Gross miscalculation, indeed
Cowboys' Romo has been kind of QB Bears thought they were getting in Rex
September 18, 2007
BY MIKE MULLIGAN
chicagosuntimes.com
He entered the NFL in 2003 but didn't get on the field consistently until last season. His struggles in December didn't keep his team out of the playoffs, but they took some luster off a fast start. He suffered through a backlash of criticism, and some concluded he was vulnerable to pressure and unable to read certain defensive looks.
Many in the league doubted he ever would overcome the psychological damage of a playoff meltdown. He's looking for a big-money contract.
Meet Tony Romo, a guy who so far this season is proving to be everything the Bears hoped Rex Grossman would be.
Two quarterbacks from the Class of 2003 -- Grossman, a first-round pick, and Romo, an undrafted free agent -- are on a collision course for Sunday night, when the defending NFC champion Bears host a Dallas Cowboys team that has looked good early. If only Grossman's star could shine as brightly as Romo's.
RELATED STORIES• Are winds of change blowing?
The quarterback of America's Team, Romo grew up in Burlington, Wis., just 25 miles north of the Illinois border, and played at Eastern Illinois. But despite entering the NFL without glitz and glitter or a decent contract, Romo made the Pro Bowl despite getting on the field late last season and has made the kind of jump to glory the Bears were expecting from Grossman.
Compare and contrast
In leading the Cowboys to a 2-0 record, Romo has produced a passer rating of 119.3 -- better than any two-game starter but the New England Patriots' Tom Brady. He has completed 29 of 53 passes for 531 yards and six touchdowns with one interception. Romo is averaging 10 yards per pass and has 10 completions of 20 yards or more. He has been sacked twice.
Grossman ranks 32nd in passer rating at 55.1. He has completed 32 of 57 passes for 305 yards and one touchdown with three interceptions. His longest completion is 24 yards, and he has been sacked six times.
Grossman, the fourth quarterback taken in 2003 behind Carson Palmer, Byron Leftwich and Kyle Boller, was selected 22nd overall. He struggled with injuries his first three seasons but finally got on the field for 16 games last season and wound up in the Super Bowl. Arguments rage about how big a role Grossman played in that run, but he certainly punctuated the final result with a pair of late interceptions -- one of which was returned for a touchdown -- to seal the Bears' fate against the Indianapolis Colts.
Romo watched 13 quarterbacks get taken on draft day 2003 before signing a free-agent deal with the Cowboys and then-offensive coordinator Sean Payton, also a former quarterback at EIU.
Romo went through an ordeal of his own in the first round of the playoffs. He was serving as the holder on a 19-yard field-goal attempt that would have been the game-winner against the Seattle Seahawks when he failed to handle a slick ball and couldn't get it down for Martin Gramatica's attempt. He tried to run the ball in but was tackled from behind by the Seahawks' Jordan Babineaux.
Instead of leading the Cowboys into Soldier Field for a second-round playoff game, he watched the Seahawks take the Bears to overtime. Cowboys fans were left to wonder what might have been.
Remember, Rex can improve
''I knew I would be OK with everything that happened,'' Romo told the Dallas Morning News. ''I felt for my teammates, the organization and the fans, but I knew I would be able to wake up and go forward. It was going to take time, but if that's the worst thing that happens to me in my life, I've had a pretty good life.''
Grossman's life has been sweet, too. The Bears have stuck with him through his struggles, and the organization always has been there to throw a shoulder around him, offer him an encouraging word and ensure him his job is safe. In their hearts, the Bears' decision-makers have to know they'd have been better off with Romo than with Grossman, but there are no do-overs on draft day.
Bears coach Lovie Smith showed patience with Grossman again Monday when interrogated by the media and said it was too early to evaluate his performance.
''I don't think you make calls based on what you have done after two games,'' Smith said. ''You need to go into the first quarter [of the season] a little bit. It's a little too early to say.''
But it's not too early to express concern about the Bears' seven turnovers, which include three Grossman interceptions.
''Those are things we have to correct,'' Smith said. ''Not being able to get the passing game going and not having 400 yards of total offense is one thing, but ball security is a big deal to us, and we have to eliminate the turnovers. It's as simple as that.''
The good news is that Grossman always seems capable of bouncing back. It was disturbing to see his mechanics break down in the second half, and both interceptions were miserable. He'll have to do better than that for the Bears to beat the Cowboys. He might never be Tony Romo good, but he certainly has room for improvement.
September 18, 2007
BY MIKE MULLIGAN
chicagosuntimes.com
He entered the NFL in 2003 but didn't get on the field consistently until last season. His struggles in December didn't keep his team out of the playoffs, but they took some luster off a fast start. He suffered through a backlash of criticism, and some concluded he was vulnerable to pressure and unable to read certain defensive looks.
Many in the league doubted he ever would overcome the psychological damage of a playoff meltdown. He's looking for a big-money contract.
Meet Tony Romo, a guy who so far this season is proving to be everything the Bears hoped Rex Grossman would be.
Two quarterbacks from the Class of 2003 -- Grossman, a first-round pick, and Romo, an undrafted free agent -- are on a collision course for Sunday night, when the defending NFC champion Bears host a Dallas Cowboys team that has looked good early. If only Grossman's star could shine as brightly as Romo's.
RELATED STORIES• Are winds of change blowing?
The quarterback of America's Team, Romo grew up in Burlington, Wis., just 25 miles north of the Illinois border, and played at Eastern Illinois. But despite entering the NFL without glitz and glitter or a decent contract, Romo made the Pro Bowl despite getting on the field late last season and has made the kind of jump to glory the Bears were expecting from Grossman.
Compare and contrast
In leading the Cowboys to a 2-0 record, Romo has produced a passer rating of 119.3 -- better than any two-game starter but the New England Patriots' Tom Brady. He has completed 29 of 53 passes for 531 yards and six touchdowns with one interception. Romo is averaging 10 yards per pass and has 10 completions of 20 yards or more. He has been sacked twice.
Grossman ranks 32nd in passer rating at 55.1. He has completed 32 of 57 passes for 305 yards and one touchdown with three interceptions. His longest completion is 24 yards, and he has been sacked six times.
Grossman, the fourth quarterback taken in 2003 behind Carson Palmer, Byron Leftwich and Kyle Boller, was selected 22nd overall. He struggled with injuries his first three seasons but finally got on the field for 16 games last season and wound up in the Super Bowl. Arguments rage about how big a role Grossman played in that run, but he certainly punctuated the final result with a pair of late interceptions -- one of which was returned for a touchdown -- to seal the Bears' fate against the Indianapolis Colts.
Romo watched 13 quarterbacks get taken on draft day 2003 before signing a free-agent deal with the Cowboys and then-offensive coordinator Sean Payton, also a former quarterback at EIU.
Romo went through an ordeal of his own in the first round of the playoffs. He was serving as the holder on a 19-yard field-goal attempt that would have been the game-winner against the Seattle Seahawks when he failed to handle a slick ball and couldn't get it down for Martin Gramatica's attempt. He tried to run the ball in but was tackled from behind by the Seahawks' Jordan Babineaux.
Instead of leading the Cowboys into Soldier Field for a second-round playoff game, he watched the Seahawks take the Bears to overtime. Cowboys fans were left to wonder what might have been.
Remember, Rex can improve
''I knew I would be OK with everything that happened,'' Romo told the Dallas Morning News. ''I felt for my teammates, the organization and the fans, but I knew I would be able to wake up and go forward. It was going to take time, but if that's the worst thing that happens to me in my life, I've had a pretty good life.''
Grossman's life has been sweet, too. The Bears have stuck with him through his struggles, and the organization always has been there to throw a shoulder around him, offer him an encouraging word and ensure him his job is safe. In their hearts, the Bears' decision-makers have to know they'd have been better off with Romo than with Grossman, but there are no do-overs on draft day.
Bears coach Lovie Smith showed patience with Grossman again Monday when interrogated by the media and said it was too early to evaluate his performance.
''I don't think you make calls based on what you have done after two games,'' Smith said. ''You need to go into the first quarter [of the season] a little bit. It's a little too early to say.''
But it's not too early to express concern about the Bears' seven turnovers, which include three Grossman interceptions.
''Those are things we have to correct,'' Smith said. ''Not being able to get the passing game going and not having 400 yards of total offense is one thing, but ball security is a big deal to us, and we have to eliminate the turnovers. It's as simple as that.''
The good news is that Grossman always seems capable of bouncing back. It was disturbing to see his mechanics break down in the second half, and both interceptions were miserable. He'll have to do better than that for the Bears to beat the Cowboys. He might never be Tony Romo good, but he certainly has room for improvement.
posted by The Gryphon at 9:16 PM
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