Grossman Bears' quick-change artist
David Haugh
September 17, 2007
Nobody had to.
They were expected and, from the tone Grossman used to describe the offense's lucky-to-get-out-alive effort against the winless Chiefs, deserved.
In fact, Grossman was so brutally honest about his second straight blah game that you could imagine the quarterback cursing himself when he watches tape of those interceptions.
"Thank God we have a great defense to bail me out," Grossman said.
He could also thank Devin Hester.
But neither Hester's 73-yard punt return nor the Super Bowl-caliber defense the Bears continued to play despite losing two starters represented the biggest issue emerging from the season's first win.
Those are givens every week. Grossman just isn't yet.
All that might change next Sunday night when the Dallas Cowboys arrive and Grossman shows Tony Romo who the real Pro Bowl quarterback should have been last year. Or Grossman might look like an All-Pro the first half and All-Arena League in the second.
Those extremes are used to drive home the point that Grossman illustrated once again just how different he can be within the same game -- and how quickly the transformation can happen for no apparent reason.
When Grossman put up mediocre numbers against the Chargers, nobody overreacted because the running game took a California vacation and the pass rush teed off on the quarterback. But no such excuse existed against the Chiefs with Cedric Benson making progress by running for 101 yards.
With Benson successfully pounding away early, the Chiefs were forced to respect the running game and open the play-action passing lanes tailored to Grossman's strengths. The rhythm established was obvious on the Bears' 15-play, 79-yard scoring drive to open the second quarter.
At halftime Grossman entered the locker room looking as competent as he was confident, having completed 13 of 20 passes for 120 yards and a gimmick 2-yard TD pass to offensive tackle John St. Clair.
Then something happened in the second half nobody could explain. But everybody understood.
The Chiefs' defense handled Grossman as if they'd had Bill Belichick's videographer perched in Section 314. The conventional 4-3 front didn't do anything to confuse Grossman or the offensive line with blitzes or any other gimmicks, said center Olin Kreutz.
But instead of putting the Chiefs away in the fourth quarter the way gunslinger quarterbacks tend to do, Grossman kept them close. In the process, he kept alive the notion that his mistakes come in unpredictable bunches.
The first interception came when Grossman overthrew Garrett Wolfe on a screen pass that looked more like a pop fly and landed in the arms of Napoleon Harris. The second came two series later when Grossman forced a pass into Rashied Davis on third-and-8, and Donnie Harris intercepted.
"I've got to see him," Grossman said. "It was my fault."
He finished 20 of 34 for 160 yards with one TD, two interceptions and a 56 passer rating.
But numbers no longer really matter with Grossman. He could have padded those statistics in the three quarters before the interceptions, and the scrutiny still would have been -- should have been -- on the errors. If Jarrad Page hadn't dropped an ill-advised heave downfield in the first half, Grossman would have had three interceptions.
"I'm always happy when we win, [and] I'm extremely happy with our offensive line," Grossman said. "But I didn't feel in the second half like I did in the first half."
He didn't sound edgy or annoyed or surprised. He seemed as tired of explaining his mysterious ways as everybody is of hearing his explanations. He sounded as if he knew a player trying to disprove the unfair label of mental midget has to make smarter throws.
"Obviously we have to put two halves together," Grossman said.
He said we. He could have just said I.
More than any other Bear, Grossman needed to demonstrate progress this season, and even the staunchest Rex backer has to acknowledge he has only shown incremental improvement in two games.
There's still plenty of time. But the clock is ticking and, based on how quickly the booing started, the natives surpassed the restless stage long ago. They now smell blood.
If this continues they will start looking at Brian Griese and seeing an answer that in reality probably would only pose different questions.
The Bears still can win with Grossman. Just accept that they might cringe every time they do. Realize that he might never outgrow the inconsistency he has spent the last nine months correcting.
He can be marvelous. And maddening. On consecutive plays.
And in other news, the sky is blue.
"I don't like the turnovers we had late in the game," Lovie Smith said. "We have to eliminate that."
Don't expect Smith to start getting as antsy about Grossman as his fan base as long as the Bears keep winning. That's Smith's ultimate measure of a quarterback.
Grossman's toughness in dealing with the blitz pressure every opponent will apply goes a long way in the locker room. It earns him respect. It brings him admiration.
But for a team serious about winning the Super Bowl, it doesn't write a blank check of support no matter the record.
September 17, 2007
Nobody had to.
They were expected and, from the tone Grossman used to describe the offense's lucky-to-get-out-alive effort against the winless Chiefs, deserved.
In fact, Grossman was so brutally honest about his second straight blah game that you could imagine the quarterback cursing himself when he watches tape of those interceptions.
"Thank God we have a great defense to bail me out," Grossman said.
He could also thank Devin Hester.
But neither Hester's 73-yard punt return nor the Super Bowl-caliber defense the Bears continued to play despite losing two starters represented the biggest issue emerging from the season's first win.
Those are givens every week. Grossman just isn't yet.
All that might change next Sunday night when the Dallas Cowboys arrive and Grossman shows Tony Romo who the real Pro Bowl quarterback should have been last year. Or Grossman might look like an All-Pro the first half and All-Arena League in the second.
Those extremes are used to drive home the point that Grossman illustrated once again just how different he can be within the same game -- and how quickly the transformation can happen for no apparent reason.
When Grossman put up mediocre numbers against the Chargers, nobody overreacted because the running game took a California vacation and the pass rush teed off on the quarterback. But no such excuse existed against the Chiefs with Cedric Benson making progress by running for 101 yards.
With Benson successfully pounding away early, the Chiefs were forced to respect the running game and open the play-action passing lanes tailored to Grossman's strengths. The rhythm established was obvious on the Bears' 15-play, 79-yard scoring drive to open the second quarter.
At halftime Grossman entered the locker room looking as competent as he was confident, having completed 13 of 20 passes for 120 yards and a gimmick 2-yard TD pass to offensive tackle John St. Clair.
Then something happened in the second half nobody could explain. But everybody understood.
The Chiefs' defense handled Grossman as if they'd had Bill Belichick's videographer perched in Section 314. The conventional 4-3 front didn't do anything to confuse Grossman or the offensive line with blitzes or any other gimmicks, said center Olin Kreutz.
But instead of putting the Chiefs away in the fourth quarter the way gunslinger quarterbacks tend to do, Grossman kept them close. In the process, he kept alive the notion that his mistakes come in unpredictable bunches.
The first interception came when Grossman overthrew Garrett Wolfe on a screen pass that looked more like a pop fly and landed in the arms of Napoleon Harris. The second came two series later when Grossman forced a pass into Rashied Davis on third-and-8, and Donnie Harris intercepted.
"I've got to see him," Grossman said. "It was my fault."
He finished 20 of 34 for 160 yards with one TD, two interceptions and a 56 passer rating.
But numbers no longer really matter with Grossman. He could have padded those statistics in the three quarters before the interceptions, and the scrutiny still would have been -- should have been -- on the errors. If Jarrad Page hadn't dropped an ill-advised heave downfield in the first half, Grossman would have had three interceptions.
"I'm always happy when we win, [and] I'm extremely happy with our offensive line," Grossman said. "But I didn't feel in the second half like I did in the first half."
He didn't sound edgy or annoyed or surprised. He seemed as tired of explaining his mysterious ways as everybody is of hearing his explanations. He sounded as if he knew a player trying to disprove the unfair label of mental midget has to make smarter throws.
"Obviously we have to put two halves together," Grossman said.
He said we. He could have just said I.
More than any other Bear, Grossman needed to demonstrate progress this season, and even the staunchest Rex backer has to acknowledge he has only shown incremental improvement in two games.
There's still plenty of time. But the clock is ticking and, based on how quickly the booing started, the natives surpassed the restless stage long ago. They now smell blood.
If this continues they will start looking at Brian Griese and seeing an answer that in reality probably would only pose different questions.
The Bears still can win with Grossman. Just accept that they might cringe every time they do. Realize that he might never outgrow the inconsistency he has spent the last nine months correcting.
He can be marvelous. And maddening. On consecutive plays.
And in other news, the sky is blue.
"I don't like the turnovers we had late in the game," Lovie Smith said. "We have to eliminate that."
Don't expect Smith to start getting as antsy about Grossman as his fan base as long as the Bears keep winning. That's Smith's ultimate measure of a quarterback.
Grossman's toughness in dealing with the blitz pressure every opponent will apply goes a long way in the locker room. It earns him respect. It brings him admiration.
But for a team serious about winning the Super Bowl, it doesn't write a blank check of support no matter the record.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:54 PM
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