This is just another instance where the NFL is over stepping its boundaries and is simply trying to be "Massa" and control its players. People can have their opinions on whether they agree or disagree with Ocho Cinco's name change, but the fact of the matter is that he has legally changed his name and his new last name is "OCHO CINCO", like it or not.

The fact that the NFL is not recognizing a legal name change just lets you know that they are all about control.

If a player changes his name for religious or other reasons, the league would have no problem and they are now being hypocrites.

Back in 2006, then Eagles cornerback William Peterson changed his name to William James, and there was no issue. The No Fun League needs recognize the law before they have a lawsuit on their hands based on precedence.

What if people didn't recognize Cassius Clay's name change? What about Lou Alcinder? Or Chris Jackson (Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf )? The reason for the name change is none of the league's business!!!

It's just really funny to me that since the retirement of Sid Lukman, the most popular Bears quarterback is always the guy holding the clipboard.  I mean, really.  Stop it people.  Seriously.  If you guys really want to chalk the 2008 season as a loss and start the rebuilding process,  AND waste the potentially great defense they have, then by all means, start Caleb Hanie.  I want you guys to look Tommie Harris, Brian Urlacher, Mike Brown, and Lance Briggs in the eyes and tell them they won't be competing for a Super Bowl this year because you think Caleb Hanie is the next Tony Romo.

The numbers don't lie, people.  No rookie starting quarterback has EVER reached the Super Bowl.  EVER.  Since the AFL/NFL merger in 1970, only two rookie starting quarterbacks in NFL history have even won a single playoff game (Shaun King in 1999 & Ben Roethlisberger in 2004).  Do you really want to waste one more year of our dominant defense grooming a quarterback?  I think not.

Kyle Orton went 11-5 as a rookie starter in 2005 and people couldn't wait to pull the plug on him as soon as Grossman was healthy.  How many rookies win 11 games?  Not too many. 

Rex Grossman is 19-11 as a starter and led the Bears to the Super Bowl in HIS FIRST FULL SEASON AS A STARTER.  Not too many people do that either.  Contrary to popular belief (haters are everywhere), the Bears' quarterback situation is not as bad as the "experts" say it is. 

The Bears have two WINNERS on their roster, and last year's horrible season is more a product of injuries on defense that it was anything else.  I mean they basically signed Toeina and Jimmy Kennedy off the street to play for them last season because of injuries.  I'm not sure of the exact number, but I believe the Bears defense lost about 60 starts due to injuries.  They went from a top 5 defense in 2006 to the 28th ranked defense in 2007.  That has nothing to do with "Good Rex, Bad Rex" or "Checkdown Charlie" (Orton).

I guess the Redskins should start Colt Brennan over Jason Campbell based on one preseason game too, huh?  Ridiculous!

People need to stop drinking the "Caleb Hanie is the next Tony Romo" Kool-Aid, because the last time I checked, Dallas has a very good defense, and they still haven't won a playoff game since 1995, and that is including the two years Romo has started.

I'd rather my quarterback throw a pick in the Super Bowl than botch a snap and not get there at all.  Rex will win the qb battle and the Bears defense will dominate and give them a chance to go far in the playoffs.

Enough with the Caleb Hanie for President campaign, already!!

I believe the Bears need to figure a way how to pay Hester based on the production he's had as a Bear, and not his position.  You gotta think about it, the guy lead the team in total touchdowns!  And he's done it with way less time on the field than other players.  He had more total touchdowns last year than Muhammad and Clark combined!  And many of the touchdowns and field goals the Bears scored where a direct result of the field position Hester gives the Bears, even when teams kick away from him.  When you look at the production on most special teams, you can probably hope  you get maybe 2-3 touchdowns a year, AS A TEAM.  Hester did six by HIMSELF, and the next closest TEAM was the Texans with four.  That's still a 50% increase on their TEAM special teams' touchdown production.  That number is insane!

Let's forget all this talk about Hester not being a proven #1 wide receiver and he shouldn't be paid as such.  The whole purpose of having a #1 wide receiver is so that the guy can go out and score TOUCHDOWNS, which Hester did more of than any member of the Bears team, including the $42 million man Bernard Berrian, who only scored five touchdowns.  If that's worth $42 million, then what are Hester's eight touchdowns worth?

Hester scored as many total touchdowns last year as Chad Johnson, Wes Welker, Chris Cooley, & Santonio Holmes, who are all FULL TIME PLAYERS, who ALL make more money than Hester.  Now that Hester will become a full time player, he should be paid accordingly, and who out there doubts that with more time on the field will come more touchdowns for Devin Hester?

One more stat for you Bears Junkies to chew on:  There were 30 total kick and punt return touchdowns scored in the entire NFL last season, and Hester had six of them, meaning 1 in 5 special team touchdowns was scored by Hester, and that's lopsided, especially since there are 30 NFL teams.  Just pay Hester and get on with camp, people!!

For a long time in the NFL, there was an unwritten rule that a team, to be successful, had to have one workhorse running back, and the other guy(s) gets in the game in spot duty, or if the starter gets hurt.  That rule has fallen to the wayside as teams are starting to incorporate a two-back system playing to players' strengths.  The Bears did it last year, so did the Superbowl Champion Colts, the Vikings also do it.  When Priest Holmes was healthy a few years ago, it even worked for them with him and Larry Johnson.

So why is it, that in a new NFL era, are NFL coaches too stubborn to move to a two QB system when it is obvious that they have two decent QBs with differing strengths?  I don't have a lot of precedence to speak of in this instance, primarily because with the exception of the Arizona Cardinals (before Leinhart got hurt), no team dares to utilize more than  one quarterback, and by the time most teams go to their backups, the starter has already irreparably lost the game for them.

Here is what I propose, at least for the Chicago Bears: try to rotate Griese and Grossman, and call plays to their strengths; it will also open up the running game.  Griese is perceived as a more cerebral quarterback, more accurate on the short throw while not making a whole lot of mistakes, who, however, won't win too many games with his arm (with the exception of the Philly game), but won't lose them either.  Grossman, on the other hand, is the swashbuckling gunslinger, not afraid to take a chance or a gamble, known to single handedly win games with the deep ball, but, on more often than desired, has been known to lose games with that same arm.

Why not get the best of both worlds while at the same time keep opposing defenses on their heels and both of the Bears' quarterback sharp?

The answer: old school football traditional mumbo jumbo.

If you were to create a quarterback on a computer (that wasn't Tom Brady or Peyton Manning), you would get an almost perfect quarterback if you were to combine the strengths of Brian Griese and Rex Grossman; a calculating game manager with a laser, rocket arm. 

The Bears have that perfect quarterback, his name is Rex Griese.

As I sit and reminisce about the days of old when MJ and Pip used to embarrass their opponents, one question comes to mind: What shooting guard/small forward combo has even come close to playing at the level of Jordan/Pippen since the horrible and premature dismantling of the Unstoppa-Bulls in 1998?  The only answer that comes to mind is- NONE!

That is what the new Bulls are looking at if Paxon decides to grow a set of balls and pull a trigger on the Kobe Bryant deal.  As currently constituted, the Bulls aren’t a championship team.  Yeah, they might be good enough to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals to play the revamped Celtics, but keep in mind that even if they made the Finals, they would have to play a Western Conference team to win the championship.

The Bulls organization and fans need to get over their infatuation with Ben Gordon.  He is a very talented ball player, but if he is part of the price required to bring in the closest player in skill to His Airness since his exile to Washington, then so be it. 

The longer the Lakers wait to pull the trigger on Bryant, the less they are going to get for him.  The Lakers need to get rid of the malcontent Bryant more than the Bulls need to trade for him, and that is a negotiation piece in itself for Paxon.

The Bulls need to take a hard line and offer the Lakers a square deal for Bryant.  Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, and a future 1st round draft pick for Bryant.  Both Gordon and Thomas were top 4 picks in their respective drafts and getting a 1st round pick as well basically gives the Lakers three 1st round picks for Kobe.  That is fair enough for a player who will eventually opt out of his deal and the Lakers then get nothing.

Could you imagine what it would be like for Deng to have a big, offensive and defensive minded shooting guard to share the floor with him?  I’ve seen this movie before, and it ended in Utah in 1998 with six championship banners…

Let’s see if Paxon has the testicular fortitude to make this happen like that shot he made against Phoenix in ’93.

Did anyone see Michael Smith's interview with Joakim Noah on Rome is Burning yesterday on ESPN?  I was one of the many Bulls fans that was initially disappointed with the Noah pick, but I have to admit, the more I see this kid talk and carry himself, the more I like this kid.  My opinion change is exponential.

This kid isn't just happy and ecstatic to be in the NBA, he is genuinely ecstatic and excited to be in a Chicago Bulls uniform.  I haven't seen a kid this genuinely excited to be a Chicago Bull in a long time, and it's rather refreshing.

This guy isn't your typical NBA draft story.  This is not the kid who grew up in poverty and had basketball as his main option out of the hood.  His dad is a French tennis star, and his mom is a model.  If you believe in good breeding, what better pedigree can you have than that?

This kid didn't need basketball.  Like Matt Leinart he stayed in school longer because he like college and didn't need the money of a #1 draft pick.  He got good because he genuinely loves the game and he hates to lose. 

This guy was totally humble in the interview.  Totally different than the characature that we have seen on tv.  Very intelligent.  A great interviewee.  When asked about what his main personal goals were for his rookie season he answered, "to work as hard as I possibly can every day and to get better and better every day... to do whatever is asked of me by my team to win". 

Every answer this kid gave was team oriented.  When asked what he needed to improve on in his game he said he needed to improve on his shooting and his strength.  He also said that even the things that he is considered to do well he would like to improve upon.  That is the sign of a hard worker.  When asked about how the rookie of the year balloting comes out, he replied "I don't care... all those personal accolades, and all that stuff is poison... I just want to win... just like I was in college, it's all about team with me".

I pray this guy isn't all talk, and I doubt he is.

I'm not the kind of guy to say "I told you so", but, er, who am I kidding?  I TOLD YOU SO!!!!  As soon as Tank got arrested, people were on this website and blog throwing stones and passing judgement.  This is just another reason why in this country you are supposed to be considered "innocent 'til proven guilty"!

All you Tank haters out there were just itchin' for a chance to blast the guy.  You couldn't wait for that one slip up.  That one minor infraction.  Then BAM!!!  Crucify the guy.  After the Pacman Jones  and Chris Henry incidents, the bloodlust and desire to bash and judge professional athletes and football players in general has increased ten fold.

On the Fox Sports thread, I went on record defending Johnson and I got blasted and ganged up on just because I wanted to wait and see before I threw a stone at the guy.  I went on record to say that it wasn't as big of a deal as people were making it out to be, and people acted like I was defending Satan himself.  Even the Romans who crucified Jesus are saying that we judged too soon.

Did we learn anything from the Duke Lacrosse case?  I guess not.

As soon as Tank was arrested, it was like a full blown witch hunt, Salem style.  Tank drowned and didn't float.  I guess he's not a witch after all. 

Does anyone out there in Bear country think there will be any kind of legitimate quarterback controversy this year?  By legitimate I mean within the organization and not media created.  Da Bears have Brian Griese looming; Kyle Orton still waiting to prove himself again (ten wins his rookie season is nothing to sneeze at);  national champion and fellow Florida Gator Chris Leak wanting to prove that size doesn't matter; and Frankfurt Galaxy product J.T. O'Sullivan in the NFL Europa World Bowl making some serious noise. 

Who makes the cut, and secondly, where do all the other quarterbacks go?  I personally think that Orton is a gem that just needs to be polished.

The Bears seem to be the Rodney Dangerfield of the NFL, they get no respect.  No respect at all.  Trashing Da Bears' offense is just the fashionable thing to do nowadays, so I don't take too much stock in what most of these "experts" have to say.  Da Bears will probably lead the NFC in total points again, so that is that with that. 

Da Bears were tied for 2nd in the league in pts scored and added tight end Greg Olsen, or as I like to call him, "G-Reg" from the 7th floor crew.  They also added Garrett Wolfe.  With a healthy Mark Bradley helping B-squared (Bernard Berrian) stretch the field and Moose and Olsen crossing the middle, Da Bears' offense will be sick as long as Ced Benson holds up his end of the bargain.  He wanted to be the man, so now he gets his chance.   Ced is the man!!  Let's not even mention what will happen when we can get DH (Devin Hester) the ball on occasion. 

Rex Grossman will be substantially better this year than last year.  I predict a 2:1 ratio of touchdowns to interceptions.  His footwork will be better.  His mechanics will be better.  He will trust his offensive line and step into the pocket to make his throws.  He will run for the hills when necessary.  He will throw the ball away instead of throwing the interception.  Da Bears, particularly their offense, will get their respect this season.  If not, Grossman will be gone, and his contract won't be renewed.  The Bears will have the BEST OFFENSE IN THE NFC!

I'm not by any means downing any other team in the NFL, because us Bears fans can be obnoxious (especially myself), but I just feel that the Super Bowl runners up deserve a lot more respect than they have been getting lately.  I am driving the bandwagon, and a lot of people will want to jump back on once the Bears start dissecting these teams this year, just like everyone was on the bandwagon last year.  That's why they have so many nationally televised games.  They are that good...

Oh how I love the offseason!  You have the draft.  You have OTAs.  You have minicamp.  So much hope.  So much potential.  Then you have the preseason.  Teams like the Panthers go 4-0.  Houston goes 3-1.  Oakland goes 4-1.  The Colts go 1-3.  Da go 2-2.  Hopes are riding super high for so many teams, then...Bears

REALITY CHECK!!! OH!! OH... OOOOHHHHH!!!!!

It's funny how people can really, trully forget how much their team sucks between the end of the season and the beginning of the next season.  Last year's Super Bowl teams had a combined preseason record of 3-5, so let's not get too excited when these teams are in shorts and helmets.  Let's also not get too hyped up over that existential word "potential".  "Potential" kills teams.  "Production" wins championships.

I'm not gonna bash any other teams, but here's what I do know about Da Bears, and the quarterback situation in general:

Rex Grossman absolutely, positively, unequivocally will be better.  Guaranteed!  Why do I say that?

Grossman had seven games last year with a QB rating of at least 100 or more.  Two of those games had a rating of over 130.  He had one at 98.5 which is an #### scratch away from 100.  That is not potential.  That is actual game play.  We know what he is capable of when he plays his best.

Grossman had five games which totally skewed his average rating.  Games with ratings of 10.4, 36.8, 23.6, 1.3, and 0.0 ratings respectively.  It has been Grossman's mission in the offseason to work on his footwork and his pocket presence, making a commitment to stepping into his passes and not throw off of his back foot.  His mechanics were the cause of most of his ills at the quarterback position.  Many of the bad throws he made were actually good decisions, but bad throws or mechanics.  Mechanics can always be corrected, but dumb quarterbacking is harder to fix.  There will be no Kyle Orton playbook for Grossman.

Finally, and to cut this short (because I can elaborate all day), the addition of Greg Olsen at TE and the commitment of Ced Benson at RB, coupled with the addition of Devin Hester on offense will give Grossman more weapons than he could imagine and with better mechanics, he will be bringing a gun to a knife fight most games.  Berrian and Bradley will be sick deep threats if both stay healthy, and with Olsen and Clark in the middle and Hester looming, this will be an awesome year. 

Grossman will make the Pro Bowl this season.

GO BEARS!!!