[CBFF] Rex gets in gear for salary drive...

[mom2iancal]

Rex gets in gear for salary drive 

If Bears QB elevates game to the next level, big dollars will follow 

April 4, 2007 

BY BRAD BIGGS _BBIGGS at SUNTIMES.COM_ (mailto:BBIGGS at SUNTIMES.COM) 

It appears the wait-and-see approach the Bears took with coach Lovie Smith 
also will apply to quarterback Rex Grossman. 

President Ted Phillips wanted to see more from Smith last season before 
rewarding him with a rich contract extension, and it figures that the club will 
let Grossman head into his contract year looking for some of the same. After 
helping the Bears reach Super Bowl XLI, Grossman has a defining season ahead. 

Grossman was presented with the team's Ed Block Courage Award on Tuesday at 
Maryville Academy in Des Plaines, one of the honors players put stock in 
because it's voted on by their peers. He was selected for the determination he 
displayed in returning to the field after two serious injuries and posting 15 
wins in his first complete season as a starter. 

Grossman has spent the bulk of the last two months decompressing, attending 
weddings from coast to coast, and just began working out last week to be 
ready for the beginning of the voluntary workout program next Tuesday. 

The amount of time Grossman missed with injuries in 2004 and 2005 prevented 
him from triggering major escalators in his contract that would have 
increased his salary. As it stands, he is set to earn base pay of $2.035 million in 
2007 as he looks to establish himself as an elite passer. 

''I'm not really thinking about [the contract situation] because more than 
anything, I want to be the quarterback of the Chicago Bears for a long time,'' 
he said. ''It is [a motivating factor], but not so much that it is a 
distraction. Every year is critical. This just happens to be a little more so. I've 
felt pressure in a lot of different ways. This is going to be roughly very 
similar to that. 

''They are waiting for me to take that next step, and I am waiting for 
myself to take that next step. And hopefully we meet after that.'' 

Looking back now -- he still has not watched a replay of the Super Bowl loss 
to Indianapolis -- Grossman said winning the NFC is a source of both pride 
and motivation. With quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson having moved on to Dallas, 
he will work with Pep Hamilton, an energetic young coach who was hired from 
San Francisco. 

Grossman popped his head into Hamilton's office to say hello recently and 
wound up walking out two hours later. 

''I watched stuff I had never seen before, like Joe Montana clips and Troy 
Aikman from practice,'' he said. ''It was really good.'' 

Hamilton is putting an emphasis on Grossman's footwork to improve his 
balance. That, in turn, could improve a host of things, starting with accuracy. The 
idea is to train Grossman to develop better muscle memory. 

''It's going to be an interesting offseason for me,'' he said. 

''The fact that I'm going to have a full season to really analyze and what I 
was thinking and try to get better.'' 

It will be an interesting season, too. The Bears have Brian Griese on board 
long-term. To Grossman, the contract situation is just another obstacle. 

His agent, Eugene Parker, said they are happy to wait to do a deal, certain 
that the price tag only will increase. 

''I have a lot of confidence I can be a consistent, great player in this 
league,'' Grossman said. ''It's going to happen.''