adam

Most NFL QBs make beautiful throws when they have time. Grossman seems to be a mini-Bledsoe/Favre hybrid. He has a great arm when he has decent protection, can make gunslinger throws on the button, but folds in the pocket under pressure while looking completely lost under center. Your right about the height issues too, those will never go away unless he wears some larger insoles. The best thing Rex has going for him is the confidence of his Head Coach and the rest of his team. I don't think I ever heard any of the players questioning him, which has to be a confidence booster.

The "first full year" thing is used a little too much IMO. Even though this was his first full season, he has been around since 2003! He will definitely improve next year, but as a full time starter, his numbers can't be that much worse - he was 2nd to last in QB Rating for QBs that started every game - and that was with 7 games over a 100 QB rating and 1 with a 98.6. If he starts every game next year, I think he will have numbers like this (a slight improvement in most areas): 80.0 QB Rating (6 games over 100, and 2 games under 40). 3400 YDS 24 TDs 16 INTs 20 Sacks 4 Fumbles Lost Throws off back foot 8 less times

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=Asfc...p&type=lgns

I am so torn between Good Rex and Bad Rex. The Good Rex is probably one of the best QBs in Bears history and the bad Rex is one of the worst. There is a huge difference. That is one of his weaknesses, inconsistency. I would rather have a guy put up an 80.0 QB rating every game instead of a +100 one game and a -40 the next. At least you know what you are going to get. He knows the Bears system as good as anyone, so I would also add that to his strengths. A new QB will have a much steeper learning curve. The only problem I see is this guy has been playing QB for most of his life, so certain changes will be very hard to do. I can see picking up the blitzes or making the reads, because those come with experience, but some of the other things seem to be ingrained in his head and more habitual. I really believe his injuries have a lot to do with him throwing off his back foot and not stepping up into the rush. Also, even though his accuracy can be a strength, I also saw him totally miss easy dump offs to Jones and McKie on a regular basis, or throw completely behind receivers. So I think more than any one thing it comes down to consistency. When he is on, he is making reads, throwing crisp accurate passes, leading receivers, etc - and when he is off, everything goes into the shitter. I really hope he can fix that.

He is definitely not going to Dallas with Phillips there sticking with the 3-4. Chisoxfn is probably correct. He will hang around with the Bears and try to build his resume even more, and will probably leave within the next few years.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2758164 Cowboys hiring Wade Phillips instead. They want to stick with the 3-4, and not move to the 4-3, which Rivera is familiar with.

The good thing is if the Bears were interested in Garcia, this would seem to allow them to get him for a cheaper price. Players are more apt to take less money to go where they want. Garcia might not care about the money if he can get to a SB - and the Bears are one of the best teams in the NFC. Also, Garcia played in some harsh weather in Philly, which would translate well to Chicago in December.

I don't think Briggs is a must-have player. He is an upper tier LB without Urlacher but Chaos is right - Urlacher takes a lot of pressure off Briggs. The Bears cannot tie up too much one in one position. Unless they can get him to sign an incentive laden contract with a large signing bonus and smaller salary, he will be hard to resign.

I think that all the coaches along with the player play a part in their success and failure. Only true superstars can overcome bad coaching and bad schemes. The on thing I read about Grossman is that he never had a mentor, or at least someone to sit behind for a year or two and learn the ropes. Guys like Rivers -Brees, Palmer-Kitna, Young-Montana, etc. A bunch of the better QBs sat for a year or two behind a solid QB learning the ropes and just observing. Rex never got that opportunity. That does not take the blame off of him. The coaches are not the ones just throwing the ball up, making bad reads, or just folding in the pocket. That is mainly on Rex. I just wish the Bears had more quick decisions. Don't hold the ball. Either a 3 step or 5 step drop and release. Read and react. It seems like all his troubles come up when he has to hold the ball longer and go thru progressions. The other thing is his height seems to limit his throws directly over the D-Line (in front of the ump). Teams seemed to play off this later in the year.

David Carr seems like the only logical choice from those above. Also, if you have seen some of the Texans games, most of Carr's sacks are not because of him. His offensive line may be one of the worst in history, especially his rookie year. The easy way to tell if he is mobile is to look at his rushing yards. He averages about 250 yds per year on the ground from scrambling, to include 8 rushing TDs in his career. Compare that to Grossman's 2 rushing yards in 2006.

I would love to see Carrr in a Bears uniform. He is really under-rated. He has played with a horrible O-Line for most of his career, and has really only had one legit receiver - Johnson. He is also 2 inches taller than Grossman, which actually makes a huge difference in the pocket. Sacks by year: Rookie - 76 2nd year - 15 (in only 12 games) 3rd year - 49 4th year - 68 5th year - 41 Those are a ton of sacks. That is averaging over 3 sacks a game for a career. Here is an interesting snippet from Houston: Just think, they basically passed on Vince Young because they locked up Carr last year.

His official title was "Assistant Head Coach/Defense" and they already had a Defensive Coordinator. If he would take the position on the Bears as Defensive Coordinator, that would be sweet.

The best part was it was different t-shirts, probably from the different years they lost. LOL.

Wow, I can't believe this debate is still going on. It is really hard to compare second tier guys like this on different teams, different offensive lines, etc. These guys are all pretty comparable.

That makes sense, anyone in a contract year willing to risk injury in the Pro Bowl is pretty stupid.

Yep, they have been doing this for years with all sports. I remember seeing a special about Africa and their were a ton of kids running around with Buffalo Bills World Champions T-shirts on.....

Rex is not the only one to blame, but as the QB he is inherently responsible for what occurs on the offensive side of the ball. I am curious about audibles. Is Rex allowed to call them? Those Turner trends are interesting and I am sure other teams have a lot more information than that. However, even if you know a pass or run is coming, you still have to stop it. I don't know about Grossman improving very much. I think his reads have improved, but it has been awhile since I saw a QB just crumble in the pocket like he does, and the throwing off the back foot kills me. There is no way to get anything on the ball when you are doing that. That is a basic mechanical movement that should've been corrected along time ago. I will look for the stat, but there was something out there about Rex's throws and how several catches could easily have been INTs if it wasn't for the WRs making highlight reel catches. Basically a ton of his better games had "lucky" throws in them that masked his other throws. Rex is still young, so he gets a second chance next year.

I don't think the loss of Rivera would be too big of a deal as long as Lovie can get someone that he can work with.

Wow, I didn't realize how many TJ haters were around. His numbers have been solid every since he arrived in Chicago: 948 yds, 56 receptions, over 1350 total yds 1335 yds, 26 receptions, over 1470 total yds 1210 yds, 36 receptions, over 1360 total yds He is also a decent blocker out of the backfield. For the price, he has been a bargain for the Bears.

I think I watched it like 10 years ago for like 5 minutes, then realized why I never watch it. They might as well get rid of it and just make the All-Pro teams the seasonal awards (just add 2nd team awards for the subs), then do some sort of banquet (like the ESPYs) and a skills competition with a fan forum. That would be better for everyone. They could rotate this event around the country and get some publicity for the NFL, instead of the annual event in Hawaii. Who would pay to go to Hawaii just for the Pro Bowl anyway?

Great, 93 million people saw the Bears suck up the field.

You are correct though. You replace that INT TD into Bears TD drive and the Bears are up 24-22. Unfortunately you can say that about a ton of plays that resulted in Colts scores. All the fumbles, the missed assignment on Wayne, etc, etc.

Yeah, the Safety was rolled up in DB, I should have clarified my post. I think OL is the first priority, then CB/S, whatever is the best value in that next pick. I don't think WR is a priority for 2007, but definitely for 2008. Moose is still a solid possession receiver, and Berrian is the deep threat. Davis and Bradley can fill in as needed. It is still possible that they pick up a receiver in the middle rounds. If they believe D. Clark is still solid, they can bypass the TE this year.

At this point we are beating Barbaro. The Bears got outplayed and outcoached, thats the bottomline. They at least have this experience under their belts, and I am sure this taste is a lot worse than the Carolina loss last year. This one will sting until the Bears win it all. It is hard to not see them as favorites to repeat as NFC champions for next year. No team is really that close in the NFC.

It seems like more and more of players are opting out of the Pro Bowl because they hate traveling to Hawaii. I don't blame him, he is probably so pissed off right now, but it would have been nice for his teammates if he went.