Griese in as new starter for Bears

Sep 26, 2007 - 6:27 PM LAKE FOREST, Illinois (Ticker) -- Saying his team needed a "breath of fresh air," Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith made it official Wednesday, naming Brian Griese as the club's new starting quarterback in place of the struggling Rex Grossman.

The moves comes as little surprise as the Bears are off to a 1-2 start and Grossman is coming off a wretched performance in Sunday night's 34-10 home loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

"Offensively, we're not getting a whole lot done," Smith said. "It's not one person. I just think we need a breath of fresh air."

Through three games, the Bears have managed just two offensive touchdowns.

A 2003 first-round pick, Grossman finished 15-of-32 for 195 yards with three interceptions against Dallas.

In the three games this season, he is 47-of-89 for 500 yards with one touchdown pass and six interceptions. His quarterback rating is a hideous 45.1.

Grossman, who is in the final year of his contract, has made 19 consecutive regular-season starts, but has been much maligned due to his penchant for turnovers.

Even when the Bears reached the Super Bowl last season, the success was attributed to the defense and special teams.

Grossman finished the season 262-of-480 (54.6 percent) with 23 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. He also lost five fumbles.

Griese's first start will come Sunday at Detroit. Griese has not started since he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2005.

"I'm excited for Brian," Smith said. "He brings a lot of experience. He's anxious to go. Our team will back him 100 percent."

Last season with the Bears, the 32-year-old Griese saw spot duty in five games, completing 18-of-32 passes for 220 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

In his 10th NFL season, Griese has thrown 104 touchdowns and 80 interceptions in 81 career games with the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay and Chicago.