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http://cbs.sportsline.com/columns/story/10368550
Don't be stunned if Rex's run is almost done
Sep. 24, 2007
By Mike Freeman
CBSSports.com National Columnist
Tell Mike your opinion!
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]CHICAGO -- A question: Could this finally be the end of the Rex Grossman era in Chicago? [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Answer: You bet your sweet *** it could be, and sooner than you think. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
Fans seem to want him out, and there are signs Rex Grossman's teammates want a change, too. (Getty Images) It seems only a matter of time before the Bears quarterback is benched. At least that is the way a variety of team sources were vaguely and cautiously describing the situation following an embarrassing and error-plagued 34-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, in which Grossman played the role of car-crash dummy and Rick Mirer imitator. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
No one in the Bears organization or locker room will say this on the record or in any official capacity, and this story is not an attempt to say anything has been definitively decided.
But there are indications Grossman's leash is shorter than ever. And while Chicago players took their fair share of the blame for being physically manhandled by the Cowboys, there is a growing irritation in the Bears locker room with Grossman's high number of miscues -- six interceptions in three games for those keeping score at home. So much irritation, in fact, Grossman's support from teammates might be at its lowest point during his time in Chicago.
Indeed, the leash is so short it's not even a leash. It's an ejector seat with coach Lovie Smith's finger just a few millimeters away and inching closer.
And no one should be surprised if a change is announced at quarterback midweek. Not saying it's going to happen, but I wouldn't be stunned if it did.
Then again, it doesn't take the vice president of Mensa to figure out Grossman is in deep doo-doo. Stevie Wonder booed him Sunday night. One more interception and Grossman could be named Keith Olbermann's "Worst Person in the World."
For his part, Grossman continues to be a standup guy, the figurative dead man walking, calmly smoking a cigarette as the firing squad takes aim. He was unabashed and undeterred when meeting with the media. He deserves a great deal of credit for not running and hiding, even if he seemed totally oblivious to the trouble he was in.
"I have to take care of the football and start making plays," he said. When asked if he feared losing his job, Grossman responded: "I'm going about my business and not worrying about things I can't control." Would it surprise him if he were benched? "Same answer," he said.
"Rex Grossman is our quarterback," Smith said. "We won't make any decisions until we've seen the video."
When Smith does watch said video, it will be worse than the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He will see a quarterback still throwing into triple-coverage, a quarterback stumbling through standard progressions and someone making panic throws at the slightest amount of pressure. And he will see a player who has tossed 26 interceptions since the beginning of 2006, which ties him for the most in football with Jon Kitna.
Against Dallas, Grossman was 15-for-32 for 195 yards, three interceptions and a George Halas-spinning-in-his-grave rating of 27.5.
The problem for Smith and his staff is that it is becoming increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to justify their continued strong backing of Grossman -- not only to the public, but to his own locker room. Grossman's improvement seems non-existent; even worse, it looks as if Grossman has taken a step backward since last season.
Yet make no mistake -- while Grossman was awful, the rest of the team was not much better. Grossman is blamed for the melting polar ice caps, the underperforming dollar and Britney Spears. However, it is not Grossman's fault his receivers dropped numerous easy passes, the defense allowed Tony Romo six and seven seconds to pass and the Cowboys to accumulate 431 yards of net offense.
"The one thing that bothers me is we're not playing up to our potential," receiver Muhsin Muhammad said.
If there was ever any doubt about the 3-0 Cowboys' ability to generate offense against any defense, even Chicago's, this game should end it. In fact, while Chicago has the reputation for Al Capone-like toughness, it was Dallas delivering the gut-busting hits and huge offensive plays. The most memorable came courtesy of a testicle-shocking block by Dallas wide receiver Sam Hurd on an unsuspecting Adam Archuleta.
"They came here, they came into a hostile environment and they crushed us," Bears defensive lineman Alex Brown said. He later added: "They shredded us. It's almost like we weren't there."
Late in the third quarter, Dallas demonstrated mental toughness in addition to the physical kind. After Chicago tied the score at 10 thanks to some accurate, well-tossed balls from Grossman to his receivers, Dallas responded with a 91-yard, 10-play drive that ate up almost six minutes of clock and gave Dallas a 17-10 lead. The drive featured some horrific tackling by the normally sure-tackling Chicago defense.
There were, in fact, plenty of things that went terribly wrong for Chicago and had nothing to do with Grossman. There was a Cedric Benson fumble that proved crucial, Devin Hester's lack of production and risky runbacks out of the end zone, and injuries to at least four key Bears players.
(In the tunnel after the game was a frightening scene for Chicago fans: stud defensive tackle Tommie Harris, his left knee wrapped and secured in a brace.)
It is interesting listening to fan reaction at Soldier Field when it comes to Grossman. His slightest miscue is treated like someone dropped a vile of skunk poop into the stands. The boos cascade through the stadium the way the wave once did in the '80s.
But soon, to borrow a phrase from a dead ex-president, fans might not have Grossman to kick around any more
[/FONT]
Don't be stunned if Rex's run is almost done
By Mike Freeman
CBSSports.com National Columnist
Tell Mike your opinion!
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]CHICAGO -- A question: Could this finally be the end of the Rex Grossman era in Chicago? [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Answer: You bet your sweet *** it could be, and sooner than you think. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
No one in the Bears organization or locker room will say this on the record or in any official capacity, and this story is not an attempt to say anything has been definitively decided.
But there are indications Grossman's leash is shorter than ever. And while Chicago players took their fair share of the blame for being physically manhandled by the Cowboys, there is a growing irritation in the Bears locker room with Grossman's high number of miscues -- six interceptions in three games for those keeping score at home. So much irritation, in fact, Grossman's support from teammates might be at its lowest point during his time in Chicago.
Indeed, the leash is so short it's not even a leash. It's an ejector seat with coach Lovie Smith's finger just a few millimeters away and inching closer.
And no one should be surprised if a change is announced at quarterback midweek. Not saying it's going to happen, but I wouldn't be stunned if it did.
Then again, it doesn't take the vice president of Mensa to figure out Grossman is in deep doo-doo. Stevie Wonder booed him Sunday night. One more interception and Grossman could be named Keith Olbermann's "Worst Person in the World."
For his part, Grossman continues to be a standup guy, the figurative dead man walking, calmly smoking a cigarette as the firing squad takes aim. He was unabashed and undeterred when meeting with the media. He deserves a great deal of credit for not running and hiding, even if he seemed totally oblivious to the trouble he was in.
"I have to take care of the football and start making plays," he said. When asked if he feared losing his job, Grossman responded: "I'm going about my business and not worrying about things I can't control." Would it surprise him if he were benched? "Same answer," he said.
"Rex Grossman is our quarterback," Smith said. "We won't make any decisions until we've seen the video."
When Smith does watch said video, it will be worse than the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He will see a quarterback still throwing into triple-coverage, a quarterback stumbling through standard progressions and someone making panic throws at the slightest amount of pressure. And he will see a player who has tossed 26 interceptions since the beginning of 2006, which ties him for the most in football with Jon Kitna.
Against Dallas, Grossman was 15-for-32 for 195 yards, three interceptions and a George Halas-spinning-in-his-grave rating of 27.5.
The problem for Smith and his staff is that it is becoming increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to justify their continued strong backing of Grossman -- not only to the public, but to his own locker room. Grossman's improvement seems non-existent; even worse, it looks as if Grossman has taken a step backward since last season.
Yet make no mistake -- while Grossman was awful, the rest of the team was not much better. Grossman is blamed for the melting polar ice caps, the underperforming dollar and Britney Spears. However, it is not Grossman's fault his receivers dropped numerous easy passes, the defense allowed Tony Romo six and seven seconds to pass and the Cowboys to accumulate 431 yards of net offense.
"The one thing that bothers me is we're not playing up to our potential," receiver Muhsin Muhammad said.
If there was ever any doubt about the 3-0 Cowboys' ability to generate offense against any defense, even Chicago's, this game should end it. In fact, while Chicago has the reputation for Al Capone-like toughness, it was Dallas delivering the gut-busting hits and huge offensive plays. The most memorable came courtesy of a testicle-shocking block by Dallas wide receiver Sam Hurd on an unsuspecting Adam Archuleta.
"They came here, they came into a hostile environment and they crushed us," Bears defensive lineman Alex Brown said. He later added: "They shredded us. It's almost like we weren't there."
Late in the third quarter, Dallas demonstrated mental toughness in addition to the physical kind. After Chicago tied the score at 10 thanks to some accurate, well-tossed balls from Grossman to his receivers, Dallas responded with a 91-yard, 10-play drive that ate up almost six minutes of clock and gave Dallas a 17-10 lead. The drive featured some horrific tackling by the normally sure-tackling Chicago defense.
There were, in fact, plenty of things that went terribly wrong for Chicago and had nothing to do with Grossman. There was a Cedric Benson fumble that proved crucial, Devin Hester's lack of production and risky runbacks out of the end zone, and injuries to at least four key Bears players.
(In the tunnel after the game was a frightening scene for Chicago fans: stud defensive tackle Tommie Harris, his left knee wrapped and secured in a brace.)
It is interesting listening to fan reaction at Soldier Field when it comes to Grossman. His slightest miscue is treated like someone dropped a vile of skunk poop into the stands. The boos cascade through the stadium the way the wave once did in the '80s.
But soon, to borrow a phrase from a dead ex-president, fans might not have Grossman to kick around any more
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