As exciting as it is to see 108-yard kick-off returns, last second field goals and Tom Brady connect with Randy Moss nine times for 183 yards, it’s oddly just as fun to watch Rex Grossman continue to play weak football.
To quickly summarize last year, Grossman was able to win a game with a 1.3 passer rating against Minnesota. During the game, Grossman completed just six-of-19 passes for 34 yards and threw three interceptions – half the amount he threw to his own receivers. Yet the Bears prevailed somehow, winning 23-13. Grossman ended the 2006 regular season with a bang at home against Green Bay – he completed two-of-12 passes, threw three interceptions and lost a fumble, giving him a passer rating of zero.
In the conference championship game Grossman completed only 11 passes for a mere 144 yards, yet his team managed 39 points. Grossman ended the season in the Super Bowl completing 20-of-28 passes, though he threw two interceptions and fumbled twice, turning it over once.
This season the Chicago Bears are considered a top team in the NFC, and Grossman is the starter. So why is he so much fun to watch? He has an all-star cast around him, a cast that supports him as their leader – even though he is the main reason they won’t win a Super Bowl this year.
Rather than silencing the media that has kept him under the microscope, Grossman did little in helping his team challenge the San Diego Chargers in the season opener. The Bears lost 14-3 with Grossman completing just 12-of-23 passes for 145 yards. He was sacked three times, threw an interception and nearly turned a fumble over. Going into Sept. 9, I never doubted the Bears’ chances, especially with an Urlacher-led defense and Devin Hester on special teams. But I knew if they did lose, it would be at the hands of Grossman, which it was.
Watching Grossman turn a Super Bowl-caliber team sour is just plain fun – partly because I’ve never really liked the Bears. I also never liked Grossman as a quarterback.
I love watching him, already in the same hot seat as last year, claim to be ready for this season and then contribute turnovers, rookie mistakes and minimal yardage.
As a hater of Grossman, you can feel better about your own team and even yourself. Watching him throw botched passes and juggle footballs that aren’t wet has convinced me that I could be an NFL quarterback.
Grossman is simply not worthy of the Bears as an organization and, having written this demeaning column, I sincerely hope he doesn’t do really well the next 14 games of the season.
