Right Wing Nut House

BEARS QUARTERBACK REX ‘THE WONDER DOG” GROSSMAN TAKES OVER

Alright already, I’ll sip some of that Super Bowl Kool-Aid. The Bears have a football team that, if they remain healthy, have a shot at making it to The Big Game.

The ferociousness with which the Bears defense first attacked then destroyed Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons last night in the team’s 16-3 victory should make all NFC contenders - including Mike Holmgren’s Seattle club - devoutly wish that they get to face someone else in the first rounds of the playoffs. Not only did the Bears brutally manhandle Mr. Vick and the vaunted Falcon offense, but Bears coach Lovie Smith finally broke down and made the painful decision to bench rookie quarterback Kyle Orton in favor of playing the almost as inexperienced and oft injured Rex Grossman. The qualitative jump in the Bear’s offensive production when Rex the Wonder Dog entered the game in the second half opened more than a few eyes among NFL scouts who were in attendance in frigid Soldiers Field, scouting the Bears as potential playoff foes. In fact, the difference was startling.

Much credit should be given Orton whose performance during the first 13 games of the season was good enough to allow the Bears to eke out several important victories. Alas, professional football is a remorseless test and the refrain “What have you done for me lately” is especially relevant when talking about rookie quarterbacks with a highly paid first round draft choice who is healthy and sitting on the bench just waiting for a chance to prove himself. This is the way of things and Orton, to his credit, probably was aware of this dynamic.

Still, when Grossman entered the game to the relief and excitement of the 54,000 hardy fans braving the below zero windchill no one quite knew what to expect. What the fans got was a visual on why Rex Grossman was the Bear’s #1 draft choice three long years ago.

The difference between Grossman and Orton was night and day. With quicker feet, Grossman is able to make the 5 and 7 step drops with more speed thus allowing him more time to scan the field for an open receiver. His release is quicker and his throws seemed to have the confidence of someone playing beyond his limited experience. His judgment can be questioned - especially his red-zone choices - but not his talent. And if he can find pro-bowl quality receiver Mushin “Moose” Muhammed with any kind of regularity, he and the team will enjoy much more success on offense. An improvement in the passing game will open up the running game and allow Thomas Jones a few more seams to squeeze through.

And if the Bears can go from scoring 10-13 points a game to a team that scores 20+ PPG, the increased offensive output coupled with the take-no-prisoners defense could be a recipe for success come playoff time.

Michael Vick looked cold. I mean, he actually looked like he would rather have been somewhere else than playing in the freezer-like confines of Soldier Field. After a few hits by Bears linebackers Briggs and Urlacher, he was probably asking himself what the hell he was doing in this meat locker. Bears middle linebacker Urlacher played an extraordinary game, sprinting from hashmark to hashmark, espying Vick to keep the nimble footed quarterback from running wild. And the conga line danced by the Bear’s 8 quality defensive linemen as they shuffled in and out of the game will probably give Vick and his offensive linemen nightmares for days to come. The Falcons quarterback had a horrendous night passing, completing only 13 of 32 for an anemic 122 yards. The Bear’s D-line lived in the Atlanta backfield for the whole game, not allowing Vick to get his feet set which caused several of his deliveries to either sail harmlessly over the head of the receivers or fall incomplete at their feet.

And Urlacher’s yeoman work pretty much took away the gifted Falcon’s quarterback dangerous scrambling ability. The Bear’s employed an umbrella-like coverage of the line of scrimmage with Urlacher as the point. With one lineman staying home on the strong side at all times, the Bear’s sacrificed an all out pass rush in favor of containing Mr. Vick. All Vick could really do was retreat backward into the pocket. By my count, he deliberately threw 7 balls out of bounds rather than get sacked, a telling number indeed.

One truly remarkable aspect of the Bear’s defensive effort is that the team had 5 starters on the inactive list for the game due to injuries, including both standout safeties Mike Brown and Chris Harris. Their replacements - especially rookie Brandon McGowan whose infectious enthusiasm infused the team with some pep in the brutally cold conditions - played more than adequately. In short, the Bear’s defense is not only very good, it is deep.

The spark supplied by Rex the Wonder Dog lit a fire under the entire offense. But as of this writing, Lovie Smith is withholding any decision on permanently replacing Orton. This is probably a sop to Orton’s feelings. Rather than come out and say immediately after the game that Grossman is the man, Smith tactfully said he would wait until he reviewed film of the two quarterbacks before making a decision on a starter for next week’s Christmas day game in Green Bay. A smart move given the potential distraction of a grumbling Orton who would feel humiliated by the change if announced so soon after the game ended.

Make no mistake, however. The Bear’s have crossed the Rubicon and won’t look back regarding their quarterback situation. Grossman will play the rest of the way unless he is injured again, a circumstance too horrible to contemplate. All the promise showed by the young man will now have to be turned into concrete results or the baying hounds in the press and on sports talk radio will be screaming to give Orton another chance.

Such is life in the NFL if you’re a quarterback.