I'll Bet Iron Mike Could Fix This

Hey Coach, we could use some help!

I want to rip on Rex Grossman SO BADLY for yesterday's loss, but I can't. Really, in all fairness, he didn't let the team down in any way. He performed tolerably for what he is - the backup QB. He kept the mistakes to a minimum (1 INT), and while he was completely useless on 3rd down (3-14...ugh), we WERE playing the best team in the NFL.

So I won't rip on Rex just yet.

I will say that Rex definitely changes the dynamic of the offense. If you look at the involvement of players like Rasheid Davis or Marty Booker (guys that Orton uses to move the ball in a hurry or get that quick pass off over the middle), you'll notice that they - combined - had one catch. To contrast, Grossman dumped the ball to Forte to give him 7 receptions to go along with his 20 rushing attempts. That doesn't really scream confidence to me.

Speaking of confidence, I have little to none in the Bears next week against the Packers. As much as I would like to spout how "we're gonna win" and "Rex can do it," I'm starting to realize the gravity of our situation. Every Friday before gameday, they pull Orton out of the iron lung and say, "hey, we could really use you this week. Try playing. Please. Can you start yet? How about now?"

My prediction is that the Bears do their one defensive trick (stack the box, and force the opposing team to throw the ball), and get burned badly. Even a QB with a bum shoulder (Rodgers) could beat out our cornerbacks right now. Expect big games from Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Donald Lee, and even Ryan Grant (short passes) that keeps us going down the slide.

Projected Score: 27-10 Packers.
Projected Grossman line: 210 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 1 fumble lost.

Neckbeard Lite

So, we lose one Neckbeard for at least a month, and now we get this one. Rex just doesn't have the same "I got stoned in the bathroom and then someone told me to put on this helmet" look, but he seems to know how to wear The Beard properly.

That said, just how fucked are we?

The Bears can actually still take the division if Grossman tries not to unleash the dragon every three plays (did anyone else see him overthrow Hester on that fly route? That's hard to do). With next week's matchup being against the conservative (but defensively monstrous) Titans, the Bears certainly have their work cut out for them. Grossman won't get many open recievers, and the Titans will surely stuff the box to keep Forte busy. Even so, if our defense can shut down Chris Johnson/LenDale White, there's a good chance we can win this game with some conservative drives for the FG.

This Sunday will really be the determining factor for this team. A win against the Titans can boost confidence (especially for Rex), and will help us take down the Packers the following week to lock up the division. A loss to the Titans, or excessive exploitation, spells doom and gloom for the Bears for the next four games until Orton is back.

Come on, Rex - prove you've got something left in the tank. It'll also help Keggers' case when he has to print that retraction about how Orton is better than you.

Oh Dear God, Please No

I don't even want to talk about this travest-sham-mockery right now. Terrible passing and Orton is out for at least a month?

Sigh.

Rex Got Served

"Ohhhhh! Damn, son!"

The worst part is, Grossman was still the best QB we put on the field Saturday night. In the game against the Seahawks, Grossman went 9/15 for 74 yards and a pick. He missed his mark when he actually had the chance to throw, and when he didn't...well, we know how helpful the Bears offensive line has been as of late. As a result, Grossman got the crap kicked out of him for most of the night, and his best chances to "unleash the dragon" were batted down. He also got cut just below the nose after one too many pummelings.

This is where I would put said picture, but I can't find it. Enjoy Steve Nash's fucked up shnoz.

Needless to say, the papers are loving the QB controversy. You know there's an elephant in the room when you get this comment from Lovie:

"Kyle made some good throws," Bears coach Lovie Smith said of opening half's final drive. "That's the way you like to see an offense execute."

No one likes to see any offense execute with Kyle Orton at the helm - especially after a very uninspiring night when he went 5-9 for 43 yards. Is our offensive line that bad?

Let's take a look:

Projected Starters:

LT: John St. Clair. The Bears have so much confidence in St. Clair that they've already spoken to Fred Miller, the guy they CUT earlier this year, to come back and recalim the starting spot. Granted, no one expected Chris Williams to be hurt, but this hole is the biggest (and most painful for Bears QBs).

LG: Terrence Metcalf. Nothing more than Ruben Brown's replacement. If the guy has been on the team since 2002 with an offensive line as "awe-inspiring" as ours, odds are he wasn't just "waiting in the wings for a vet to go down." If he could block, he would have been starting last year. Instead, he's been a perpetual reserve player, and he's now 30. This guy agrees.

C: Olin Kreutz. I like Olin. If only we could clone him, remove his injury risk, and put him in all 5 O-Line spots...

RG: Roberto Garza. You know you have a problem when you get this guy when you search for Garza. Long story short, he is Metcalf...just playing right guard.

RT: John Tait. Tait has been moved everywhere - and the season hasn't even started yet! First RT, then LT, then back again...it doesn't bode well that this is only the second starter I've named, and I'm out of positions.

We're fucked.

Favre Retires

After 17 seasons of torturing the Bears, Brett Favre has announced his (likely official this time) retirement.

Ahem:

YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYEYES!!!

THANK YOU LORD FOR GETTING FAVRE OUT OF OUR DIVISION!

WE PRAYED AND HOPED AND PRAYED SOME MORE, BUT YOU FINALLY GRANTED OUR WISHES!

More importantly, this means that there's only ONE "Favre-esque" player in the league:


And he's all ours...(sob)...

Bears in 08

News from Rotowire: Roscoe Parrish (PR/WR) just signed a contract extension with the Bills. $1.1 million signing bonus, bonuses of $3.25 million in 2008, $1.5 million in '09, a $1 million base salary in 2009, and base salaries of $1.25 million in 2010 and 2011, plus $500,000 roster bonuses each year.

This means Hester is going to want (and deserve) some serious cash this offseason or he'll probably hold out, since he's still got 2 years on his rookie contract, only making ~500K/season.

In addition, our unrestricted FA list looks like this:

Rex Grossman
Bryan Johnson
Bernard Berrian
Rashied Davis
John Gilmore
Ruben Brown
Brendon Ayanbadejo
Darrell McClover
Charles Tillman
Brandon McGowan

Seems like '08 is going to be tricky from the outset.

I assume we will resign Tillman, Ayanbadejo and McGowan. I don't really care about Berrian or Davis and Ruben Brown is getting pretty old. I think we are probably going to lose Briggs, unless we pay him too...

On the bright side, we've got substantial talent coming off the IR list, including top draft picks from the last two years:

Mike Okwo (LB)
Dan Bazuin (DE)
Dusty Dvoracek (NT)

(And vets Mike Brown and Ruben Brown who we missed most of the season).

It's too early to look into other FA's around the league but I'm sure we can find an affordable WR. We will have massive talent coming into the defense with the young guys who missed a lot of the 06 or 07 season PLUS our 08 draft picks. There are some great offensive lineman who we could sign, including Alan Faneca and Kyle Turley. The issue is a QB... there are no good FA's (except Romo, who will be a brokeback Cowboy) and the draft is weak after Brohm.

Are we going to roll the dice on a QB or should we draft more D? I always say the draft is for defense and free agency is for skill players but with most of the league starting shitty QB's (check Bill Simmons article from ESPN) we might have to pull another McNown/Grossman and hope for the best with Brohm or Colt.

Personally, I say stick with Grossman.

In fact, I challenge anyone to argue with the following reasoning: There is nobody better, with more upside at a cheaper cost.

If our defense is going to get better and our offense will (at best) stay the same, why roll the dice on a 3-5 year commitment that might (will definitely) suck ass during the last hurrah for Urlacher, Brown etc? Save our money, pay Hester, Briggs and Tillman, integrate the huge influx of young talent on the defense and sign a fast cheap WR to go along with Olsen and Moose.

Vote for Rex in 08.