[CBFF] Camp report: Grossman unimpressive

[Jerry Madsen]

Camp report: Grossman unimpressive

Michael Harmon / FOXSports.com

Posted: 18 hours ago

Over the past two weeks, I've been hitting the roads equipped with an
atlas, an iPod filled with an eclectic music mix, and a system
designed to deliver caffeine intravenously.

Heading into the weekend, I'd toured six camps and encountered
thousands of rabid fans, made quick evaluations of several hundred
players and spoken to beat writers and coaches to gain a perspective
on expectations for individual performers.

On Sunday morning, my alarm rang to wake me for the final journey in
this series. I was heading to the Albany airport to catch an early
morning flight that would take me to Chicago. Not only did I speed
through check-in and security, my flight actually left early! I hoped
that this great start to the morning would be a sign of good things to
come and a productive workout in Bourbonnais by which to analyze the
upcoming Bears campaign.

Chicago Midway Airport: 840 miles

I landed in Chicago and was remaindered quite quickly that no matter
how well the White Sox may be playing, this was still a Bears town. My
attendant at the rental car place inquired about my visit to the city.
When I revealed my intentions to attend Sunday's practice session, he
asked, "Are we going to be OK? I mean, we gave up 28 points to San
Francisco."

The anxiety in his voice was palpable. I believe I was able to talk
him down off the ledge with a quick hit on the team, but I couldn't
help but wonder aloud what type of production the Bears would get from
Rex Grossman. With that as the backdrop, I spent a day lounging in the
city ahead of a long, painful drive down a torn-up 90/94 to get to
Bourbonnais.

I witnessed two encouraging signs for Bears fans and fantasy owners on
this night, both related to the health of the top two running backs on
the depth chart. Cedric Benson started the practice session with a
massive wrap over his injured shoulder, but was able to remove the
encumbrance before the end of the session. He was seen stretching
along the sideline and observing the workout intently. However, Benson
is still expected to be sidelined for 1-2 more weeks, putting his
availability for Week 1 against Green Bay in jeopardy.

Coming off of his best season in the NFL, Thomas Jones was set to
battle Benson for the top spot in camp, but a hamstring injury has
shelved him since reporting day. Jones put himself through an extended
running session during practice. He ran sideline to sideline and
worked through small cuts. Jones demonstrated good quickness and
reported no signs of soreness after the workout. He most likely will
not compete in this Friday's game against San Diego, but barring a
setback, should be in the mix for the final two preseason games.

The absences of Jones and Benson in the backfield allow Adrian
Peterson to rack up reps with the first-string offense, and he most
certainly showed his ability in both running and receiving drills. He
made several nifty grabs on passes from Grossman and Brian Griese and
ran hard inside. On several occasions, coaches split Peterson out wide
to the right and he caught quick outs and screens.

Grossman had a very inconsistent practice after a disappointing
performance in Friday's exhibition loss to San Francisco. He made
several strong throws on deep balls to Bernard Berrian and Muhsin
Muhammad. On one toss down the field, he led Muhammad perfectly and
allowed the veteran receiver to snag the 35-yard throw with one hand
as he rolled to the turf. The crowd roared in approval and high-fives
were exchanged all around. The throw to Muhammad on that particular
play marked the high point of his practice.

He threw high on many of his throws, often leading his receivers too
much on sideline routes. Rookie Danieal Manning made the play of the
day for the defense. He played off of Bernard Berrian and jumped the
route on a quick out for what would have been a touchdown. Grossman
had several passes tipped at line, and had thrown an early
interception on a deep middle route intended for Berrian.

Grossman appeared most comfortable on middle routes to the
aforementioned receivers and tight ends. And, I must admit, for all
the questions of arm strength raised years ago, he throws a pretty
deep ball. Grossman most definitely feels the pressure coming from
Griese and appeared rattled by questions from local reporters about
his progress. Grossman's performance on Friday will go a long way
toward determining whether he'll fend off Griese's challenge for the
starting slot. Coaches are adamant that Grossman is in no danger of
losing the job, but the number of errant throws is difficult to
overlook.

Griese had a better workout on Sunday in fewer reps than Grossman. He
checked down to secondary and tertiary receivers, most notably
second-year player Rashied Davies. Griese was victimized by several
drops, but split the seam nicely on throws downfield. His big problem
on Sunday was a lack of touch on short routes and screens. On several
occasions, he either short-hopped the receiver or misfired high. It
wasn't a stellar effort, but there was more consistency on longer
routes and comfort in the pocket with the different looks shown by the
defense.

Desmond Clark stood out in this workout, catching virtually everything
tossed his way from all of the Bears quarterbacks. He went up and
snagged several high tosses across the middle and did a great job
creating space from Bears linebackers.

Bernard Berrian looks destined for a breakout season, provided that
the plays called on Sunday are indicative of the type of passing game
that will be installed. Berrian has a tremendous first step off the
line and will be a threat to out-run most cornerbacks. The Bears are
clearly a running team, but the ability to get the ball in his hands,
be it through quick outs or deep patterns, gives them another weapon.
It's tough to recommend any receiver other than Muhammad in this
attack as the season opens, but Berrian is one to watch.

Defensive superstar Brian Urlacher nearly intercepted two throws under
the middle in his limited reps. After all, the coaches know what No.
54 can do, they need to evaluate depth at the position.

In the return game, the Bears are excited by the speed and elusiveness
of rookie Devin Hester. He performed well in the first preseason game
and will continue to work with Bernard Berrian in both kickoff and
punt return situations.

The 11-on-11 drills included two near brawls which brought the fans to
their feat and a sense of excitement in between the white lines. The
players added some spring into their respective steps after each of
the encounters and it brought more attention to details. Players
finished off their blocks. Receivers finished off their routes. And
the quarterbacks improved their accuracy.

The defense is going to set the tone here without question. The
linebacker corps remains one of the best in the business. I was
encouraged by the play of the Mannings (Ricky and Danieal) at
cornerback and the speed displayed by defensive lineman Antonio Garay
in run pursuit.

The players hit the showers and Hester worked the crowd by signing
autographs for the many children in attendance. I walked back to my
car, convinced that Grossman needs to show something in his reps on
Friday or that a full-on feeding frenzy (read: quarterback
controversy) will begin next weekend.

http://msn.foxsports.com/fantasy/story/5871724

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