I'm bringing Rexy back
It was sad. During the Bears game this afternoon I almost wanted to walk up to poor Rex Grossman and say to him, "They're not saying 'Boo,' they're saying 'Mooooooo-vers.'"
My gripe with Chicago sports fans is that we only love our players conditionally. What have you done for my lately, is what we ask. Perform, or sit the fuck down, is what we demand.
Since when did Chicago become New York?
Don't get me wrong. This isn't about being more concerned with massaging Rex's ego than not seeing the team blunder away its window of opportunity. This is about us fans doing our duty, which is to support our players. Give them a boost. Cheer them on.
I mean, isn't this why it's called the "home field advantage"?
Sports analysts can say whatever they want. It's their job and right to offer criticism about teams. I love Mac, Jurko, and Harry as much as all of you guys do. But fans that pay upwards of $300 to go to a Bears game? Booing? It makes my skin crawl.
Not to get all Bob Costas on you guys, but what made me become a sports fan in the first place, back when I was a little kid, was watching a team struggle mightily during a game, and then seeing everyone in the stadium just get up on their feet to cheer and clap louder -- filling the air with electricity -- and then watching the team fight through their struggles to pull out for a victory. That's what got me. It was the whole love-prevails-over-all thing, the fact that we fans had the power to will our teams to play through tough times, and win.
Sounds mawkish, I know, sounds like a possible plot thread for that corny-ass We Are Marshall movie that is coming out near Christmas this month. I know. But I really believe that we aren't helping Rex any by booing him everytime he touches the ball.
As for replacing him with Brian Griese, I think it's a specious suggestion at this point of the season. We'd go back to last season's gameplan... and we all know where that got us in the playoffs.
Think Griese is a better fit for a Bears team that supposedly wants to run the ball, eat time off the clock, and make little mistakes? Yeah, let's see Thomas Jones run it when other teams put eight in a box.
Plus, imagine what it would do to Grossman's psyche if he were benched for the rest of the season. He would never be the same again. The locker room, which has been been in full support of Rex from the start, would become disjointed. People would soon start questioning Lovie, maybe say he's too laid back. Or they'd get on Ron Turner's case, saying his play-calling is too aggressive. It'd be the end of the Chicago Bears as we currently know it, and I'm not trying to be sensational here at all.
I want the Bears to win with this team, this way, with this quarterback.
And it's not like Rex is Craig Krenzel. He can play. The way people are calling for his head, you'd think he's been bad the entire season. But by my count, I've only seen Rex have 3 bad games this year.
How soon people forget what Grossman has done to the Seahawks or the Giants.
How easily people think that the simple solution to Grossman's recent turnover proneness is to bench him, when maybe the discussion should be more about whether or not the Bears should use the shotgun formation more often.
He doesn't just heave the ball down the field and hope for a pass interference call, people.
We play the cards we were dealt with, and the card we got was a reckless gunslinger named Rex. Fine by me. Let's live or die with him.
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11 Comments
Oh please Petey boy, you will always be my dawg but please save the social commentary for another time...
This attitude is why your beloved Cubs held on to Corey Patterson for 2 seasons of torture, then finally cutting him loose when he had no trade value whatsoever!
Look at the cold hard facts, and then do something about it. Grossman is horrible. All he does is throw picks and fumble agianst top 15 defenses. Against bad defenses he just lobs it up and lets Berrian or Muhammed get the ball.
Oh, Pete.
Your thinking just like this Chicago Bears coaching staff right now, which was the sole reason we lost last year's playoff game (double team Steve Smith, hello??). The way you describe replacing Grossman with Griese sounds catastrophic. No one is saying you have to start Griese over Grossman, but - for heaven's sake - let him play a few downs. Especially if your STARTER QB has a quarterback rating of 0.0 after three quarters. You can never know what we were missing if we dont allow Griese the opportunity to show himself. As Tom Waddle says, "this team does not need a superhero, but a leader." Grossman is not demonstrating this right now.
Lovie's defense (and it sounds like your defense too) to keep Grossman in is he got us to this point (10 wins). Well, if this is Lovie's reasoning, then why did we make the swith from Kyle Orton to Grossman last year - during halftime - when we won 8 straight with Orton, who managed the game, and did not turn the ball over nearly as much as Grossman does?
This team needs to start looking towards the future now. As Chris Carter says, "This Chicago Bears team will not go to the Superbowl with Rex Grossman as their quarterback." He is exactly right. If your QB turns the ball over 2 or more times CONSISTENTLY against playoff-caliber teams, and your offense scores little to zero points, you will not win. How come everyone in this city can see this except this coaching staff and a few blind-sited fans (uhm um).
The thing that makes my skin crawl the most is watching Grossman MAKING THE SAME BAD DECISIONS over and over. He throws off his back foot, he can be inaccurate, and makes bad decisions. If this truly is a business which every player, owner, and coach say it is, how many oppotunities is one allowed in this league after performing horribly consistently?
Rex always reassures us that 'he is in a slump right now, and he will learn from his mistakes.' Have you seen him 'learn' from his mistakes?? I havent. Go back to the Arizona game- almost 2 months ago! He is performing the same way by throwing stupid and costly interceptions. Griese may not be the most exciting quarterback to watch, but that does not matter as long as he does not turn the ball over with the number one ranked defense and special teams backing you up.
If you want to see Rex Grossman play in the playoffs and come out with a win, you best be dreamin'.
Up until the outcome of the Jets game, I was a firm believer in Rex. I backed him. I believed in him. I truly wanted to see him break out of this slump. I would rather see an 'okay' Rex play than Griese. But most of all I want is a Superbowl win. And right now, by the looks of it, we aint never getting there with Grossman leading this offense.
Lets put a few things into perspective here. The Bears need to win a super bowl and this year is definitely their year to do it. That means they need to have the best personnel in the game to give them the best chance. I have NO doubt that Grossman is the future of the Bears. I do not think he has what it takes THIS YEAR to lead the Bears to winning a SB. It's a huge task, think about it. Ben Roethlisberger did it last year (the youngest QB to date to date). At the time of his SB, EVEN HE had more games of experience than Grossman will if he makes it to the SB. I think Griese would make better decisions and most importantly, would not turn the ball over in key plays like Rex does.
Face it, opposing defenses know Grossman's weaknesses now. If they played Seattle right now, It wouldn't be the same as before. The Giants are mediocre and were missing Strahan and Arrington, their best pass rushers. Grossman does not stack up well against good defenses with a solid pass rush, and we have seen it every time (Min 5th D, Mia 6th D, NE 9th ). Everytime Rex gets rushed he gets trigger happy and throws a very bad pass off his back foot. Some of these turnovers come at the worst times too.
The Bears can't expect to beat good teams with only D/ST. They're now missing both Mike Brown and Tommie Harris. Opposing offenses are will continue to have more success if these guys keep getting banged up. If Rex turns the ball over and keeps the D on the field to bail him out every time, they will continue to deplete.
Good teams will bring the same pressure and will force the same plays. Look at the Dallas pass rush. I'm a little sick of Lovie saying "we're 10-2 with Rex as our QB", because they could probably be 10-2 with Orton as well. Face it Griese isn't just some chump off the streets like Henry Buris or Jonathan Quinn. Many teams would love to have him as a starter. He is a consistent career 85 QB rating.
I'm not saying Grossman should be benched for the year but Griese deserves a chance to come into a game at halftime to show what he can do for the team. At least to shake off some rust. If Griese comes out solid, they should continue to start Rex but on a short leash. They still have time before the playoffs to get the right person in there. Seriously, how much worst could it have been yesterday from a QB perspective? Rex put the game on our Defense and they won it again, but at the cost of our boy Tommie.
Once again you are letting your idealism get in the way of logic. You were a
Bush backer, a Dusty Baker supporter, and now this. Even in the pc, perfect
little fantasy world that you seem to be convinced that you live in, you must
have been embarrassed by a 1.8 passer rating. If you weren't embarrassed and
were satisfied with the win, then God help you. Anyone with half a brain
would know that the Bears cannot stick with Grossman as their QB.
The Bears are not going to face '8 in a box', as you say, if Griese takes the
snap. He's not going to just hand the ball to Jones/Bensen. He had a passer
rating of 102 a few years ago. My bet is he can do that again.
Additionally, a shotgun is not going to save the Bears. Grossman's problem
isn't seeing the field. It's his poor discipline and decision making.
Trust me Pete. You may be a basketball, baseball guru; well I know football,
have been watching it for over 20 years now, and every gut feeling in my body says
Grossman spells doom for the Bears.
Rex is good in NCAA 200* on the All-Time Florida Gator teams, but that is about it.
griese = trent dilfer of tampa bay in their superbowl year. I love rex and still think he can be great someday, but that last game had to make you ill.
Well, you at least get points for that reference to the Peyton Manning commercial.
Lets talk some more about the Bears!
so, you guys get your way and grossman is no longer the starter...
then what?
your D continues to beat the crap out of the worst teams in the league and cruise to 14-2. NFC North, wow.
Then you have to try and beat an ACTUAL team from the AFC in the SB; one better than the Pats that handled you, and WAY better than the Dolphins that WAY handled you (heh :) )
Im just saying that the only thing that is gonna stop some AFC style offense from running all over the Bears are perhaps some refs that think that:
1) Rolling into the endzone after you are down and have been touched by a defender is a touchdown
and (the opposite, yet somehow happened)
2) NOT touching a receiver when they are on the ground _can_ actually mean down by contact - when the league needs to 'teach Indianapolis a lesson' and keep Peyton off the field for another game winning drive
I mean, I like the Bears winning games, but all this talk about the 'hardest hitting defense ever' is the gayest crap I can think of. Imagine that, the media makes up things!?!
Not only are you disrespecting certain AFC safeties that could literally knock #54 UNCONCIOUS, you so soon forget how awesome your OWN TEAM was back in 1985.
I just wanted to see you prove it against the Pats, and it didnt happen. Prove it to me in the SB and I will tip my hat to your bears :)
Until then, you are maybe the 5th best team...maybe...
Man, you're friends are too negative! I'm totally agreeing with you! Most the balls Rex threw were even catchable and the WR/TE lost it. Rex is a decent QB, not great, but he's young. Have some faith, show some support and quit complaining about the hand you're dealt. Lovie's doing a great job too. AND, despite the bad mouthing about Rex....it's on the back burner that he held us to a division win and we're freaking 10-2!!!! A QB can't be THAT bad if we're 10-2 (I know it's mostly defensive & Special Teams TD's but, like the White Sox fans say, a win's a win!).
p.s. Rilla.....you suck!!!
And how about them Cowboys and Mr. Romo! The game last night blew chunks, but we've still got a damn good chance! :~)