[CBFF] Bears' patience under center the right move

[Jason Cetina]

Mind you, its hard to agree with this after today, but I thought I'd 
pass it on anyway.

Obviously, Turner and Smith are banking on Rex maturing before the post 
season, but I dunno if that is a reasonable assumption.

If I were the coach, I'd simply take all of Grossman's offensive goals 
off of the board except for one - no turnovers. And I'd promise to bench 
him if he threw a pick.

Of course, I'm a fan and not a coach.

Anyway, article below.

Taken from 
http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFL/NFC/NFC+North/Chicago/Features/2006/mann120106.htm


Backup quarterbacks are all the rage these days in the NFL. Tony Romo 
has saved the Cowboys’ season. Joey Harrington <#> has done the same for 
the Dolphins. David Garrard, Seneca Wallace and Damon Huard have done 
their part for their respective teams. In Denver, Mike Shanahan is 
scrapping Jake Plummer and his 7-4 record for Jay Cutler, who has never 
taken a regular-season snap.

And yet in Chicago, where starting QB Rex Grossman <#> has committed 15 
turnovers in his last six games, there is apparently no consideration 
whatsoever of demoting Grossman for experienced second-string veteran 
Brian Griese.

It makes perfect sense to me.

The Bears are 9-2 with Grossman under center. Only one team in the NFL 
has a better record. Chicago will clinch the NFC North division with a 
win on Sunday. The Bears have a two-game lead, with only five left to 
play, in the NFC race for home-field advantage. Even with Grossman 
struggling last week in New England, the Bears were one drive, one 
score, one big play away from beating a Super Bowl <#> contender in its 
own house — this despite two red-zone turnovers, one blocked field goal 
and a defense that gave up more than 300 total yards for the first time 
this season.

In other words, it’s not like the Bears are falling apart at the seams.

Don’t get me wrong. Grossman has to improve. Since his six-turnover 
nightmare at Arizona, he has repeatedly made the same mistakes. He 
relies far too heavily on the deep ball, especially when pressured. He 
must be more effective buying time inside and outside the pocket, rather 
than simply sprinting straight back or throwing the ball off his back 
foot. He must learn to deliver the ball in spots where only his receiver 
can catch it, rather than regularly providing opposing cornerbacks with 
equal opportunities.

But Lovie Smith and the Bears are betting that he will learn those 
lessons between now and the postseason, and you better believe their 
current standing and the upcoming schedule are factors in that decision.

Chicago does not have a winning team left on its schedule. Minnesota 
brings the 31st-ranked pass defense to town on Sunday — one that has 
given up 345 or more passing yards in three of its last five games. The 
following week, the Bears visit the Rams, who rank 24th and 25th in 
yards and points allowed, respectively. Then come the Bucs (22nd vs. the 
pass, 24th in points allowed), Lions (19th, 29th) and finally the 
Packers (29th, 32nd).

Against that soft slate, the Bears will stake Grossman to the task of 
more appropriately juggling that risk-reward trade-off between big play 
and huge mistake. That upside, however, is clearly a driving force in 
their willingness to stand by their guy. While the outcome was 
different, it’s not unlike the thought process Shanahan went through in 
Denver. There was a fundamental acceptance that Plummer, despite his 
edge in experience, couldn’t take the Broncos where they needed to go — 
the Super Bowl. Cutler’s potential to make plays, rather than simply 
manage the offense, was determined too critical to postseason success to 
let sit idly on the sideline.

Grossman has that same edge over Griese, who, over 72 starts, has proven 
to be essentially a high-completion caretaker.

After the 2000 Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV with Trent Dilfer under 
center, it became accepted that an elite defense could win it all 
without a game-breaking quarterback. That simply has not been the case 
since. 2005 champion Ben Roethlisberger managed his way into the 
playoffs but played the best football of his career en route to the 
Lombardi Trophy, throwing seven TD passes and rushing for two more 
scores in the postseason. The Patriots’ dynasty required all kinds of 
big plays and game-winning drives from Tom Brady.

If Chicago can make a run to Miami, it won’t find the 2000 Giants lining 
up on the other side. Just take one look at the AFC and tell me which 
contender can be beat with a mere caretaker under center. You won’t 
sustain drives vs. the Ravens or Patriots and you won’t keep up with the 
Colts or Chargers. Only three NFL <#> quarterbacks have thrown more 
interceptions than Grossman. Then again, only four have more touchdown 
passes. It seems to me the Bears believe they’ll need that dynamic 
ability from the QB position to make good on their Super Bowl potential.

Makes sense to me.