Da Bears
Wow, it's been a while since I was last able to post something. School work has kept me busy, to say the least. Let's just say I'd much rather be here than stuck in a class room all day, but what are you gonna do? I'm not even going to make an attempt to catch up on all the headlines since August, so instead I've chosen to fast foward to the present (I've been told there's no better place to live). That said, the obvious headline is the Chicago Bears making it to their first Super Bowl in over 20 years.
Let me just say this: there is nobody in sports today who is as mentally tough as Rex Grossman. All year long he heard how bad he was and that he should be replaced by Griese. Yet, he took it in stride, never lashing out at the media when most athletes would have (T.O. perhaps?). But for as bad as he's been portrayed to be, call me crazy now, didn't he have to get something right along to way to lead his team to the Super Bowl? What do Drew Brees, Steve McNair, Philip Rivers, and Tom Brady all have in common? They're sitting home watching the big game while Rex is playing in it. Rex Grossman, you've shown me what it truly means to be mentally tough. Go get that Super Bowl ring, you deserve it. Let's recap Rex's rollercoaster year.
What a start to the season; for the Bears and for Mr. Rex Grossman. In his first five games he would record 10 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Four of those five games saw him record a passer rating of 100 or more and he completed nearly 60% of his passes while leading his team to a record of 5-0. MVP chants were rampant during home games; it couldn't get any better for Rex. And then, one Monday night in Arizona, it all changed.
Grossman went 14 of 37, throwing for only 144 yards with 4 INTs. It seemed as if the Cardinals had created a blueprint for how to fluster the Bears' inexperienced QB: blitz, blitz, blitz, and then blitz some more. The Bears somehow managed to comeback and win that game without the benefit of an offensive touchdown, something which had never been done. But it was only one bad game, right? A mere smudge on his perfect beginning to the year.
It appeared as if that was the case when he bounced back in a big way against the 49ers at home the next week, successfully completing 80% of his throws and finding the endzone three times. But the Arizona contest marked a bad game-good game pattern for Grossman. It was obvious that he had not forgotten how poorly he played in the desert. A week after meeting San Francisco, Miami came to town. How did Grossman fare? 18 of 42, 3 INT... It was the first blemish on the Bears' record and left them at 7-1 heading into a three game road trip which the press claimed would define this Bears team.
Again, Rex recovered and shredded the injury-depleted Giants' defense for 246 yards and three TDs. The Bears never had to leave New York, because the next week they would play the Jets who share a stadium with the Giants. It was only the fifth time in the history of the NFL that a team played both New York squads on back-to-back Sundays. This time Grossman broke the trend and played an average game. Not bad by any means, but his statistics were nothing for Fantasy Football owners to get excited about either. However, the experts were saying that this was the game where Grossman finally showed his maturity, taking what the defense gave him and playing mistake-free football. The Jets run defense ranked near the bottom of the league and the Bears exposed their weakness by running for nearly 200 yards. When the Jets had enough and loaded the box to stop the run, Grossman used play action to take advantage of one-on-one coverage down field. He finished with 119 yards and one TD.
Against New England, however, Grossman returned to his bad habits and threw three picks, costing his team a game that they should have won. The next Sunday, against Minnesota, he hit an all-time low, recording a passer rating of 1.3 and it was around this time that the nasty headlines began to appear, such as "Gross, man" or "Lovie Quit the Pampering and Dump Grossman." Despite extreme pressure to make a switch at QB, Lovie Smith never budged and remained loyal to Rex. He did, however, find ways to motivate the young Grossman, such as giving Griese half the snaps in practice that week. Lovie sent a message that, as much as he believed in Grossman, he wouldn't let one man sink the ship on the way to a championship. So how would Grossman respond on Monday night against St. Louis? After all, Rex's troubles began on a Monday...
How does 200 yards, 2 TDs and, more importantly, no interceptions sound? The next week he was even better, accumulating 339 yards and another two TDs, leading the Bears to a 34-31 overtime win against Tampa Bay. You could hear the city of Chicago breath a collective sigh of relief. The Bears had a confident quarterback heading into the playoffs. All of a sudden there was no stopping this team. Anything less than a Super Bowl appearance would be a disappointment. And then the clock struck twelve on New Year's Eve, the last Sunday of the year, one which was important on two levels: keeping the momentum heading into the postseason tournament and sending Brett Favre into retirment (hopefully) with a loss in his last game. But Grossman managed to top his performance against Minnesota, ending the first half (that's all he would play) with a 0.0 passer rating, which he would later blame on his lack of preparation due to the game being meaningless. Let's put it this way, the punter, Brad Maynard, finished the game with more passing yards (39) from a fake punt than Grossman had in the entire half. Bears fans were sent into a panic. Could the Bears win a Super Bowl ring with an inconsistent quarterback?
In the Divisional Playoffs, the defending NFC champion, the Seattle Seahawks, gave the Bears all they could handle, forcing the game into overtime until Robbie Gould connected on a 50-yard FG. But Grossman, at least for a couple of days, made everyone forget about his poor play against Green Bay. He finished with 282 yards and one TD and completed a number of big passes to keep the chains moving, including a 30-yard bullet to Rashied Davis in overtime. Perhaps the question of whether Good Rex or Bad Rex would show up was misguided. Instead, it was Clutch Rex who came to play against the Seahawks.
The same could be said against the Saints in the next round. Although he only threw for 144 yards, he came through when his team absolutely needed a play to be made. He lead a key drive in the 3rd quarter when he went 4 for 4 and racked up 80 yards with a TD. The Bears relied on their running game to carry them through to the Super Bowl, rushing for nearly 200 yards. Their defense was also a determining factor in this game, creating four turnovers and holding the Saints' rush attack to under 60 total yards on the ground.
So, despite all the abuse, all the heartache that Grossman and his family had to endure, here he finds himself in the biggest of the big games. Yet, all the experts, TV and internet alike, choose to concetrate on the Peyton Manning vs. Rex Grossman matchup, claiming that the Colts have a decided advantage in this game because of it. They are quick to point out that in the last five games, Grossman has thrown five INT. But why do I never hear about Manning's six INTs in the playoffs? Why do I never hear how Grossman's passer rating (75.3) is superior to Manning's (68.8) in the postseason? Last time I checked, the Bears offense was ranked ahead of the Colts' offense. Plus, the Bears are scoring 33 points per game in the playoffs compared to the Colts' 28. Also, last time I checked, Manning doesn't play cornerback or linebacker, so this whole QB vs. QB thing is ridiculous to begin with. Let me put it this way, I would rather have Grossman against the Colts' suspect defense than Manning against the Bears' dominant D, not to mention that Devin Hester should have a field day going against one of the worst special teams cover units. Indianapolis and their run defense, which gave up 173 yards per game, will see a heavy dose of Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson, keeping Manning on the sideline for the majority of the game. The more you take a look at the matchups, the more you like the Bears in this game. The whole "let's root for Manning to finally win the big game" sentiment seems like the media has a bit of a mancrush on number 18. The Bears are the better all-around team. They are not a one-trick pony, like the Colts and Mr. Manning.
My prediction: Bears 27 Colts 17
You have got to feel good for Grossman, and if not, you have to at least respect him. He has gone through more this season than most athletes go through in their entire career. I will be glued to the TV on February 4th, rooting for my Bears, but I will also be watching Grossman, hoping that he has that moment when he can bend over and tell the world "kiss my..."
Let me just say this: there is nobody in sports today who is as mentally tough as Rex Grossman. All year long he heard how bad he was and that he should be replaced by Griese. Yet, he took it in stride, never lashing out at the media when most athletes would have (T.O. perhaps?). But for as bad as he's been portrayed to be, call me crazy now, didn't he have to get something right along to way to lead his team to the Super Bowl? What do Drew Brees, Steve McNair, Philip Rivers, and Tom Brady all have in common? They're sitting home watching the big game while Rex is playing in it. Rex Grossman, you've shown me what it truly means to be mentally tough. Go get that Super Bowl ring, you deserve it. Let's recap Rex's rollercoaster year.
What a start to the season; for the Bears and for Mr. Rex Grossman. In his first five games he would record 10 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Four of those five games saw him record a passer rating of 100 or more and he completed nearly 60% of his passes while leading his team to a record of 5-0. MVP chants were rampant during home games; it couldn't get any better for Rex. And then, one Monday night in Arizona, it all changed.
Grossman went 14 of 37, throwing for only 144 yards with 4 INTs. It seemed as if the Cardinals had created a blueprint for how to fluster the Bears' inexperienced QB: blitz, blitz, blitz, and then blitz some more. The Bears somehow managed to comeback and win that game without the benefit of an offensive touchdown, something which had never been done. But it was only one bad game, right? A mere smudge on his perfect beginning to the year.
It appeared as if that was the case when he bounced back in a big way against the 49ers at home the next week, successfully completing 80% of his throws and finding the endzone three times. But the Arizona contest marked a bad game-good game pattern for Grossman. It was obvious that he had not forgotten how poorly he played in the desert. A week after meeting San Francisco, Miami came to town. How did Grossman fare? 18 of 42, 3 INT... It was the first blemish on the Bears' record and left them at 7-1 heading into a three game road trip which the press claimed would define this Bears team.
Again, Rex recovered and shredded the injury-depleted Giants' defense for 246 yards and three TDs. The Bears never had to leave New York, because the next week they would play the Jets who share a stadium with the Giants. It was only the fifth time in the history of the NFL that a team played both New York squads on back-to-back Sundays. This time Grossman broke the trend and played an average game. Not bad by any means, but his statistics were nothing for Fantasy Football owners to get excited about either. However, the experts were saying that this was the game where Grossman finally showed his maturity, taking what the defense gave him and playing mistake-free football. The Jets run defense ranked near the bottom of the league and the Bears exposed their weakness by running for nearly 200 yards. When the Jets had enough and loaded the box to stop the run, Grossman used play action to take advantage of one-on-one coverage down field. He finished with 119 yards and one TD.
Against New England, however, Grossman returned to his bad habits and threw three picks, costing his team a game that they should have won. The next Sunday, against Minnesota, he hit an all-time low, recording a passer rating of 1.3 and it was around this time that the nasty headlines began to appear, such as "Gross, man" or "Lovie Quit the Pampering and Dump Grossman." Despite extreme pressure to make a switch at QB, Lovie Smith never budged and remained loyal to Rex. He did, however, find ways to motivate the young Grossman, such as giving Griese half the snaps in practice that week. Lovie sent a message that, as much as he believed in Grossman, he wouldn't let one man sink the ship on the way to a championship. So how would Grossman respond on Monday night against St. Louis? After all, Rex's troubles began on a Monday...
How does 200 yards, 2 TDs and, more importantly, no interceptions sound? The next week he was even better, accumulating 339 yards and another two TDs, leading the Bears to a 34-31 overtime win against Tampa Bay. You could hear the city of Chicago breath a collective sigh of relief. The Bears had a confident quarterback heading into the playoffs. All of a sudden there was no stopping this team. Anything less than a Super Bowl appearance would be a disappointment. And then the clock struck twelve on New Year's Eve, the last Sunday of the year, one which was important on two levels: keeping the momentum heading into the postseason tournament and sending Brett Favre into retirment (hopefully) with a loss in his last game. But Grossman managed to top his performance against Minnesota, ending the first half (that's all he would play) with a 0.0 passer rating, which he would later blame on his lack of preparation due to the game being meaningless. Let's put it this way, the punter, Brad Maynard, finished the game with more passing yards (39) from a fake punt than Grossman had in the entire half. Bears fans were sent into a panic. Could the Bears win a Super Bowl ring with an inconsistent quarterback?
In the Divisional Playoffs, the defending NFC champion, the Seattle Seahawks, gave the Bears all they could handle, forcing the game into overtime until Robbie Gould connected on a 50-yard FG. But Grossman, at least for a couple of days, made everyone forget about his poor play against Green Bay. He finished with 282 yards and one TD and completed a number of big passes to keep the chains moving, including a 30-yard bullet to Rashied Davis in overtime. Perhaps the question of whether Good Rex or Bad Rex would show up was misguided. Instead, it was Clutch Rex who came to play against the Seahawks.
The same could be said against the Saints in the next round. Although he only threw for 144 yards, he came through when his team absolutely needed a play to be made. He lead a key drive in the 3rd quarter when he went 4 for 4 and racked up 80 yards with a TD. The Bears relied on their running game to carry them through to the Super Bowl, rushing for nearly 200 yards. Their defense was also a determining factor in this game, creating four turnovers and holding the Saints' rush attack to under 60 total yards on the ground.
So, despite all the abuse, all the heartache that Grossman and his family had to endure, here he finds himself in the biggest of the big games. Yet, all the experts, TV and internet alike, choose to concetrate on the Peyton Manning vs. Rex Grossman matchup, claiming that the Colts have a decided advantage in this game because of it. They are quick to point out that in the last five games, Grossman has thrown five INT. But why do I never hear about Manning's six INTs in the playoffs? Why do I never hear how Grossman's passer rating (75.3) is superior to Manning's (68.8) in the postseason? Last time I checked, the Bears offense was ranked ahead of the Colts' offense. Plus, the Bears are scoring 33 points per game in the playoffs compared to the Colts' 28. Also, last time I checked, Manning doesn't play cornerback or linebacker, so this whole QB vs. QB thing is ridiculous to begin with. Let me put it this way, I would rather have Grossman against the Colts' suspect defense than Manning against the Bears' dominant D, not to mention that Devin Hester should have a field day going against one of the worst special teams cover units. Indianapolis and their run defense, which gave up 173 yards per game, will see a heavy dose of Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson, keeping Manning on the sideline for the majority of the game. The more you take a look at the matchups, the more you like the Bears in this game. The whole "let's root for Manning to finally win the big game" sentiment seems like the media has a bit of a mancrush on number 18. The Bears are the better all-around team. They are not a one-trick pony, like the Colts and Mr. Manning.
My prediction: Bears 27 Colts 17
You have got to feel good for Grossman, and if not, you have to at least respect him. He has gone through more this season than most athletes go through in their entire career. I will be glued to the TV on February 4th, rooting for my Bears, but I will also be watching Grossman, hoping that he has that moment when he can bend over and tell the world "kiss my..."
posted by Ryan Anthony Dreyer at
12:30 PM
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