Brian Griese: Upon Further Review

Flip-flopping is generally reserved for politicians. Today, this sports fan reserves the right to flip-flop on Chicago Bears starting quarterback Brian Griese.

Last week, I said that I was wrong about Griese after the Bears come-from-behind victory against the Eagles. Granted, I also noted the Griese’s downfall such as his six interceptions in his first three games.

But after the Bears 16-7 defeat at the hands of the once lowly Detroit Lions, my initial feelings about Griese might have been correct.

So where did I go wrong last week?

Griese fits the mold for one of the lamest sports cliché’s, “he gives our team the best chance to win.”

Oops. It’s hard to give your team a chance to win when you throw four interceptions against a defense that allowed 315 passing yards to Jeff Garcia and 92 receiving yards to Ike Hilliard.

In Griese’s six starts, he has now thrown more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (9).

His ability to limit mistakes, as evidenced by the 0 turnovers against Philadelphia, is one of the main reasons he is starting now.

Did I mention that three of those interceptions occurred on passes in the end zone? Yikes. Turnovers in scoring position are unacceptable. If the Bears come out with three field goals instead of three INTs, the Bears would have been in a tied ballgame.

If it was Rex Grossman out there throwing four picks, there would be a mob outside willing to toss him into Lake Michigan, along with the ball that FOX kept showing every time the Lions kicked to Devin Hester.

The Bears still have issues they need to solve before they can be contenders again.

Finally, something I was right about! But wait, there is more to come.

Their running game has been terrible….Their defense is still porous…

Cedric Benson rushed for only 50 yards on 13 carries and was held out of the end zone, yet again. Kevin Jones accounted for Detroit’s only touchdown while rushing for 105 yards on 23 carries.

A 7-2 record down the stretch would give the Bears 10 wins and maybe a spot in the playoffs. If the Bears can find a way to jump start the running game, clog the holes in the defense and Griese can limit his mistakes, the Bears may be primed to make a run after a disastrous start.

The Bears are now 3-5, and based on NFL history have only a 2% chance of making the playoffs. If they were 4-4 going into their bye, they would have a 39% chance of making the playoffs.

This season, the Bears have been outperformed on offense, defense and special teams. That’s a recipe for disaster—and a top 10 pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, not a playoff run.

Confession: I Think I Was Wrong About Brian Griese

After the Chicago Bears 19-16 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, I’m ready to make the following confession: I was wrong about Brian Griese.

I might be ahead of myself here, but before I completely jump on the Griese bandwagon I’d be remiss if I didn’t note Griese’s six interceptions in his previous three games. But for right now, Griese fits the mold for one of the lamest sports cliché’s, “he gives our team the best chance to win.”

In the week seven win against the Eagles, Griese completed 27 of his 41 passes (65.8%) and gained 322 yards. And with no timeouts and no radio communication in his helmet, he led the Bears on a game-winning 97-yard drive that culminated with “Moose” Muhammad’s touchdown catch with nine seconds left in the game.

In addition, Griese called his own plays.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not ready to put Griese in the Hall of Fame just yet. But I am suggesting that maybe he can take on Ron Turner’s job as offensive coordinator too.

At first, I was skeptical about the Griese starting. His career numbers state that he’s a good, but not great quarterback. He’s had health issues in the past, and one of my biggest issues with Griese was that he had never won a playoff game—let alone take his team to the playoffs.

With that said, that could happen in a weak NFC.

But if he does that, what does that say about the Bears coaching staff? What does that say about head coach Lovie Smith? It seemed like a quarterback controversy loomed every week and Lovie would come out to the podium and confidently say “Rex is our quarterback.”

However, Lovie wasn’t the only one.

I supported Rex Grossman. Even before he was drafted, I watched him put up big numbers in Steve Spurrier’s offense at the University of Florida. And when the Bears drafted him, I thought he was going to be great.

I’ve always thought that Grossman has some of the skills to be a—dare I say it—great quarterback, like confidence. And a rocket for an arm, to throw Favre-like lasers through tight coverage. And a feathery touch to throw a soft deep ball over defenders.

Now, he’s got nothing.

Early in his career, it was injuries that kept him from performing like the player Bears fans expected. Now, it looks like the pressure of big market expectations has gotten to Rex, and that’s a shame.

Now, in his contract year, he’s been relegated to the bench and won’t likely get a starting gig unless an injury occurs. It’s very likely, Rex’s career as a Bear is over.

As for Griese, he is now 2-2 as a starter and looks to be gaining a firm grasp of the offense. His ability to limit mistakes, as evidenced by the 0 turnovers against Philadelphia, is one of the main reasons he is starting now. And if he can keep that up, the Bears could make a run at a playoff spot.

The Bears still have issues they need to solve before they can be contenders again.

Their running game has been terrible. Cedric Benson has proven nothing to me, except that he is a serviceable number two running back who thrives against tired defenders. Their defense is still porous, evidenced by the Adrian Peterson show last week.

A 7-2 record down the stretch would give the Bears 10 wins and maybe a spot in the playoffs. If the Bears can find a way to jump start the running game, clog the holes in the defense and Griese can limit his mistakes, the Bears may be primed to make a run after a disastrous start.