Thank you. Thank you Ditka, thank you Sweetness, thank you George Halas. Thank you. It took 11 months longer than it should have, but finally Lovie is at least giving a backup a chance.
Last November when the Bears were sitting pretty with a 7-1 record I said Chicago had "no chance" at a Super Bowl Title with "Rex Grossman as our quarterback." Sure they got close, but few even in Chicago thought he'd had the wherewithal to deliver in the clutch. It's not about the number you've heard plenty about, although the 0.0 passer rating is very special. It's about two things: 1) I'm not sure he can read a defense like a starting NFL quarterback needs to and 2) he's missing the confidence, the "It" that all good quarterbacks possess. Rex is a great quarterback when the defense or Devin Hester spots him an early lead. When the Bears are ahead 17-3, that deep out pattern over two defenders is nothing. But when the Bears are down 10-17 in the 3rd Q, desperately in need of a clutch drive the inevitable happens. A pass into triple coverage return for a touchdown. Didn't that pass to Anthony Henry look EXACTLY like the interception late in the Super Bowl?
Let's be clear on one thing. Brian Griese isn't an exceptional quarterback. But that's ok, one isn't needed with the Bears defense (well, maybe now with the onslaught of injuries). What's needed is a QB that doesn't swing the pendulum of momentum so far in the opposite direction that it changes the entire complexity of the game. You saw that Sunday Night. What's needed is someone who won't mentally implode when he throws the first interception and stops the bleeding at that. Don't expect Tom Brady overnight, but you can expect the Bears to win more with less pressure on a defense that could desperately need it over the next few weeks.
Now if only Lovie Smith could bench Cedric Benson in favor of Thomas Jones.
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