Bears' Grossman Seeking to Quiet the Critics

Football Betting Lines

01/27/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rex Grossman has to be aware of what the history books say. There is not much precedent for a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback falling on his face in the Super Bowl, and even less precedent for an opposing signal- caller judged by most to be mediocre beating that star.

The young Tom Brady was viewed as a liability to his Patriots before he defeated two-time NFL MVP Kurt Warner in Super Bowl XXXVI, though five years later, there should be little debate that Brady was and is the finer player.

The Redskins' Mark Rypien and Giants' Jeff Hostetler both beat eventual Hall- of-Famer Jim Kelly, while Washington's Doug Williams took down John Elway, but all three of those journeyman QBs were at or near the age of 30 and had spent plenty of time in the league before they won their Super Bowls.

The 26-year-old Grossman, who has just 26 games of NFL starting experience under his belt, does not possess the same kind of pedigree.

Thus, should it be Peyton Manning who is walking dejectedly to the locker room around 10pm on the night of the February 4th, while Grossman hoists the Lombardi Trophy in exultation, a Super Bowl storyline for the ages will have been formed.

The difficult road Grossman has traveled to reach this, the pinnacle of his sport, will be examined ad infinitum in the days leading up to Super Bowl XLI.

The No. 22 overall pick out of the University of Florida in 2003, Grossman immediately gave Bears fans hope for the future by winning two of his three starts at the tail end of an otherwise dismal 7-9 campaign.

Handed the starting job heading into 2004, Grossman would tear his right ACL in a Week 3 loss to the Vikings, ending a season that had Chicago fans agitated over the stylings of QBs such as Jonathan Quinn, Chad Hutchinson, and Craig Krenzel.

After rehabilitating his knee, Grossman broke his left ankle in the Bears' second preseason game of 2005, and wouldn't re-appear until mid-December, when he re-assumed control of a team that had managed to win the NFC North on the strength of its defense and the decent game management of rookie quarterback Kyle Orton. After returning to the lineup, Grossman played in three games, including the team's disappointing 29-21 loss to the Panthers in the NFC Divisional Playoff.

Entering 2006, Grossman had done enough to suggest that he could indeed be the quarterback Chicagoland had been waiting for since Jim McMahon left town in the late '80s, but major questions remained about his durability.

The ex-Gator answered those queries as he started every game of the 2006 season, while giving rise to a whole new set of interrogatives.

The year started well. Grossman won his first seven starts, posting a passer rating of 98.6 or better in five of those games. The fourth-year-pro had just one notably poor performance during Chicago's 7-0 start, a six-turnover meltdown in the Bears' infamous 24-23 win at Arizona. That showing was inarguably weak, but every quarterback is entitled to a shaky performance, right?

Once November started, however, miscue-laded Grossman outings were becoming more the rule than the exception. In the team's first loss of the year, at home against Miami on Nov. 5th, the triggerman completed just 18-of-42 passes and committed four more turnovers. Later that month, Grossman would struggle in back-to-back games at the Jets and Patriots, finishing with a November passer rating of just 57.1 and giving rise to whispers about a potential QB change.

When the Vikings came calling at Soldier Field on Dec. 3rd, those whispers turned into screams.

The Bears beat Minnesota, 23-13, but they did so not because of Grossman but in spite of him. Grossman's stat line for the day - 6-of-19 passing, 34 yards, 3 INT, 1.3 passer rating - turned backup Brian Griese into the most popular man wearing a navy blue, orange, and white uniform.

Still, head coach Lovie Smith stuck with Grossman, telling reporters, "The reality is we're 10-2 right now. We just won the division with Rex at quarterback, so that's what I go on."

Grossman would reward his head coach's trust by playing well in consecutive wins over the Reams (42-27), Buccaneers (34-31), and Lions (26-21), though the equity he gained during that run was squandered in a meaningless season-ending loss to the Packers. Grossman was 2-of-12 passing with a 0.0 passer rating before being pulled in the second half, following which he publicly acknowledged a lack of preparation in the week leading up to the loss.

Grossman was ripped mercilessly by both media members and radio call-in show blowhards both for his performance and ill-considered comments. Room on the Griese bandwagon, meanwhile, was dwindling fast.

Thus far, to the delight of the Bears and their supporters, the 2006 postseason has featured more of the good Rex than the bad Rex. Grossman threw for 282 yards in a Divisional Playoff win over Seattle, leading Chicago to its first postseason victory since 1994. One week later, in a 39-14 NFC Championship triumph over the Saints, Grossman was virtually mistake-free, and also hit wideout Bernard Berrian with a highlight reel-worthy 33-yard touchdown pass to help salt the game away in the fourth quarter.

Despite his stepped-up play, major doubts remain in regard to Grossman's abilities to engineer a Super Bowl win, and the quality of Manning, his Indianapolis counterpart, are a significant factor in Grossman's assumed role as the ugly duckling in this fable.

Not that Grossman is going to be listening to many of the naysayers as he attempts to complete the Bears' playoff run with a win.

"I take criticism from our coaches," said Grossman. "I don't pay much attention to media criticism. They don't really know exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. I take criticism from our offensive coordinator, quarterback coach and try to get myself better from that and that's the only thing that I really need to concentrate on.

"Everyone else's opinions doesn't affect how I approach anything."