NFL Preaseason Has Started

[Ming]

What the Bear's need is for Rex to get injured yet again.
That would probably solve many of the offensive problems we have seen so far this year

And I did love the stat they showed before the game this week. They mentioned that if Brian Griese's career stats were all as a Bear, he would hold EVERY QB RECORD on the club

[Lord Avalon]

Originally posted by Ming

And I did love the stat they showed before the game this week. They mentioned that if Brian Griese's career stats were all as a Bear, he would hold EVERY QB RECORD on the club

And he's had, what, one good year in the pros? Sheesh!

[Ming]

They then did go and point out what all Bears' fans already know... that we have never had a long "lived" QB on the team. With all the turn over we have had at that position, any good journeyman QB could probably say the same thing

[-Jrabbit]

Chicago Bears QB Records

Most Career Passing Yards: Sid Luckman, 14,686 yards(1939-1950).
(Note: Walter Payton got more, and his were on the ground!)

Career TD Passes: Luckman, 137 (no one else close)
Career INTs: Luckman, 132
Career Passer Rating: Erik Kramer, 80.7
Total attempts: Jim Harbaugh, 1,759
Total completions: Harbaugh, 1,023

Yep, pretty sad. But no one plays QB for more than a few seasons for this team.

[SlowwHand]

Luckman. Dust him off and bring him back.

[snoopy369]

Um, you might need a shovel...

[Jaguar]

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
Thanks for summing that up.

I think Indy should be very concerned.

The big concerns are run blocking and special teams, in that they sucked.

Shaun King looks bad, but once Sorgi's injury is fixed, he'll be back in his usual form. He's a great backup, but he was very scared and jumpy in the pocket last night on account of his injury. Plus, Peyton deals the ball away quickly and doesn't get injured, so those guys probably won't need to see the field.

Everything else looked good. Run defense could be better, but it was against Seattle, and nobody plays great run defense against them.

[-Jrabbit]

The Bears looked like crap again. Grossman started off well but faltered. In 3 preseason games with the first unit, he still has not found paydirt. He did manage another fumble, however.

Brian Griese looks poised, throws a nice ball, and doesn't make stupid mistakes.

Will Lovie see the lightjbefore the season starts, or will he wait until they're 0-3 before pulling the trigger?

[SlowwHand]

Griese will be the man. Why they don't just say the words is beyond me.

[Al B. Sure!]

From the AP:

Grossman was booed, and backup Brian Griese was cheered when he entered with about five minutes left in the third quarter. Then, he went 10-for-14 for 131 yards and a touchdown, and heard a "Griese! Griese!" chant late in the game.

[SlowwHand]

• Cowboys Blog: Parcells unfamiliar with Vandy's groin...

What a dork.

http://cowboys.beloblog.com/

[Sava]

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
The Bears looked like crap again. Grossman started off well but faltered. In 3 preseason games with the first unit, he still has not found paydirt. He did manage another fumble, however.

Brian Griese looks poised, throws a nice ball, and doesn't make stupid mistakes.

Will Lovie see the lightjbefore the season starts, or will he wait until they're 0-3 before pulling the trigger?

The entire first unit does not have any rhythm. It's not entirely Grossman's fault... especially in the last game.

Sure, Griese is putting up good numbers... against second string defenses and other guys that won't be in the league be the end of preseason. The second string offense of the Bears is playing real well. They have good chemistry. But I doubt Griese would do much better than Grossman with the first unit. Griese has more experience, that's why he's able to have more success running a second string offense against second and third string defenses. But that's a far cry from projecting any kind of success as the number 1 once the regular season comes.

Grossman is a better QB than Griese. There is no doubt about this. He has a stronger arm, he has more tools. He can throw the 15-25 yard out passes much harder and more accurate than Griese can. He can also throw the deep passes which Griese can't. The Bears offense can do more with Grossman at QB.

Also, Grossman is the Bears' future. He needs to develop and he can't do that as a backup. They signed Griese as an insurance policy. If Grossman is done, we need to find out this year and get rid of him. You don't put a guy at #2 at the beginning of the year just because the entire first string offense is struggling.

And this doesn't even take into account that Grossman hasn't had either Thomas Jones or Cedric Benson in the backfield. Remember, the Bears' offense is built around the run, not the pass. And how successful is the offense going to be without their top 2 running backs?


So how about we give Grossman the benefit of the doubt before putting him on the bench.

This is still the same guy that came in late last year and made some great throws. He still lead the offense to over 20 points against a tough Carolina defense (which should have been enough to win that game... the Bears defense is what lost it).

[-Jrabbit]

It's a shame that both RBs managed to be injured for the first 2 games. It's hard to know what you've got when your "run first" guys are in the training room.

We won't know how Griese does with the first unit unless he's given the chance to play with them. OTOH, tools are tools, nothing more. It's how you use them that counts. Grossman is a well-equipped carpenter who hasn't built anything yet.

Griese may have inferior tools (footspeed and arm strength), but you can make an argument that he makes better use of what he has. He has been consistently in the >60% completion range, where Grossman struggles in the low 50's. His career QB rating is better, and he's taller, giving him a better shot at seeing the defense develop. And let's not discount the veteran experience factor. Griese is in his 9th year, with 75 starts under his belt.

I agree that Grossman should be given his shot, but now, in his 4th year and with (finally!) a decent backup on the roster, the leash should be fairly short. That's all I'm saying. I have confidence in Lovie Smith to do what's right for the team.

[SlowwHand]

You can blame the Bears defense for Benson. Dumbasses.

[Sava]

Also, since the Bears success is going to hinge primarily on the defense, which scenario would you feel more comfortable with:

We can assume the following: The passing game is the least significant part of what the Bears need to do to succeed. I will list what is important for them to succeed. If you disagree, let me know why.

1. Defense.
2. Running Game.
3. Passing Game.

I might even list special teams ahead of the passing game because field goals and the punt return/kick return units are going to play a huge part in the Bears success.

Grossman should be the starter until he proves, in the regular season, that he isn't capable of doing the job. Grossman might struggle at first, but he'll establish chemistry with the first team unit. Personally, the difference between 50-60% complete rating that Grossman gives and possibly a little over 60% that Griese potentially could give will not make a huge difference. I think the option of the big pass that Grossman gives you far outweighs the benefit of having Griese out there for the extra couple of passes he might complete throughout the course of the game... especially with Berrian emerging as a deep threat. There's also no guarantee that Griese will be that efficient with the first teamers. He's had initial success, remember, against second and third string defenses. Also, if Grossman gets hurt, I feel a lot more comfortable with Griese coming in as the backup then a shaky Grossman coming in (as a backup if Griese gets hurt) after being demoted.

At least if Griese comes in as the starter some time later in the season, he will feel like he's got something to prove. Grossman's confidence will be shot and he'll only continue to struggle. The right call is to let Grossman take the reins and see what he can do. If he fails after Green Bay (or maybe even after the half of the Green Bay game, Week 1). Then I'd say put Griese in there.

I think Lovie is going to have Grossman on a short leash. That's been his track record. Remember Mike Green versus Chris Harris last year? Michael Haynes? When guys don't produce, they get demoted.

But it's unfair to demote a guy without giving him an opportunity to perform in the regular season.