Grossman Can't Find a Job
I probably shouldn't be writing this because, well, we have our Quarterback now. And as coach said, only cowards live in the past. But ultimately this post is more about our coaching staff than it is about Grossman, so here goes.
Rex Grossman can't find a job. Two years ago, he was starting the Super Bowl, and now he can't even get a third string gig for the league minimum. He's now supposedly going to try out for the UFL, an upstart league starting this fall. Pretty sad for Grossman, but it might be even sadder for our coaching staff. Did they stick with this league washout too long? Why did they continue to show such blind faith and never-ending support in the man that flat-out blew the Super Bowl? I argue that the Bears actually handled him right. No, I can't say that Pep Hamilton, Ron Turner, and the boys were coaching him properly or properly molding him into a successful NFL Quarterback. In fact, I know that they weren't. But I can say that given what we saw from Grossman, he earned the chances he got. Quick summary:
2003 - Drafted in the first round. Florida QBs have tended to be products of their system, but he seemed like a decent enough pick. Sat until week 13. Got hurt in the last game. Nothing wrong here. Not many rookie QBs have success in this league, and most sit for at least half a season.
2004 - Named starter. Played OK as he beat Green Bay at Lambeau in week 2, but then was lost for the season at Minnesota in week 3. Bad luck, really. Nothing Bears could do.
2005 - Hurt in the preseason. Sat and watched Kyle Orton manage the team to 10 wins until week 15 when Kyle regressed to the point where he could hardly even complete a pass. Bears give Rex week 16 and the playoff start. This was a good move by the Bears because Orton was virtually worthless by the end of 2005, and Grossman actually completed some passes downfield. The only concern with Rex at this point was his fragility.
2006 - Started all 16 games. Bears started blistering hot and Rex was player of the month in September. He then, of course, yo-yo'd between horrifying shitfests and near brilliance. He ended up with 23 touchdowns to go with his 20 picks and 8 fumbles. 23 TDs is nothing to sneeze at. And he was legitimately good in the playoff game against Seattle and managed a victory in the NFC Championship game against the Saints. Yes, he flat-out cost the Bears the Super Bowl. But at this point, I still understood the decision to stick with Rex going into 2007. He had only started 24 games, and if they could simply turn the "horrifyingly bad games" into "mediocrity" and keep the Good Rex games, they could get back to the Super Bowl.
2007 - Horrible. He simply hasn't been the same since the Super Bowl. Then, of course, he battled injuries again. When he played, he played with no confidence. At this point, they probably should have just let him go. But they brought him back for one more (cheap) year, and and open competition with Orton (who looked pretty good at the tail end of '07.)
2008 - Lost the job to Orton. Started one game when Orton was hurt and stunk up the joint. Bears let him walk.
In retrospect, the Bears may have been better off with Brian Griese as the starter in 2006. They certainly would have made the playoffs with him, and they probably would have still beaten Seattle and New Orleans. And who knows what would have happened in the Super Bowl. (Indy was playing it ultra-safe, and the Bears were within 5 points in the fourth quarter with the ball at mid-field. Then the wheels came off.) But really, you don't live in hindsight.
And when you really think about it, they handled him perfectly. Because everything they did, ultimately led to the Bears trading for Cutler. Cutler is a Pro's Pro. I can't believe how excited I am to have Cutler in town. Hearing Turner talk about Cutler's tremendous work ethic, and hearing about his beautiful spirals in the OTAs the last few days has got me FIRED UP. I'm ready for training camp right now. Forget all this Grossman talk.
BEAR DOWN.