Bears boast Rex appeal

Jan 30, 2007 - 4:16 PM By John Pezzullo PA SportsTicker Pro Football Editor

MIAMI (Ticker) -- The Chicago Bears were headed for a train Rex. Instead, they are in Super Bowl XLI.

Rex Grossman was not supposed to arrive at this destination. Sooner or later, the much-maligned quarterback would derail the Bears. Or so he was told by his critics.

"It bothers me at times, but really it's just part of being a quarterback," Grossman said. "It's a situation where I've played bad and people are going to say negative things. I just didn't realize the exaggeration either way that comes with it."

There's Good Rex and Bad Rex. No one had more games (seven) with a QB rating better than 100 and no one had more (five) with a rating below 40.

Grossman's 3,193 passing yards ranked second all-time in franchise history. His 23 touchdown passes tied for fourth in club annals. Grossman was third in the NFL with 20 interceptions and also lost five fumbles.

Yet coach Lovie Smith never wavered in his support of Grossman, even when the Windy City was howling for backup Brian Griese.

"I've gotten a chance to see Rex come back from tough games, come back after great games, all the different situations you look to judge players on," Smith said. "I've had a chance to see Rex in those situations and every time it comes up the same way."

The lone exception came when Grossman was intercepted three times in back-to-back games against New England (November 26) and Minnesota (December 3). Following his other four worst outings, Grossman threw nine touchdown passes with two interceptions and averaged 245 yards and a passer rating of 108.6.

One of those bounce-back games came in the divisional playoff win over Seattle when he threw for 282 yards and a touchdown with two turnovers.

"Has he (Grossman) been perfect each game? No, no one is," Smith said. "But you should judge more quarterbacks by their record and Rex Grossman's record as a starter is pretty good."

The record is 17-6 and that doesn't include his two playoff wins over Seattle and New Orleans. Perhaps the Bears' 39-14 victory over the Saints in the NFC championship game best exemplifies the experience of riding the Rex roller coaster.

For nearly three quarters, Grossman looked lost. His passes either soared over his receivers or fell short of them. With under two minutes left in the third quarter, Grossman had completed just 5-of-20 passes for 64 yards.

And then Good Rex appeared. He completed 4-of-4 passes for 78 yards that culminated in a 33-yard touchdown to Bernard Berrian.

"I never doubted Rex," Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. "Nobody has more mental toughness than Rex Grossman. After the criticism he's taken this year, a few bad throws aren't going to kill him."

And the criticism continues. Even during Super Bowl week, Grossman is subjected to questions about polls which link him with the likes of Miami's David Woodley and Baltimore's Trent Dilfer as the worst Super Bowl quarterbacks.

"He (Grossman) takes it all head on," Berrian said. "It shows a lot of character on his part. We're behind him 100 percent."

"All I care about is the support of my coaches and teammates," Grossman said. "I think in any situation as a quarterback you are under fire and I don't care who you are, it's just something that comes with the territory. But it's also great to have a head coach that understands that and sticks by you and has a lot of confidence in your abilities."

A first-round pick in 2003, Grossman endured three injury-plagued seasons before leading the Bears to their first Super Bowl trip in 21 years.

So Indianapolis' Peyton Manning may be the star quarterback of Super Bowl XLI. He has all the endorsements, two MVP awards and seven Pro Bowl berths. This is supposed to be his time.

But the Bears have Rex appeal. Plus there's that other Rex factor. He attended the University of Florida and could add another chapter to a marvelous run by the Gators.

Joakim Noah led Florida to the NCAA basketball title last April. Earlier this month, Urban Meyer coached the Gators to a rout of Ohio State in the Bowl Championship Series title game. Is is possible that Florida can add a Super Bowl-winning quarterback to that?

Oh yeh, chomp on this as well. Manning never beat the Gators in his four years at Tennessee.