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!!

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.

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.

Tommie Harris' comments were just to compliment one of the best quaterbacks in the NFL.  Who wouldn't want Donovan McNabb as their quarterback?  Indianapolis, New England, and maybe New Orleans.  That's it.  Every other team in the league would bench their starter for McNabb, so Harris' comments really aren't a big deal.

There is a reason there has never been a quarterback controversy in Chicago. There is a reason that every time you ask Lovie Smith about the quarterback situation he says, "Rex is our quarterback". There is a reason that his team unequivocally endorses and supports their embattled field general. They see something in him that sets him apart from the rest. He has a chance to be something special in this league and I'm looking forward to the ride. The biggest indicator in how he will be as a quarterback is how he improves from year one to year two. "They" say that is the biggest tell. Give the guy a chance and stop drinking haterade.

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!!!