Preseason tizzies
It would be an understatement to say that Rex Grossman has under-performed in the first three preseason games, just as it would be an overstatement to suggest that the Rex Grossman era is now over before it even began. You'd think that would be obvious to anyone with minimal football savvy, but you'd be wrong. Just ask columnist Rick Telander of the Sun-Times.
According to Telander, Grossman "has looked so inept at all phases of the game this preseason that you wonder not whether he can be a star, but how he made it to the Bears' roster."
Meanwhile, football analysts from across the country are picking up on the Grossman/Griese quarterback controversy, fanning the flames of what is, for now, a phony fire.
When I watch Grossman this preseason (and I've watched two of his three games), I see traits that I like and traits that I don't, but the traits I like I like quite a bit. I see a guy trying to get his groove on with a first-team unit that's shown less rhythm than a Baptist deacon at a 50 Cent concert. When I watch Griese, I watch a veteran at the top of his powers toying with second-stringers and backup players who won't make a 53-man roster next month. To compare the two performances is to miss the point entirely.
Grossman isn't a polished quarterback yet. He throws too many pickable passes. He gets excited and the ball sails on him. He's good at elevating the energy of the men around him, but he doesn't seem to be able to calm them down yet. He's aggressive and confident and charismatic.
His job this year is simple: Add a legitimate passing component to a run-based offense that's going to feature two former first-round picks at halfback. Between the two of them, those backs have a combined 4 yards rushing this preseason -- and you're telling me QUARTERBACK is the problem?
Once the games start counting, once the players who COULD play DO play, you're going to see a very different kind of game from Grossman. A typical stat-line for 2006: 13 of 24 for 200 yards, an INT and a touchdown, with a sack and couple of short runs. That's enough to put the Bears in the home field advantage hunt.
What's Griese? A top-level backup who could do very similar things, only with a slightly higher completion percentage. So why does Rex have the inside track?
Because we know what Griese is, and what he isn't. He is a good -- not great -- NFL quarterback who lacks the charisma and intangibles that the top field generals possess. He appears to have mellowed and perhaps matured, but Griese is just a step above journeyman quality, and he isn't likely to improve on that status.
Taken solely in the context of 2006, Grossman and Griese are about equal, as are Benson and Jones.
Taken in the context of the future of the franchise, Grossman MUST be given every opportunity early this season. Same with Benson.
If these two young, homegrown prospects fail to get the job done in September, then by mid-October you can expect to see Griese and Jones taking over. The rest of this team is prepared to make a Super Bowl run this year, and you won't see Lovie Smith squander that opportunity if Grossman and Benson clearly aren't the best options by the time the trees start changing color.
But to bench them now is beyond stupid. It's stuped.
Grossman and Benson were drafted and groomed to be the future of this offensive unit. If they're not going to be the answer, we need to know that this year. That simple.
And if they turn out to be solid NFL starters, as I suspect they will, then the Telanders of the world are going to be looking kind of silly.
According to Telander, Grossman "has looked so inept at all phases of the game this preseason that you wonder not whether he can be a star, but how he made it to the Bears' roster."
Meanwhile, football analysts from across the country are picking up on the Grossman/Griese quarterback controversy, fanning the flames of what is, for now, a phony fire.
When I watch Grossman this preseason (and I've watched two of his three games), I see traits that I like and traits that I don't, but the traits I like I like quite a bit. I see a guy trying to get his groove on with a first-team unit that's shown less rhythm than a Baptist deacon at a 50 Cent concert. When I watch Griese, I watch a veteran at the top of his powers toying with second-stringers and backup players who won't make a 53-man roster next month. To compare the two performances is to miss the point entirely.
Grossman isn't a polished quarterback yet. He throws too many pickable passes. He gets excited and the ball sails on him. He's good at elevating the energy of the men around him, but he doesn't seem to be able to calm them down yet. He's aggressive and confident and charismatic.
His job this year is simple: Add a legitimate passing component to a run-based offense that's going to feature two former first-round picks at halfback. Between the two of them, those backs have a combined 4 yards rushing this preseason -- and you're telling me QUARTERBACK is the problem?
Once the games start counting, once the players who COULD play DO play, you're going to see a very different kind of game from Grossman. A typical stat-line for 2006: 13 of 24 for 200 yards, an INT and a touchdown, with a sack and couple of short runs. That's enough to put the Bears in the home field advantage hunt.
What's Griese? A top-level backup who could do very similar things, only with a slightly higher completion percentage. So why does Rex have the inside track?
Because we know what Griese is, and what he isn't. He is a good -- not great -- NFL quarterback who lacks the charisma and intangibles that the top field generals possess. He appears to have mellowed and perhaps matured, but Griese is just a step above journeyman quality, and he isn't likely to improve on that status.
Taken solely in the context of 2006, Grossman and Griese are about equal, as are Benson and Jones.
Taken in the context of the future of the franchise, Grossman MUST be given every opportunity early this season. Same with Benson.
If these two young, homegrown prospects fail to get the job done in September, then by mid-October you can expect to see Griese and Jones taking over. The rest of this team is prepared to make a Super Bowl run this year, and you won't see Lovie Smith squander that opportunity if Grossman and Benson clearly aren't the best options by the time the trees start changing color.
But to bench them now is beyond stupid. It's stuped.
Grossman and Benson were drafted and groomed to be the future of this offensive unit. If they're not going to be the answer, we need to know that this year. That simple.
And if they turn out to be solid NFL starters, as I suspect they will, then the Telanders of the world are going to be looking kind of silly.
posted by Daniel at 8:37 AM
1 Comments:
The only thing I would say, in response to the quarterback issue, is that Griese is a proven performer when not asked to be the focal point of an offense. He is a capable reader of defenses, intelligent enough to audible, is mostly careful with the ball, and is accustomed to playing with good football players. Grossman, whom I also like, has not proven his ability to do any of the above. Although his potential may be greater, the job is his to lose if he fails to do, in the early part of the season, the things that Griese has proven he can do. Da Bears are fortunate to have a proven backup, the question is which one is the backup?
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