Grossman vows big plays to come
September 20, 2007
By GENE CHAMBERLAIN STAFF WRITER
LAKE FOREST -- The soul searching continues on the offensive side at Halas Hall.
"I think last year at this time we played Seattle in a similar situation, and I'd like to duplicate that game," said quarterback Rex Grossman.
The difference between last year's 37-6 Week 4 win on a Sunday night at home over Seattle and this Sunday's Week 3 showdown against the high-powered Dallas Cowboys is the Bears' passing attack started last year on fire heading into the prime-time showdown.
This year it's a dud.
"We got some big plays last year that helped," Grossman said. "We were just playing better, basically.
"Obviously, there were some good (defensive) looks to make big plays (against) and things (last year). Besides that, we were just playing a lot smarter. I was playing a lot smarter and doing the things needed to score points. I need to get back to that and figure out what we need to do to make sure that happens."
They've had three pass plays longer than 20 yards and none longer than 24.
"I would say that I expected us to play better, definitely that," said wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad, who has been held to 15 yards on two catches.
Grossman takes a 55.1 passer rating into Sunday night's game, higher among NFL starters than only Minnesota's Tarvaris Jackson. It's a major reason the Bears are 30th in offense (220.5 yards a game), and the kind of trend that could easily lead to a quarterback's benching if it continues.
Grossman admits to pressing last week during the second half against Kansas City, when he went 7 of 14 for 40 yards with two interceptions and a 16.67 passer rating. He'd gone 13 of 20 for 120 yards and a touchdown in the first half for a 97.9 rating.
It was almost as if his fear of making big mistakes led to big mistakes.
"In the second half in the game, things weren't just coming open easy, you know, and I was pressing to try to still make sure you're conservative and still making plays," Grossman said. "That combination may have misguided some of my reads and just trying not to make a mistake and then you make a mistake.
"Just play football and be smart -- that's where I am going to go from here on out. That should take me in the right direction."
Grossman called physical mistakes on throws something he could understand.
"But when you prepare as hard as I have prepared, and then you make a mental mistake that is right in front of you, you really ... it's really frustrating," he said.
Offensive coordinator Ron Turner is trying to harness Grossman's aggressiveness.
"Rex is naturally an aggressive person and we're trying hard as coaches not to take away that aggressiveness," he said. "But there is a time to be aggressive and a time not to be.
"That's a matter of finding exactly what he said, finding that balance. I want Rex to take his shots when they present them, and we're going to give him opportunities to take his shots. Unfortunately, in the first two games we haven't had those opportunities, just the way the game has unfolded, we haven't had a whole lot of opportunities to get the ball down the field."
Everyone involved believes the passing attack will benefit from the return of tight end Greg Olsen this week. He went through a full practice for the first time since his preseason knee injury and called himself physically ready to play.
"I know we've missed him just from the fact that we've installed a lot of our offense, and he's been a big part of it," Grossman said.
The Bears believe Olsen stretches the defense with his speed and helps open up other receivers.
"At the same time, it's no excuse, either," Grossman said.
That's because the Bears had his backups -- Desmond Clark and John Gilmore -- on the field last year and produced.
Coach Lovie Smith called that nothing new for Grossman to be fielding the brunt of the criticism.
Earlier this week, much-criticized Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said that only Grossman faces as much or more scrutiny than black quarterbacks do.
Smith couldn't speak for McNabb or black quarterbacks in general.
"I just know what our quarterback has gone through," Smith said. "I would agree with that first part of what he said, that Rex Grossman has taken more criticism than any quarterback in the NFL, I'll definitely agree with that."
There's been plenty to criticize -- both from Grossman and the passing attack in general, whether it's play calling, route running, dropped passes or poor blocking.
"We were expecting to come out and be doing more than we're doing right now, but it just hasn't happened," Clark said.
They play a Dallas defense ranked next to last against the pass Sunday, but believe they'll improve regardless of their opponent.
"We haven't lost confidence at all," Grossman said. "We're off to a slow start and that's all it is. We're ready to turn this thing around and just tighten everything up a little bit."
Cowboys at Bears: 7:15 p.m. Sunday on NBC
By GENE CHAMBERLAIN STAFF WRITER
LAKE FOREST -- The soul searching continues on the offensive side at Halas Hall.
"I think last year at this time we played Seattle in a similar situation, and I'd like to duplicate that game," said quarterback Rex Grossman.
The difference between last year's 37-6 Week 4 win on a Sunday night at home over Seattle and this Sunday's Week 3 showdown against the high-powered Dallas Cowboys is the Bears' passing attack started last year on fire heading into the prime-time showdown.
This year it's a dud.
"We got some big plays last year that helped," Grossman said. "We were just playing better, basically.
"Obviously, there were some good (defensive) looks to make big plays (against) and things (last year). Besides that, we were just playing a lot smarter. I was playing a lot smarter and doing the things needed to score points. I need to get back to that and figure out what we need to do to make sure that happens."
They've had three pass plays longer than 20 yards and none longer than 24.
"I would say that I expected us to play better, definitely that," said wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad, who has been held to 15 yards on two catches.
Grossman takes a 55.1 passer rating into Sunday night's game, higher among NFL starters than only Minnesota's Tarvaris Jackson. It's a major reason the Bears are 30th in offense (220.5 yards a game), and the kind of trend that could easily lead to a quarterback's benching if it continues.
Grossman admits to pressing last week during the second half against Kansas City, when he went 7 of 14 for 40 yards with two interceptions and a 16.67 passer rating. He'd gone 13 of 20 for 120 yards and a touchdown in the first half for a 97.9 rating.
It was almost as if his fear of making big mistakes led to big mistakes.
"In the second half in the game, things weren't just coming open easy, you know, and I was pressing to try to still make sure you're conservative and still making plays," Grossman said. "That combination may have misguided some of my reads and just trying not to make a mistake and then you make a mistake.
"Just play football and be smart -- that's where I am going to go from here on out. That should take me in the right direction."
Grossman called physical mistakes on throws something he could understand.
"But when you prepare as hard as I have prepared, and then you make a mental mistake that is right in front of you, you really ... it's really frustrating," he said.
Offensive coordinator Ron Turner is trying to harness Grossman's aggressiveness.
"Rex is naturally an aggressive person and we're trying hard as coaches not to take away that aggressiveness," he said. "But there is a time to be aggressive and a time not to be.
"That's a matter of finding exactly what he said, finding that balance. I want Rex to take his shots when they present them, and we're going to give him opportunities to take his shots. Unfortunately, in the first two games we haven't had those opportunities, just the way the game has unfolded, we haven't had a whole lot of opportunities to get the ball down the field."
Everyone involved believes the passing attack will benefit from the return of tight end Greg Olsen this week. He went through a full practice for the first time since his preseason knee injury and called himself physically ready to play.
"I know we've missed him just from the fact that we've installed a lot of our offense, and he's been a big part of it," Grossman said.
The Bears believe Olsen stretches the defense with his speed and helps open up other receivers.
"At the same time, it's no excuse, either," Grossman said.
That's because the Bears had his backups -- Desmond Clark and John Gilmore -- on the field last year and produced.
Coach Lovie Smith called that nothing new for Grossman to be fielding the brunt of the criticism.
Earlier this week, much-criticized Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said that only Grossman faces as much or more scrutiny than black quarterbacks do.
Smith couldn't speak for McNabb or black quarterbacks in general.
"I just know what our quarterback has gone through," Smith said. "I would agree with that first part of what he said, that Rex Grossman has taken more criticism than any quarterback in the NFL, I'll definitely agree with that."
There's been plenty to criticize -- both from Grossman and the passing attack in general, whether it's play calling, route running, dropped passes or poor blocking.
"We were expecting to come out and be doing more than we're doing right now, but it just hasn't happened," Clark said.
They play a Dallas defense ranked next to last against the pass Sunday, but believe they'll improve regardless of their opponent.
"We haven't lost confidence at all," Grossman said. "We're off to a slow start and that's all it is. We're ready to turn this thing around and just tighten everything up a little bit."
Cowboys at Bears: 7:15 p.m. Sunday on NBC
posted by The Gryphon at 7:56 AM
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