Bring In Orton

What the hell can I say about the Chicago Bears I haven't already complained about this season? Did anything happen in last night's 24-16 loss that surprised you?

It wasn't the first time you saw Rex Grossman limp off of a football field.

It wasn't the first time you saw a Bears running back run up his offensive line's ass and fall down.

It wasn't the first time you saw the Bears offensive line kill a drive by repeatedly committing false starts.

It wasn't the first time you saw somebody you never heard of look like a Pro Bowler against this Bears defense. (Collins to Yoder!?)

It wasn't the first time you saw the Bears defense allow a team to march right down field and score when they needed a stop.

The only thing that happened last night that we haven't seen before was Adam Archuleta made a play. He sniffed out a screen pass and made a tackle for negative yardage. Just for that, when I run into Archuleta on the street I'm going to fire a warning shot.

If there was anything good to be taken from the game last night it's that Ron Turner finally figured out that Devin Hester can run a slant as well, and that Garrett Wolfe has a use as a receiver out of the backfield.

Other than that, there isn't much positive to take into the rest of the season.

The Bears are done. They aren't mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but since both Jessica Alba and I are alive, I'm not mathematically eliminated from ever having sex with her. It doesn't mean it's going to happen, though I like my chances better than the Bears right now.

It's also likely that Rex Grossman is done for the year, even if there isn't any ligament damage to his knee. What would be the point of bringing him back this season for the Bears? As of right now they're in a perfect position to sign Rex to a very cheap deal to compete for the quarterback job next season.

So the only logical choice the Bears can really make now is to give Kyle Orton the starting job. There's no point to starting Brian Griese because everybody knows he isn't the future of this team, and they already know what he can do.

Orton wasn't spectacular when he filled in for an injured Rex during his rookie season, but he did win 10 games as a starter. It's only fair that he be given another chance to lead this team. Is it likely that Orton will step in and become the franchise quarterback the Bears have long looked for?

No, but there's no harm in giving him a shot.

Thankfully the Bears have the next 10 days off, and we don't have to watch them until they face the Vikings on the 17th. Ahh, yes. Another game on national television so the entire country can see how horrible this team is yet again.

Foul Balls

Scott Skiles Always Listens To Me - Okay, so I doubt it's what I wrote yesterday that is what has Skiles considering it, but all that matters is he's considering it.

Skiles has thought about benching Kirk Hinrich lately.

"It's always a possibility," coach Scott Skiles said. "That's the fine line you have to walk, especially when you start to develop a history with players.

"If you've seen players have struggles in the past and seen them work it out and not only work it out but come back and play very, very well, it makes you slow down on any action you want to take.

"But obviously, we're searching for wins right now. We can't ultimately be the team we want to be unless a whole bunch of guys are playing well at the same time."

And even though Hinrich doesn't want to be benched, he wouldn't be all that upset if he was.

"Um, I don't know," he said after the Bulls' short practice at a local college. "I can't tell you that. I don't know if that's going to wake me up. I don't feel like I'm sleepwalking out there. I just feel like I've been struggling. If it does happen, then whatever. I just want to win and play better."

Um, yeah so like, do it, Skiles. If you don't, then whatever, but if you do, then WHATever!

Your Ridiculous Kenny Williams Quote of The Day - Okay, so I'm not going to rip on Kenny for the third straight day. Well, at least I wasn't planning on doing it today, but then Kenny had to go and open his mouth.

First Kenny was dealing with all the negative feelings people have about him, then he was mad about snitches, and now he's just lost his mind apparently. As Williams left Nashville and the winter meetings yesterday, he said something that I'm not sure he can actually believe.

Williams was asked about his feelings on the blockbuster deal the Tigers made that brought Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to Detroit. His response?

''All this has done is put the Tigers in a better position to contend with us.''

The Tigers needed to be in a better position to compete with us? Haven't they finished higher than us in the division the last two seasons? Shouldn't you be doing something to compete with them, Kenny?

Nobody Wants To Coach Michigan - I thought that as a head coach in college football, there were a few jobs you just can't say no to. If USC, Notre Dame, Texas, and Michigan call, don't you drop whatever you're doing and take the job?

Well first Les Miles scorned Big Blue when LSU came to him at the last minute and gave him a bunch of money to stay in Baton Rouge, and now another coach has used Michigan to get himself a raise.

You thought Greg Schiano was going to leave Rutgers to coach at Michigan? You were wrong!

Two days after flirting with the Michigan job, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano has decided he will stay in New Jersey.

"I was contacted earlier this week about the Michigan coaching vacancy, but I have decided to remove my name from consideration," Schiano said in a statement released by the university Friday. "I look forward to our third straight bowl game and to bringing a national championship to Rutgers and the state of New Jersey. "I will have no further comment."

Think about this for a second. I know college football has changed a bit the last few years, but a guy just turned down Michigan so he could stay at Rutgers. That's fucked up.

The Bulls Are Making Changes

I didn't get a chance to watch the Bulls game on Saturday night, and I'm glad that I didn't. While I was at my cousin's wedding on Saturday night, I caught a glimpse of the Bulls score early in the first quarter at the bar.

They were trailing by five.

About an hour later I was walking by the bar again, and I glanced at the television, and they were down forty.

I don't know how they got there. I don't know who's fault it was. Whatever had happened though, I knew the Bulls had been doing some serious sucking.

Which is the same thing we could all say after every game the Bulls have played so far this season, save for the Detroit game.

As a result of all this sucking, Adrian Griffin called a players-only meeting on Monday, while Scott Skiles let it be known that he was planning on making some lineup changes for Thursday night's game in Phoenix.

''We're not going to do anything crazy,'' Skiles said. ''But is 1-5 the right time? [Is] 1-9? It's not even so much the record. It's the way that we've played. This is different than wanting to hold two guys accountable or anything like that. We have to find a way to get shocked out of our malaise. It's probably going to have to come initially from me and then see what happens.

''Everything is in play now.''

A change in the lineup may help provide a spark, but I think the Bulls problems go a little deeper than that. Whether it's the Kobe rumors, the contract situation, or if we've all just put too much hope into him, there's something wrong with Luol Deng.

The one player on this team considered to be untouchable in trade talks is struggling mightily in the Bulls first 6 games. Lu is only averaging 14.0 points a game, and is making only 44% of his shots.

Lineup changes are nice, but if this team is ever going to get going and be what they thought they'd be, Lu needs to step it up. If he's going to become the superstar we think he's capable of being, he needs to get more selfish.

He's only taking 13 shots a game, which is okay if you're making 10 of them. The way this team is currently constructed, Lu needs to be scoring around 25 points a game if the Bulls are going to have a legitimate shot at going deep into the playoffs. Of course, that's assuming they actually get there.

With every game that passes by, that seems less likely. Sure, they're only six games into an 82-game season, but they're about to start the Circus Trip out west, where they've truly struggled ever since MJ left for good.

With road games against the Suns, Clippers, Lakers, Nuggets, Knicks, and the Raptors, I wouldn't be surprised if the Bulls were 1-11 when they return to the United Center on November 27th.

The Clippers and Raptors have already beaten the Bulls in Chicago, so they'd likely take care of them at their own place. Kobe will probably want to drop 60 on them just to convince John Paxson to make the trade, and the Suns and Nuggets will probably run all over them. The Knicks look like a winnable game, but even they've improved this season, and will be tough to beat in the Garden.

So whatever the hell it is this team is planning on doing to get their act together, they better do it fast. Because if the Bulls start 1-11, they may still get to the playoffs, but they won't be able to get through Detroit or Boston without homecourt advantage.

Which is something the Bulls have already eliminated themselves from contention for.

Foul Balls

Still No Decision At Halas Hall - Lovie Smith held his weekly press conference yesterday, and of course the only thing anybody really wanted to know was who is going to start at quarterback in Seattle next Sunday: Rex or Brian?

Well, we're all going to have to keep waiting.

"Yes, it's unclear who is going to start Sunday," Smith said. "Once you get healthy guys, then you start. Right now we finished with two guys that can play: Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton.

"Brian did some good things when he was in the football game. It's unfortunate that he went down with a shoulder injury, but you need the next guy in the rotation ready to go. [We] really like what Rex Grossman was able to do when he stepped in and led us to the victory there at the end of the game.

"It showed that Rex has been paying attention. You're disappointed when you're not the starter, but you have to prepare like you could end up coming in and playing. And that's what he's done. And I think that's what we saw from the way he played.

"To have Rex come in like that when the team needed him, that's what we assumed Rex would do."

I'm still of the opinion that Rex is going to get his starting job back. I'm not exactly thrilled about it, but I could understand the decision if the Bears do make it. Brian Griese has been a lot more consistent than Grossman was, but consistently mediocre is still mediocre.

Let's not forget that Rex's contract ends at the end of the season, and the Bears have to decide what they're going to do with him. It's either Grossman steps up and plays well to claim his spot as the team's quarterback, or they blow the whole thing up and start over.

Either way, they're going to want to see how Rex performs for the rest of the season before making the decision.

All any of us can really do is hope that somehow being benched will trigger something inside of Rex that makes him a good quarterback. I wouldn't hold my breath though.

Cubs On Verge Of Another Trade - Yesterday the Cubs sent Jacque Jones to Detroit for Omar Infante. Today it looks as though they're about to send Craig Monroe, whom they got from Detroit in August, to Minnesota for the infamous player to be named later.

If the deal, first reported Tuesday on the Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Web site, is consumated, Monroe would be the third Cubs outfielder sent packing in the last two weeks, after the trade of Jacque Jones to Detroit and the decision not to pick up Cliff Floyd's $5 million option.

Of course, the trade of Jones and not picking up Cliff Floyd's option left the Cubs with a severe lack of left-handed hitting. That could change quickly though, as there are strong rumors of a possible deal for Tampa Bay's Carl Crawford are picking up steam.

If the Cubs do land Crawford, not only would it be a great move for the team, but it would also piss me off. The Sox have tried to get Crawford for years, and I've wanted them to get Crawford for years, but they've failed everytime. If the Cubs get him, that would just be a kick to the balls.

Schedules Released - There are tentative versions out of next year's baseball schedule. I don't know what would have to happen for them to change, but MLB isn't ready to make them official yet.

If they do stick though, the White Sox better get off to a good start, or their season may be over before the end of April. The Sox will start their season with six straight road games against the two best teams in their division, at Cleveland and at Detroit starting on March 31st. After that they return home to play the Twins and Tigers again. So their first 12 games are all against division opponents.

You can also see the Cubs schedule here.

Say Goodbye To The Playoffs

Well the Bears can say goodbye to the playoffs after losing to the Lions 16-7 on Sunday at Soldier Field. There will be no defense of their NFC championship. There will be no division championship.

There won't be anything but eight more games of frustration having to watch this team. The only thing the Bears do consistently is play inconsistently. One week the offense and defense look like they're finally coming around, and then the next week they look like they did yesterday.

Missed tackles, dropped passes, turnovers, anything that can hurt the team, the Bears find a way to do it.

The Lions managed 365 yards of offense against the Bears yesterday, and did a great job of keeping the ball away from Devin Hester. Kevin Jones, in only his second game of the season, rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.

Cedric Benson meanwhile could only manage 50 yards on 13 carries. That's a whopping 3.8 yards per carry, which isn't exactly good, but I'm guessing it's probably one of Benson's better averages this season.

Brian Griese threw for 208 yards and a touchdown, but the four interceptions he threw didn't help much. What made it worse was that three of the four interceptions came in the end zone.

That's three touchdowns the Lions took away. Those touchdowns probably would have made a difference, but at the same time, who's to say the Lions wouldn't have answered each of those touchdowns with ones of their own?

To make things worse, it appears that Brian Urlacher has a serious problem with his back right now.

In an exclusive interview with FOX Sports, Urlacher finally revealed he's been fighting through a back injury that's caused pain and problems.

"It's a problem that started all the way back in camp," Urlacher said. "We've done x-rays, bone scans, MRI's, cat scans and this week I flew to Pittsburgh and met with a specialist. He confirmed what the team told me, that they think it's an arthritis type of thing. The thing that's so frustrating is there is no clear-cut solution to give me relief. I just have to deal with the pain."

So now Urlacher has an arthritic back. Fantastic. I'm no doctor, but the last time I checked, I'm pretty sure arthritis isn't one of those injuries that goes away after a few weeks. This is going to effect Urlacher for the rest of his career.

We may start to see a serious decline in his play over the rest of this season, and into next as well. All of which means I hope the Bears are seriously reconsidering their stance on what they want to do with Lance Briggs. It's already become pretty obvious this season that he is the best player on the defense right now, so losing him is already a scary possibility. Now that we know of Urlacher's back, it's terrifying.

If there's any good news to report today, it's that the Bears don't have to play next Sunday. So that means we won't have to watch them.

Monster of the Midway

• Lance Briggs - I wanted to give this to Hester again. After all, the one time he was able to return a punt, he returned it 39 yards and set the Bears up for the only touchdown they scored yesterday. But I'm going to give it to Briggs, because he was the only person on defense yesterday who didn't do something to piss me off. He didn't over pursue on any plays. He didn't miss any tackles that I noticed. He just made plays, which is what he always does, so he gets the award today.

Dumbass of the Day

• Brian Griese - It's only fair that Griese be here even though yesterday's game wasn't completely his fault. But if you took Griese's stats and credited them to Rex Grossman, we'd be all over him. You can't throw four interceptions and expect to win a game, especially when three of them come in the end zone.
  

The Bears Save Their Season

Though if they lose next week against Detroit, they'll be on the verge of losing it again.

At the moment though, I don't care about that. I'm just happy the Bears were able to pull off a victory on Sunday in Philadelphia. In what was an incredibly boring game to watch, in which both teams spent all their time trading field goals, the fourth quarter finally brought some excitement.

The Eagles finally got into the end zone with five minutes left to take a 16-12 lead. The Bears then had a chance to answer, but the offense stalled and was forced to punt. At this point, I figured Brian Westbrook was going to run out the clock on the Bears defense, but the Bears shocked the hell out of me and actually forced Philly to punt the ball back with under two minutes left.

Of course that punt buried the Bears at their own three-yard line. So Brian Griese came on the field and had to drive an offense that hadn't reached the end zone all day 97 yards with no timeouts and under two minutes left.

Oh, and the radio in Griese's helmet went out and he had no contact at all with the sidelines. So Griese had to call his own plays on the final drive, and 11 plays into it he found Muhsin Muhammed in the back of the end zone with nine seconds left for a Bears victory.

"I felt really good calling my own plays in that situation," Griese said. "Before I got out into a 2-minute drill, I kind of look at our play sheet and get in my mind a plan of what we want to do. So I felt comfortable in that situation."

The craziest part of this Bears victory? Devin Hester didn't score a touchdown, and they still won. The Eagles never even gave Hester a chance to return a kick or punt, though Hester did catch a 21-yard pass on the final drive that was the final play before the Muhammed touchdown.

I hope teams around the NFL take notice of what happened yesterday. When teams kick to Devin Hester the Bears are 2-4. When teams don't kick to Devin Hester, the Bears are 1-0.

That's right, Bears opponents. Kicking to Devin Hester is the best way to beat the Bears. You should do it every time.

Just because the Bears won though, it doesn't mean they played very well. Aside from the Muhammed touchdown, the Bears continued to struggle in the red zone under Griese. In the first half the Bears had to settle for a field goal after a pass to Devin Hester was broken up by Sheldon Brown, and they had to do the same in the third quarter when Brown broke up a pass to Greg Olsen.

Last week against the Vikings the Bears didn't have any red zone touchdowns either.

So it's obviously becoming a problem for the Bears, the onus of which can be placed on Cedric Benson. Griese prefers to work the middle of the field and look to his checkdowns when he passes, and that gets increasingly difficult in the red zone where the defense has less ground to cover.

But that's a problem I'll worry about next week. Let's try and focus on some of the other positives right now.

Like the fact the Bears defense didn't give up 35 points this week. Congrats, boys! I actually saw some hitting and wrapping going on out there. What a novel concept. The Bears did give up yards on Sunday, but it was the good old cliche of bend but don't break. When the Eagles got to the red zone, the Bears didn't let them into the end zone.

There's still a ton of room to improve on defense, but at least it looks like they're playing better, and guys like Nathan Vasher are getting healthier. If they can continue to hold on until they're healthy, we might see the Bears defense we've grown accustomed to yet again.

More important than anything, the Bears are still alive for a playoff berth in the wide open NFC.

A loss on Sunday, and the Bears would have been 2-5, and the season would effectively be over. Now at 3-4 they still are a disappointment, but at least their a disappointment with a pulse. Of course, I've thought all this before when the Bears came back in Green Bay to hand the Packers their first loss of the season, and the Bears followed that up with the loss to Minnesota last weekend.

They can't do the same against the Lions at home next week. The best way to get to the playoffs is to win within your own division, and right now the Bears are 1-2 against the NFC North. They have three division games left on the schedule, two of which are at Soldier Field, and it's important that the Bears win all three of those games.

Still, I'll start worrying about that later. For now I'm just going to enjoy Sunday's win and hope that this team has finally figured it out.

Monster of the Midway

• Brian Griese - I thought about giving this to Robbie Gould, but then I remembered he's a kicker and kickers should never win anything. So I'm going to give it to Griese instead. He is never going to blow you away with his play, but damn it, he got the job done when it counted on Sunday. Do you think Rex Grossman could have led the Bears on that game-winning drive? Without any communication from the sidelines? Griese is by no means perfect, but Lovie Smith's decision to finally hand over the reigns to him may turn out to be this season's saving grace.

Dumbass of the Day

• Adam Archuleta - Archuleta didn't do anything on Sunday to win this award, but neither did any of the other Bears. There were no turnovers, no amazingly stupid plays, nobody wanted this award. So I'm just giving it to Archuleta because I hate Archuleta.

The Bears Aren't Dead Yet

I have to admit, I thought I was going to be writing the Bears' eulogy this morning. But apparently, they just don't want to die yet, and I'm fine with it. If they want to go out and win again next week, I won't mind that either.

Last night in Green Bay the Bears didn't play great football but they came out on top in the end, and that's all that matters. Brian Griese looked a lot more comfortable in his second game under center and, aside from the one interception he threw, he did the job the Bears need him to do.

He managed the game, and when it mattered, he made a couple of great throws to Greg Olson and Desmond Clark for touchdowns.

The one to Clark proved to be the game winner, and probably the best play call Ron Turner has made all season. I fully expected Cedric Benson to get the ball on that third and two, plow into the line for four feet, then fall down and hope Robbie Gould could make the field goal.

The Packers expected the same thing as they bit on the play action and allowed Clark to get free behind the defense where Griese found him for the game-winning score.

Of course, what helped the Bears more than anything last night was the Packers. They committed five turnovers, and 12 penalties, many coming at horrible times. Everytime the Packers stopped the Bears on a third down, it seemed they were flagged and gave the Bears a first down.

I'll take a win any way we can get it, but I wasn't very pleased with the run defense in the first half. The Packers came into the game as the worst running team in the NFL, but that didn't stop Deshawn Wynn from gashing the Bears for 8 yards a clip to start the game. I'm not sure what Lovie Smith said to the team at halftime, but from all accounts it was by far the most emotional and loud he'd ever been at the half, and it worked.

The defense came out in the second half and did a good job of limiting the Packers to only three second half points.

As for what this win means for the rest of the Bears season, I don't know. Yes, it saved the season for now, but it isn't like we're Super Bowl-bound all of a sudden. After the game ended last night, Silvio texted me with a simple question I'm asking myself this morning.

"So now what? Do we get excited about the Bears?"

Well, the Sox and Cubs are done and the Bulls don't start for another month. So at this point, yeah, what the hell else do we have to get excited about?

Looking at the Bears schedule, there isn't a team on there we can't beat. But at the same time each of those teams are just as capable of beating the Bears. So at this point I think we can be excited about yesterday's win, but if the Bears come out and lose next week against Minnesota, it's all for naught.

Monster of the Midway

• Charles Tillman - I was thinking of giving this to Cedric Benson and his amazing 2.4 yards per carry, but I'm going to have to go with Peanut on this one. I didn't even know that Tillman was going to play last night, but thank God he did. His two strips of James Jones on consecutive Packer possessions are what won this game for the Bears. Or at least, allowed the Bears to win. Without those two plays the Bears probably would have been down 21-0 in the second quarter, and they wouldn't have come back from that.

Dumbass of the Day

• Cedric Benson - Seriously, 2.4 yards per carry? I know not all of the blame can go to Cedric here, as the offensive line wasn't giving him much room to work with, but the Bears aren't going to win many more games with that kind of performance on the ground. Brian Griese isn't going to win games through the air, so Cedric needs to step up. I can't say for sure that Thomas Jones would be performing that much better than Benson right now, but at the moment, that trade looks like a mistake.
  

Orton! Orton!

No, I'm not really calling for Orton to be the new starting quarterback.

If I learned anything yesterday, it's that it really doesn't matter who the quarterback is with this team. There are a lot of other problems as well.

Don't get me wrong, Grossman still had to be benched, and he needs to stay there.

What stood out to me though on Sunday was the offensive line of the Chicago Bears. The fact that they suck.

What was once one of the better lines in the NFL has gotten old and slow, and really just can't do the job anymore. When they're not getting beat off the ball, they're missing assignments or just plain failing to block. I would ask how in the hell the coaching staff and Jerry Angelo didn't see this coming, but I think they did and just didn't know what to do about it.

They have to know. Just look at the Bears gameplan. When was the last time you saw a pulling guard on a Bear run play? You don't know, do you? That's because the Bears lineman don't do it, they just can't get there.

It doesn't end there. Think of all the screen passes the Bears have tried to throw this year. They've all been middle screens, the toughest ones to complete.

Why have they been middle screens instead of to the flats?

Because the line can't get out to the flat in time to set up their blocks or allow the quarterback to even get the throw off.

This is why I don't see this season getting any better for the Bears. The offense is not going to improve unless the offensive line does, and I don't see it happening with the five guys the Bears have there now.

When you combine bad offensive line play with quarterbacks who commit too many turnovers, a running back that can't hold onto the ball or make his own hole, and receiver who drop passes constantly, you get what you saw yesterday. A bad football team making another bad football team seem a lot better than they actually are.

The Lions are not a good team. Pay no attention to that 3-1 record of theirs. Their 56-21 loss to Philly last week is more indicative of the kind of team they have than their wins over the Bears and Vikings.

As for the Bears, they have to prepare for a huge Sunday night showdown in Green Bay. The Packers won again on Sunday, and if they beat the Bears next week to move to 5-0 and knock the Bears to 1-4, this season is over.

Monster of the Midway

• Devin Hester - I get the feeling it's going to be Devin every week from here on out. He fumbled a couple of returns again, but in his defense, at least he's trying to make something happen. After the Lions took the lead from the Bears in the fourth quarter, and Hester returned the kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown to take it back, I thought the Bears might hold on and pull it off after all. Unfortunately, Hester only returns kicks. We really need to find a way to get him the ball on offense, because he's the only weapon we have. Ditch the wide receiver screens, and line Devin up in the backfield where he can run out into the flat and make a catch. He'll do a lot better job than Cedric Benson does on the same play.

Dumbass of the Day

• Brian Griese - This award could go to the entire team, but I'm going to give it to Brian Griese. For two years fans have been begging for a chance to see him play, and when he finally gets his chance, he comes out and throws three interceptions. Two of which were in the red zone. That's 14 points the Bears lost out on in a game they lost by 10.

So, Now What?

Just as I was getting ready for work yesterday, NFL Network reported that Brian Griese would be starting for Rex Grossman on Sunday. So I quickly began typing up a post here on Foul Balls, when a storm ran through town and knocked my power out.

I'm hoping that wasn't some sort of sign.

Either way, it's official now. Rex Grossman has been benched, and a city rejoices. Jay Mariotti got his first erection in 15 years when he heard the news. Bears fans who have long been calling for Griese, along with the media, have all gotten what they wanted.

The question now is, will it even matter?

I was one of the millions who called for Griese to start after Sunday night's loss to the Cowboys, and now that I've gotten what I asked for, I don't actually feel any better about the Bears. I know that Griese isn't a great quarterback, so it's not like I'm expecting him to lead the Bears on a 13-game win streak before marching back to the Super Bowl.

I just want a guy who can throw for around 200 yards, and limit turnovers. I'm hoping Griese is that guy.

Like I said a minute ago though, will it even matter?

With all the injuries to the Bears defense, I don't think it matters who plays quarterback this Sunday at Detroit. I get the feeling he'll have to lead the Bears to at least 30 points if we're going to win.

Tommie Harris is out. So that means our run defense is going to suffer. That's fine though, because all the Lions do is throw the ball anyway.

Of course, come Sunday the Bears will be without both of their starting cornerbacks, Nathan Vasher (thanks to a partially torn groin) and Charles Tillman. Adam Archuleta felt left out of the injury party, so he went and broke his right hand to fit in.

That means every single starter from Week 1 in the secondary is now injured.

Oh, and let's not forget that Lance Briggs may miss the game on Sunday as well. So the Bears will be missing five starters on defense this week.

Maybe Rex can play safety?

Will Brian Griese Start On Sunday?

As I listened to Lovie Smith's press conference yesterday, there was one key phrase I kept waiting to hear that Smith never once said.

"Rex is our quarterback."

Instead, Lovie gave the typical coach-speak talking about how the whole team lost the game on Sunday, not one player. Which is correct, but there's one player who plays a part in every loss, and that's Rex Grossman.

When Lovie was directly asked whether or not Grossman would start on Sunday, he wouldn't give an answer.

"Will Rex Grossman start Sunday? Well, our evaluation process is going on right now," Smith said. "And if you come out to practice Wednesday, you'll have a better idea of who will be starting at all positions."

Does Lovie believe Rex gives the Bears the best chance to win?

"Has Rex been our starting quarterback? Well, yes, I'll say that," he said. "Everybody that is on the football field playing, I have confidence can help us win, or they wouldn't be out there. I'm making that statement right now too."

Lovie also implied during the press conference that he already knows what he's going to do, it's just the rest of us will have to wait until Wednesday to find out.

When the Bears play Detroit on Sunday, they're going to give up some points. The combination of the Lions; offense, along with the injuries the Bears suffered on Sunday, kind of worries me. The Lions are pass happy with Mike Martz as their quarterback, and they have talent at wide receiver in Roy Williams, Calvin Johnson, Mike Furrey, and now Shaun McDonald.

We all saw what the Cowboys did to the Bears in the second half when they abandoned the run and threw on every down.

The Lions saw it as well.

That means if the Bears are going to win on Sunday, they're going to have to score points. So far in three games, the offense has only managed two touchdowns with Grossman under center. If they score two more touchdowns on Sunday, odds are it won't be enough.

That's why Griese needs to start. Am I confident that Griese can lead the Bears to 30 points? Not really, but I'm more confident in him than I am Grossman. Hell, I'd be more confident in Moses Moreno at this point.

Cowpoked

Well, wasn't that just fantastic?

The Bears were beat in every facet of the game Sunday night, and they deserved every second of the 34-10 beatdown received at the hands of the Cowboys.

I dare you to find one facet of the game where you can say the Bears did a good job.

Go ahead, take your time.

If you said something and weren't being sarcastic, you're an idiot. Leave this site immediately and go read Mariotti's column.

The first half of the game was okay. The second half was horrible.

Couldn't move the ball. Couldn't stop Dallas. Couldn't tackle. Couldn't catch. Couldn't stop pulling groins. Couldn't catch any kickoffs or punts.

Couldn't do anything.

For a few seconds I thought I'd entered some crazy time warp and was suddenly watching last week's Notre Dame game.

Here's one thing I have to know, though. I'm pretty sure the Cowboys only ran the ball once during the second half before they'd blown the game open. So why then didn't the Bears just start dropping everybody into coverage? Isn't that what the Tampa-2 is? I know they really only use it on third downs, but when you know the offense is going to throw, every down is a third down.

It's tough to blame the defense for this one. When when you're on the field all night, you tend to get worn down.

No, this loss was a full team effort but I think the brunt of the blame has to go to the offense, and that midget in the #8. The Dallas defense was absolutely horrible in the first two weeks of the season, and we could only manage 10 points against them?

The time has come for Brian Griese to take over the starting quarterback position.

I've finally had it with Grossman.

Is Griese better than Grossman? Not exactly, but the key is he's not as bad.

I mean, seriously, what the hell do the Bears have to lose at this point? What more do they need to see from Grossman to realize that the kid is just not cut out to be a NFL quarterback? I know I defended him for a while, but I have seen the light. Rex has to go.

Still, it's not all Rex's fault. I think Silvio put it best when I asked him why we don't just pull Grossman when we were down late, and he replied,

"Yeah, and bring in receivers that run complete routes and that can catch. A running back that can pick up blitzes and doesn't fumble. Defensive backs that can tackle, and a defensive line that doesn't get faked out by the quarterback all the time."

Of course, you'll notice that even though he muffed two kicks and fumbled another, neither of us mentioned Devin Hester. He's the only offensive weapon we have, so I guess we'll just have to allow him to have a bad game from time to time.

Next Sunday's game against Detroit can't get here soon enough. I have to get this taste out of my mouth.

Monster of the Midway

• Mike Brown - Brown got hurt in the season opener, and is out for the season. So obviously he didn't play last night, and that makes him the only guy on the team who didn't fuck up somehow. Way to go, Mike!

Dumbass of the Day

• Bernard Berrian - This could easily go to Rex, but I think at this point there's no need to point out the fact he sucks. We all know. So today I'll give it to Bernard Berrian who dropped three passes, one of which probably would have been a touchdown. When you have a quarterback that sucks as bad as Grossman, you cannot afford to fuck up.

Other Thoughts

• Maybe it was the fact we were getting killed, but was I the only one pissed off by all the commercials in Spanish and the graphics? Yeah, I know we're the Osos de Chicago. I learned that shit in high school. Wow. All I know is that when I watch soccer on Telemundo or Univision they aren't giving me anything in English.
• Note to Adam Archuleta: Next time when trying to tackle somebody, try using your arms. What you want to do is wrap them around the guy you're tackling, and drag him to the ground. It's a crazy new wave theory, I know, but try it sometime. You won't be sorry.
• Another piece of gold from Silvio: the Bears need to have more sex to strengthen up those groin muscles. I'm looking at you Vasher and Briggs.
• Speaking of Briggs, when we first heard he wasn't coming back in the second half, I couldn't help but wonder if he'd gotten into another car accident at halftime.
• Finally, I'd just like to thank the Redskins for blowing their lead against the Giants, and as a result, killing my teaser bet. What kind of asshole would root for that team?
  

Here We Go Again

I swear to God, if I have to deal with another season of this from Rex Grossman, I may just kill him. I'm not just saying that either. I mean, I will climb a tree outside of Halas Hall with a rifle, and stay there for days if I have to, until I can get a clean shot.

Does this storyline sound familiar to you? Bears win, Rex commits three turnover.

It all started out so well, too. There was one play early where Rex was pressured, and then he did something that completely blew my mind. He stepped up in the pocket, then scrambled for a few yards before firing a bullet to Bernard Berrian for a first down.

It was amazing. We've never seen that before from Rex. I had no idea the Sex Cannon had wheels on it!

A few plays later, Rex was pressured in the pocket again. Once again, he stepped up to avoid the pressure, but had the ball stripped from his hand by a lineman.

My initial thought? Well, at least it wasn't a fumbled snap! I mean, all quarterbacks get stripped by defensive lineman once in a while.

Then, of course, Rex fumbled two snaps later in the game.

Now all of that positive energy I had been feeling about Grossman is gone, and this morning I can't stand the guy. For the most part, I stood behind him last season. Everytime he messed something up, I made an excuse for him, or thought about all the times he played so great.

Not anymore.

I'm not going to deal with this crap for another season. Especially when there are two other quarterbacks on the roster who don't scare the shit out of me.

Brian Urlacher was interviewed on the sidelines, and when Michelle Tafoya asked him about Rex's fumbles he said that Rex is just getting them out of the way now in the preseason.

He fucking better be, but just in case, I'm loading the rifle now.

Rex Has 30 Minutes

Tonight is the night Rex Grossman decides his own fate. The Bears roll into St. Louis to play the Rams on Monday Night Football in front of the entire country.

While it hasn't been advertised out of Halas Hall, Brian Griese took half of the snaps with the first team in practice all week.

You don't have to be a genius to figure out what that means.

If Grossman struggles in the first half of tonight's game like he has been recently, Brian Griese will be playing quarterback for the Chicago Bears in the second half.

Tonight, the Bears cannot afford to have Rex getting careless with the ball.

The Bears defense is on its last legs right now. Already without Mike Brown and Tommie Harris, it's also likely that cornerback Nathan Vasher and safety Todd Johnson will be missing tonight's game.

There is good news for Rexy, though. The Rams are the 31st ranked run defense in the NFL, which means that the Bears offensive gameplan will probably feature a very healthy dose of Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson.

As long as Rex can handle the snap and hand-offs without fumbling, he should be okay. Of course, the way things have been going lately, that's a big "if."

The Bears need Rex to have a good game tonight. In an NFC conference that seems to get weaker and weaker every week, this is the Bears' chance to get to a Super Bowl. They can't afford to be spinning their wheels waiting for Rex to get his confidence back.

''I'm just so confused why I do some of the things I do. It doesn't make any sense to me. It's, 'All right, what is making me do these things?'''

-Rex Grossman

He has to get it back, and handing the ball off all night may be just the way to do it. If the Bears can make the Rams focus on stopping the run, it will open up the secondary and give Rex a chance to complete that home run ball he loves to throw. It may only take one completion for Rex to realize that he's not as bad as we all want to think that he is.

But he's only got 30 minutes to figure that out. Griese is waiting.