few peers. His lack of respect is equaled or surpassed only by his even greater lack of wit.
Until just recently his idea of creative writing was to attach the prefix "Mc'" to everyone and everything. Someone must have pointed out to him just how annoying this was, because after beating that prefix to death for over two years he finally let it go.
How he remains gainfully employed as a writer is a mystery to me.
Chuck sez: "This is only week 4 for Griese. Also, which great defense did he shred?"
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That would be the Eagle's defense that hadn't allowed a touchdown in the red zone in ten consecutive quarters.
Keith LIfetime Southsider, how about one of their offensive lineman for Grossman. Im not rooting for Griese to mess up. I sincerely hope he has a pro bowl year (which he will if he keeps playing the way he has been). I just thought Grossman had a lot of unwarrented "hate" thrown his way for some strange reason which I found to be very odd. Like I said before, Rex hasn't played well since the Seattle Playoff game if you wanna be Real about things. He tried his best to play bad in the New Orleans games but the running game saved him and his toss up to Berrian blew the game open. Im not blindly rooting for Grossman, because when he plays well I say it. When he sucks, I acknowlege that too. I just feel sorry for the guy for everything he had to put up with you know what I mean? On top of that Grossman never was able to establish himself as a leader on the offense or the team. And didn't seem to care if he was or not. When Berrian took the wrong angle on a route against the Chargers resulting in an INT, Rex should've been in his face right after the play. When Moose pulled up short on a rt against Dallas resulting in an INT, Rex should've let Moose hear about on National TV. But you can tell Griese is starting to gain total control of the Offense.
All I can say is that after watching the Cubs choke and the Bears horrendous start I am glad the Bulls season starts next week. Rex needs to start looking into buying a car dealership or maybe opening a chain of "Grossman's Road Kill Cafe's" featuring scrambled brain and eggs with a side order of runny flat backs.
Tim Little - I am dying! I was in serious mode and that made it even funnier!
Jermaine I agree. Being QB is LEADING. Got to have them behind you, and the D has NOT been behind Rex. I don't think they respect him. But that was in HIS hands...
Anne sez: " I also understand and agree with, to some extent, the Grossman supporters who argue that he has more raw talent, has shown brief flashes of brilliance and has the potential to be a star for us for years to come if we could just develop him right. The problem is, Rex seems too arrogant or too lazy to work hard at improving."
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Talent is relatively useless without the physical skills and attributes needed to project that talent onto the playing field.
Case in point: What good is having a cannon for an arm if the hand that's attached to it has short stubby fingers; unable to properly grasp the ball or hang on to it?
What is the use of having a rifle for an arm if he's constantly forced to shoot in the dark because he can't see the field of play?
Add to that the fact that Grossman is extremely immobile and has a hard time getting out of his own way, and you have a recipe for failure.
Many of the really good quarterbacks who were small in stature were also fast and elusive. Fran Tarkenton, and Doug Flutie come to mind. In comparrison Rex is slow and uncoordinated.
Thanks, Anne, u are right as well about Grossman. The kid needs to grow up. Am not quite sold on Benson either, but he does deserve at least the rest of the season, he has flashes.
Mark, I could only stomach watching 1 repeat of the game to see what I missed this week, that was a horrible game, and you may be right. But didn't 4 of those quarters belong to the Bears. and, do they have a top 5 defense? A top 10? or middle of the road like Chicago's. This is not the Eagles defense of the past.
Keith, I didn't want to believe it at first, but you are right, Rex's team does not have his back now, offense and defense sold him out. I also agree on the Bulls' Gray. at first thought he was just taking up space, he is still a little passive for me, but he will be a player in this league, and I like his post game, a lot.
Anne I totally aggree with you about the running game (or lack there of). especially about running Benson up the middle almost everytime. No traps, no off tackle, no stretch. Just a dive, a buck, and a pitch here and there. Last year they were killing teams with that "power O" where Ruben Brown would pull giving TJ the option of going outside or inside (depending on the defensive pursute). They ran that play against the Saints over and over and over and over. The Saints never stopped it. What happened to that? Also the O line isn't blocking worth a crap either. On a screen play in the 3rd quarter to Benson Ruben Brown, and Olen Kreutz were out in front of benson and they didn't block anybody. Benson just ran by them and pick up about 15 yards or so by himself. Then they just stopped running. The only reason that play worked was because the Eagles were completely fooled on that play. I just hope they get it together soon. You can't win many games running under 100 yards a game.
only thing grossman should start is his resumes. he isnt an NFL quarterback or even a good back up. he is another bad draft pick by bears managment. next year grossman will be flipping burgers at a mc donalds for awhile before he gets fired for dropping the brugers or giving them to the wrong customer.
ME!
WHY...DO YOU HAVE SOME PULL?
CAUSE GRIESE IS EVEN WORSE!!! NOW AND FOR THE LONG HAUL.
3 games now that we have lost with Griese where he has turned the ball over a combined 10 times on INTs and fumbles. He has done so in 5 games....took Grossman 16 games last year to be the cause of 3 losses. GRIESE GRIESE GRIESE!!!! Didn't hear any of those chants on Sunday. Griese is who he is, why people think he is a saving grace is beyond me. He inherited a Bronco Championship team and couldn't even take them to the playoffs. Shanahann cut him, Miami cut him, TB cut him...The Bears were going nowhere with Griese. At least with Grossman last year the Bears went into the lockeroom with a 3 score lead many games, with Griese we go in trailing or up 3 at the most. I never want to imagine Griese playing last year because history with him will tell you that the Bears wouldn't have been in the playoffs. Griese's career postseason record: 0-0.
If griese does allow them to lose a sixth game at this point....it is imperative that the bears put Grossman in for the remainder of the season to see if he has learned anything from his benching....and to see if he is worth bringing back next year....watching a veteran from the sidelines for some weeks and dissecting his great plays coupled with Griese's terrible plays and erratic timing can only have helped Rex at this point...I know that if the receivers could get open for Rex he would not underthrow the ball as Griese had done numerous times so far....I would much rather watch Rex overthrow a receiver in the end zone than watch Griese underthrow Bradley and Moose three times in the end zone for pics...hell, if Griese hadnt underthrew three balls and at least overthrew them they could have kicked 3 field goals and, voila, the score would have been 16-16 instead of 16-7....
CW if Robbie Gould had made the FG he missed it would've been closer and maybe he wouldn't have had to resort to trying to make up too many points all at once. I'm sorry but there are just too numerous things going wrong that comes down to this team just being ghosted for this year. Too many injuries on defense and people thinking that backups are just going to come in and play like the starters. The honeymoon is over and the groom is going home with one of the bridesmaid. Next year will be better if people don't mind waiting. Losing bring about change. A lot of the expectations and hindsight about some personnel issues have just made it too hard to compete with teams that really want to win. Remember, a lot of teams got better and they aren't exactly laying down in Chicago's path. A lot of teams got worse and Chicago just happened to be one of them. I wish that Grossman was the answer. I hate having to start from scratch on grooming a great player. I'm all about change if it's going to matter in the future. I just think that Rex doesn't fit in their plans like they wanted. You can still love your ex but they doesn't mean you should stay married to her.
I gotta say William you make some great point in your last post.
Thanks Brian.
:)
Awwww - you guys are so cute together I can hardly stand it!
WRD,
I agree with you about the injuries, but I must say injuries are not an excuse, this team should have overcame them if they were as good as advertised. The Seahawks had injuries to their best players last year, but their team still made the playoffs. They just have to make adjustments(Babich, and Rivera, and definitely L. Smith).
Not sold on Detroit, but AP looks great in Minnesota, WOW! Green Bay is the class of the division, though. I have to say in hindsight that the Vasher loss is more important than I ever expected, he was also a good run stopper. We lost three very winnable games 2 Detroit's, and Minn. One sportswriter said we were a few plays from 1-7, we were also a few plays from 6-2, it's how the season bounces. But we still have a chance if Rex can get back in there. Rex is not the best qb in the NFL, or even his Division anymore, but he is the best qb on the Bears, and..., being a tool and all, he should start, because Griese gives us nothing, nothing at all. Orton, hit a receiver in stride more than occasionally.
The game never really got out of hand until Griese started underthrowing Mark Bradley, whereas a qb with a real NFL arm, would have zipped it in, or thrown it to a spot where only the receiver can catch it, those two passes came out late for the spaghetti arm man, but maybe on time for another qb.
Oh, Bculz where are all the Griese for president posters now, looks kinda bleak doesn't it? I could not believe some of the stuff I reread on this thread, the man had 1 good drive, against a bad Eagles team that just got spanked by the Cowboys, guess Mark Villano was juuusssstt a litttlllleeee oooofffff, on his assessment of the Eagles defense.
Like Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson!
:)