We know about last year's disaster. We know that Todd Collins was somehow on the roster instead of Dan Lafevour because Martz wanted a veteran back-up. We saw how that worked out, too. The idea I am about to forward isn't an insult to Caleb Hanie. I like Caleb and would be happy with him as our #2. But if Martz is dead set to bring in a veteran again this year as back up to Jay Cutler, well........follow me to the clearing at the end of the jump and I'll throw my two cents into the arena of ideas.
OK. I am going to get crucified for this one but here is the name I would throw in the hat. Rex Grossman.
I know, I know. Sexy Rexy is the Bear everyone loves to hate. But I have several reasons for this thought, and I actually think that if he doesn't get re-signed by the Redskins, I'd like to see the Bears take a stab at bringing him back to Chicago.
Reason #1: He outplayed Donovan McNabb last season in Washington. Simply put, Rex was better. He showed a maturation that wasn't evident in Chicago along with the flashes of brilliance that were evident in his time here.
Reason #2: Grossman spent the past two seasons learning from Matt Schaub and from the QB that I respect the most in the league as a person, Donovan McNabb. If you watched Grossman on or off the field last year, you can see the effect that being around McNabb had on him. It reminds me a lot of the effect that it had on Vick. I'm not saying that Grossman will be in the POTY conversation next season, but I am saying that he seemed different on the field and in interviews.
Reason #3: Mike Martz isn't Ron Turner. Seeing that Grossman was actually a viable QB option under Shanahan made me wonder what Grossman could do under a guy like Martz. Let's be real, for a second. Grossman has a love for going deep. Martz has a love for going deep and the brains to design a play beyond the standard deep out that Turner loved so much . It would be interesting to see how this worked out. It would at least make for some fun pre-season games.
Reason #4: While we would all love for JA to be able to run the Bears like he was playing Madden, the reality of the situation is that back up QBs are back-ups for a reason. Teams seldom have a situation like San Fransisco had where you have a Joe Montana starting and an Steve Young backing him up. Grossman has the ability to actually start and win games. It isn't the normal in this league to have a backup that you can say that about. This would be the biggest reason I advocate bringing Rex Grossman back. If, God forbid, Cutler were to fall, the Bears would actually have a reasonable plan B.
Reason #5: While Rex is capable of starting and winning games, he isn't the caliber of player that Jay Cutler is. And Grossman already has a history and reputation in Chicago, and the chances of there being a QB controversy between Grossman and Cutler are between slim and none. And on the extremely slim chance that one did develop, we can be sure that it won't be because Rex is an unknown in Chicago. It would have to be because Grossman performed well enough to not only overshadow Jay (fat chance) but also outrun his own reputation (just about a snowball's chance in Hades). If it happened that way, I wouldn't have a problem with that. So effectively, the Bears would have a player who could start in the league backing up Jay without having to worry about QB controversies or stepping on Jay's ego.
I know I'm going to catch heat for this post, but I'm not advocating a return to the "Rex is our quarterback" era. I'm just saying that I honestly believe the best option available to the Bears for fulfilling the veteran QB desires of Mike Martz is none other than Rex Grossman. Or I guess we could just settle for Todd Collins v2.0. That was pretty cool.......for the Packers, Giants and Panthers.
And with that, I'll leave you to your torches and pitchforks.