Just Plain Gross

This should be a good time to be a Chicago Bears fan. They just clinched the NFC North division title with a 23-13 win over Minnesota yesterday. They are currently 10-2 and with a rather easy last four games remaining should wrap home field throughout the NFC playoffs. Still I, like most fans am very uneasy. The reason for this, is that the Quarterback play of this team has been horrendous the last two months.

The Bears need to decide something, and rather quickly I might add. They need to decide if they are in the business of winning a Super Bowl or developing Rex Grossman. There is no way you can do both. Grossman after some early season success has regressed beyond anyone’s wild imagination. Yesterday, they won despite of him. He completed 6 out of 19 passes for a whopping 34 yards while throwing three interceptions.

All of this led him to a QB rating of 1.2, which is pathetic. The thing is we have such a dominating defense and a special punt returner in Devin Hester that we overcame his ineptitude. However, that formula will not work against a quality opponent in the postseason. His confidence is at an all-time low. So, I like most sane Bears fans out there am calling for the immediate benching of Rex Grossman.

Our backup is Brian Griese. He is no world beater, but he is steady, which is all we really need. All the Bears require to win is a QB who does not turn the ball over and knows how to manage a game. In Griese you get exactly that. He won’t win you a lot of games but he won’t lose you any either. Chances like the Bears have with this dominant defense do not come along often. You have to strike when the iron is hot.

Sadly, Lovie Smith the coach of the Bears doesn’t see things this way, which will eventually be his and this teams undoing. I am not sure what he is watching, because it has become obvious that this team needs to make a change at the quarterback position. In his press conference yesterday he had an arrogant I know better then anyone else attitude about the situation. Listen, I understand that many people have a knee jerk reaction and want to bench the QB everytime he throws a pick. With that said, this is not a knee jerk reaction.

Grossman has thrown 14 picks in his last seven games. You can not win like that in the post season. There is an old saying those who don’t understand history are doomed to repeat it. It has been proven over and over again that if you have inconsistent play from the quarterback position in the playoffs then you will lose.

We have to admit to ourselves that the league has figured this kid out. If you blitz him he gets rattled and his mechanics get out of rhythm and he starts putting the ball up for grabs. It is like any sport. You start having some success and opponents are going to look for a weakness to exploit. Once they find it, it is up to that individual player to make an adjustment to counter that weakness. Michael Jordan when he came in the league was not a great jump shooter. So, teams would force him to the perimeter and make him take outside shots. What did Jordon do? He worked on his game to the point where he became a deadly jump shooter and it vaulted him to become the best ever.

Time will tell if Grossman ever makes that adjustment. Suffice it to say this year I don’t see it happening. Denver had the balls, to make a switch when they deemed their QB play to be sub-par. I personally don’t know if the Bears have the stones to do it. For Lovie to keep sticking with his well, we are 10-2 with Rex as our quarterback line, is faulty logic. We are 10-2 despite him. Grossman has had very little to do with it. Our defense is the reason we have that record. If we are serious about winning the Super Bowl then we have to make a change. If we don’t, mark my words we will not win one single playoff game.