[CBFF] Bears already Rex-messaging :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Bears - Sent Using Google Toolbar

[Tom Shannon]

Bears already Rex-messaging
Smith, Angelo clearly want their QB back


February 22, 2008
BY MIKE MULLIGAN mmulligan at suntimes.com

INDIANAPOLIS -- It wasn't as emphatic as the usual ''Rex is our
quarterback,'' but Bears coach Lovie Smith and general manager Jerry
Angelo left no doubt Thursday that star-crossed free agent Rex
Grossman is who they want under center next season.

''I think this is his best situation,'' Angelo said. ''That's my
opinion. I've shared that with his agent. I don't see any reason why
he wouldn't come back given the scenario. The grass always looks
greener, but it's got to be mowed, too. So I feel he'll make a good
decision.''

» Click to enlarge image
The Bears want Rex Grossman back next season.

(AP)


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Also available
 Other quarterbacks besides Rex Grossman who are unrestricted free
agents (with last team):
Todd Collins (Redskins)
Daunte Culpepper (Raiders)
Quinn Gray (Jaguars)
Trent Green (Dolphins)
Byron Leftwich (Falcons)
 Cleo Lemon (Dolphins)
Jamie Martin (Saints)
Josh McCown (Raiders)
Craig Nall (Packers)
J.T. O'Sullivan (Lions)
Tim Rattay (Cardinals)
Chris Redman (Falcons)
Brian St. Pierre (Steelers)
Marques Tuiasosopo (Jets)
 Billy Volek (Chargers)
•  Some restricted-free-agent QBs:
Derek Anderson (Browns)
Ryan Fitzpatrick (Bengals)
Jared Lorenzen (Giants)
Dan Orlovsky (Lions)


Smith conceded ''there have been some highs and some lows,'' but was
adamant about wanting Grossman back.

''We think Grossman is a good football player, and I choose to
remember more of those highs,'' he said. ''I still don't think he's
peaked yet. I still think his future is bright.''

You were expecting anything else? There are times when the
Grossman-Bears marriage seems like an abusive relationship in which
both sides would be better off apart, but somehow can't quit each
other. Other times, Grossman seems like a horror-movie villain who
always seems to rise from the dead, often at the wrong time.

Grossman's imminent return -- does any other team want him? -- at
least comes with the caveat that he'll compete for the starting job
with Kyle Orton. Angelo -- who spoke from the NFL combine, where he's
evaluating players for the draft -- also won't rule out drafting a
quarterback and has been diligently scouting players at the position.

Angelo also wouldn't discount the possibility of keeping four
quarterbacks, but don't bet on it. What Angelo and Smith didn't say
was as telling as what they did. Both spoke of Grossman and Orton
competing for the starting job, but Brian Griese's name was notably
absent. If Grossman does return to the Bears, you can be assured that
Griese won't be back. In fact, he probably won't be back even if
Grossman isn't here.
Griese unlikely to get bonus

Rumors abound that Griese and offensive coordinator Ron Turner aren't
going to be dining together anytime soon, certainly not on
Philadelphia cheesesteak. Tension created by the last-minute drive to
beat the Eagles, coupled with Griese's comments about calling his own
plays on that drive and his bizarre apology the next day, supposedly
created a rift that has never been repaired.

Griese is due a $300,000 roster bonus early next month, and odds are
he'll never receive it.

The Bears seem to be banking on the idea that the Good Rex who started
every game in 2006, culminating in a trip to the Super Bowl, can
return next season. They're covering themselves against Bad Rex -- the
guy who threw two interceptions late in that Super Bowl and melted
down in the first three games last season -- by opening the starting
job to a competition with Orton.

''Kyle did some good things at the end, [and] I think he deserves the
right to compete at the position,'' Angelo said. ''I don't see this
dragging out into the season. We will have a pretty good feel, as we
already do, about the guys and what the tiebreaker is, that obviously
has to be determined by the coaches.''

Angelo said Grossman knows the situation and has discussed the
competition with Smith.

''He's fine with it,'' Angelo said.
'This is a little bit different'

The Bears have resisted such competitions in past years, in part
because it seems counterproductive to begin mapping throws and
counting completions and splitting repetitions when you're trying to
prepare for a season. It will be interesting to see what kind of
competition the Bears have in mind in training camp, since they are
committed to replacing two starters on the offensive line -- and at
least one wide receiver -- while also opening up the running-back
position to a competition.

''This is a little bit different,'' Angelo said. ''I don't want to say
it's tricky, but you're going to have to have a real plan in place to
be fair with everybody and to make sure you're making the right
decision -- because once we make that decision, we're going to go
forward with it and we're going to stay with it. That has been, for
the most, our track record. Unfortunately, we got into a tailspin
early in the season. We felt like we needed to make a change, and we
needed to make a big change -- and obviously you have to look at the
quarterback position when you're talking like that.''

Grossman was awful early last season, throwing one touchdown to six
interceptions with multiple fumbles and botched snaps in the first
three games. He returned to start four more games and played
significantly better. For the season, he had a 66.4 passer rating with
four touchdowns, seven picks and a 54.2 completion percentage
(122-for-225) while throwing for 1,411 yards in seven starts.