Bears QB Grossman Poised for Breakout Season

In the two-week media blitz that precedes the NFL's Super Bowl, some television commentators actually had a discussion about whether Chicago Bears quarterback Rex Grossman was possibly the worst quarterback to ever play in the big game. Like comedian Rodney Dangerfield, the former Heisman Trophy runner-up simply can't get any respect.

Grossman did nothing in the Super Bowl to silence the naysayers and is constantly vilified by experts and Bears fans alike. But the former Florida Gators star has the physical tools, a talented supporting cast and confidence from his coach to silence his critics this season. In fact, expect Grossman to have a breakout year, possibly a Pro Bowl bid and a likely return trip to the Super Bowl.

Grossman is not as far away from greatness as critics would have you believe. The key to his success this season will be consistency. He already has proven he can play at an elite level in this league, but suffered horrible bouts of inconsistency last year. But head coach Lovie Smith remains committed to Grossman and his teammates also are behind him. If he can ignore the catcalls of fans and the dire predictions of experts, there is no reason Grossman can't establish himself as one of the league's best this year.

Last season, Grossman passed for more than 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns, the best numbers for a Bears quarterback in more than a decade. He led the league in games where he had a quarterback rating of over 100. On the down side, he threw 20 interceptions, had a mediocre 73.9 rating for the season and had a couple of complete clunker games where he registered ratings of 1.3 and 0.0. Through it all, Smith and Grossman's teammates remained steadfastedly behind their signal caller.

Although he enters his fifth NFL season, Grossman does not really have that much experience on the NFL gridiron. Most of his first three seasons were lost to various injuries and it wasn't until last season that he made it through the whole season, starting all 16 regular season games after starting only seven games combined in his first three campaigns. Last year's full season of work undoubtedly will reap benefits for Grossman as he prepares for the 2007 season. Many quarterbacks don't blossom until they are 30 or older; Grossman will be 27 when the season kicks off.

The Bears also have worked on Grossman's mechanics, which broke down at times last year, leading to errant throws and poor decisions. Grossman has always been considered a prototype pocket passer and that should only improve with this latest tinkering. He always has had a strong arm, quick release, and good accuracy, and that won't change this year.

Finally, Grossman simply needs to realize that he doesn't have to do everything for his team. The Bears are talented on offense and defense and likely could rack up 10 wins or more with any NFL quarterback. That lack of pressure should help Grossman flourish.

A lot of people blame Grossman for the Bears' 29-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, but it really wasn't his fault. In fact, Grossman carried a rating of over 100 into the final quarter of play. Although he tossed a couple of critical interceptions late in the game, the Bears were within five points of the lead with 10 minutes to play. A more damning stat of why the Bears lost was that the defense yielded 191 yards rushing. That allowed the Colts to pound the ball and run the clock in the second half, dooming Chicago.

But for some reason, people love to make Grossman the goat. Nothing short of winning the championship will redeem Grossman in some people's eyes, but that might be just what the Chicago gunslinger pulls off.