[CBFF] A Gross(man) miscarriage of justice (Ladowski)

[Phil DeNomme]

Anyone else find the title to this article kind of repulsive?  Lol.  

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[mailto:cbff-bounces at chicagobearsfanforum.com] On Behalf Of Victor Waldron
Sent: Thursday, August 24, 2006 5:05 AM
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Subject: [CBFF] A Gross(man) miscarriage of justice (Ladowski)

A Gross(man) miscarriage of justice

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Bears fans don't ask for much. When your team has had one measly Pro Bowl
quarterback in the last 43 years — that's Jim McMahon for those of you who
score at home — how can you?

But is it too much to ask for a touchdown from the first offensive unit,
even if it's only the preseason?

OK, how about a chip-shot field goal then?

In 10 possessions thus far, the Rex Grossman-inspired offense has produced
zippo points. Of course, it went up against first units, as we've been
reminded time and again. Excuse me, but who will they face in the
regular-season opener in Green Bay three weeks from now, who's left of the
Duluth Eskimos?

It wasn't fair that the Packers had their best players on the field.
And they tried really hard on top of it!

Until then, riddle me this: What has Grossman done to be handed the most
difficult and important job on the field while the far more battle-tested,
less mistake-prone Brian Griese sits and waits?

Based on what little we've seen of Grossman the last three seasons — eight
games, seven starts — not a whole lot. Unless there's another Rex Grossman
we're not aware of, can there be any doubt that he doesn't belong with Tom
Brady and Jake Delhomme and Matt Hasselbeck and Ben Roethlisberger on the
short list of Super Bowl-caliber quarterbacks yet?

Heck, Grossman isn't in the same continent, let alone the same ZIP code.

This isn't meant to throw Grossman under the train, mind you. He's a
likeable guy, the kind you don't mind doing well. Maybe he will turn out to
be a legit starter one day. Maybe he even becomes Rex the Wonder QB at some
point down the road.

Yet the fact remains that Grossman isn't there yet. Which is why a lot of
'skinheads around the country do a double-take when they hear how adamant
head coach Lovie Smith is about the situation. Guys such as NFL Films
executive producer Greg Cosell, who along with ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski has
broken down more film than Siskel and Ebert in their primes.

"Ultimately, more NFL games are lost than won," Cosell said. "I know it's a
cliché, but there's a lot of truth to it. The Bears have a very good defense
— even dominant if the secondary comes around. They are committed to the run
whether Thomas Jones or Cedric Benson does it.

"Given that, the offense needs a quarterback who's methodical and effective,
someone who can move the chains. Griese is the better fit of the two because
he is a very accurate short-to-intermediate passer who does not make many
mistakes."

Griese isn't exactly Dan Marino in his prime. His arm strength is limited.
In eight seasons, he has yet to win a playoff game. Griese isn't the
fire-and-brimstone type, either, which is the primary reason why Tampa Bay
Buccaneers head man John Gruden cut the cord, according to insiders.

Heck, the son of Bob Griese isn't even the best quarterback in his own
family.

Still, said NFL analyst Ron Meyer, a longtime head coach, "Lovie has made
the right decision in his mind, so he should stand by his guy, but Brian
would be my pick. He is a heckuva operator, no question about it. Rex can't
be faulted for his injury problems, but I'd be scared that he could go down
in the second, third or fourth game of the season."

Then again, Grossman isn't exactly Joe Willie Namath, either.

At this point, he's a cut above Peter Tom Willis, I'd say.

"Grossman forces too many throws," Cosell said. "Some may not realize it,
but he's very inexperienced at this level. He hasn't played very much. He
doesn't have what I consider to be tremendous natural talent.

"I can live with mistakes if a quarterback has the potential to be great
player. But in terms of what Grossman has in the way of physical ability, I
don't see it that way."

The one thing that Grossman does have over Griese is arm strength. Yet not
even that and his gunslinger mentality are ideal for an offense that lacks
deep threats and lives or dies on the ground.

Does any Bears wide receiver scare you at the moment? In a good way, I mean.
You know, Steve Smith scary.

Veteran Muhsin Muhammad is the best of an ordinary bunch, but true to his
nickname, "Moose" is a possession receiver. Bernard Berrian and Mark Bradley
have the stuff to be home run threats, we're told, but they're too
achy-breaky to be counted on in a 16-game season. Rashied Davis intrigues a
lot of people, but since when do Super Bowl teams rely on a second-year guy
who has yet to catch a ball in a real NFL game?

No, if the Bears are as Super serious as they claim to be, then they'll
allow Griese to compete for the job on Friday night. The third exhibition,
uh, sorry new commish Roger Goodell, preseason game is the most accurate
gauge of the bunch in that both teams play their regulars much of the way.

If Griese has been effective because of inferior competition — three
touchdowns against mostly reserves in two games — then we'll find out.
But if he outplays Grossman again, then we'll know who the best man is for
the job at the moment. Otherwise, what message does it send to the rest of
the team?

Yet Smith says it won't matter what happens on the field — Grossman is his
guy. I say the decision reeks of political football, the kind that Bears
fans have come to know all too well over the years.

The head coach may drive the Grossman bandwagon, but it's general manager
Jerry Angelo who fuels it. In 2003, while Smith was the St.
Louis Rams defensive coordinator, Angelo and his staff drafted Grossman with
the 22nd overall pick. In the process, they passed up studs and potential
studs such as running back Larry Johnson, quarterback Chris Simms and wide
receiver Anquan Boldin to name a few.

In other words, Angelo has a lot at stake here. If Grossman turns out to be
Pro Bowl stuff, then the GM comes off as a certified genius. But if the
Grossman of the last two games is close to the one we'll see the next few
weeks, then what will they say then?

And another thing — the Packers even played 11 guys!

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