Is it time to find out whether Rex is the Rx for the Bears’ ailing offense? And why didn’t the Bears try for a long field goal at the end of the game?
Q. Chris Chandler has not performed well the last two weeks. With seven losses, isn’t it time for the Bears to either try Rex Grossman or go back to Kordell Stewart?
A. Offensive coordinator John Shoop knows it’s not his decision. “I felt like Chris gave us a shot to win today,” Shoop said after Sunday’s loss to St. Louis. “I’ll let the head coach handle any questions with regard to personnel moves. I certainly believe in Chris’ ability to get this done. Unfortunately, the past two weeks we didn’t.”
Stewart, who injured his leg before being benched in favor of Chandler, was asked after Sunday’s game about not playing.
“The things I can control, I control,” Stewart said. “I can’t be consumed with what’s taking place behind the scenes. It’s a matter of time. Let nature take its course, and I’ll be as supportive as I can of my teammates and just be there if need be. It’s not about me, and I don’t want to bring attention to myself.”
Q. What has happened to Paul Edinger the last two weeks? His missed field goals have been really costly.
A. Edinger has set such a high standard during his Bears career that his rare misses are magnified. He had a field-goal attempt blocked against the Lions last week before missing from 41 yards. Then his 34-yard attempt sailed wide left in the first half against the Rams. Coach Dick Jauron said Edinger is in a slump.
“What is a slump?” Edinger asked. “If you miss a kick, you miss a kick.”
Edinger has converted 17-of-21 attempts this season. At one point this year he made 14 in a row. Two of his four misses were blocked.
“It’s my job to make them,” Edinger said before adding, “I am not a robot.”
Q. Why didn’t the Bears try a long field goal on the last play of the game instead of going for it on fourth down?
A. Jauron said he talked to Edinger about the attempt, which would have been 58 yards, and decided not to try it.
“It’s not my call,” said Edinger, who had trouble making kicks from 50 yards while warming up toward the south goal post before the game. “It would have been a long shot. If he sends me in, I’m going to kick it.”
Q. What exactly were the Bears attempting to do on the last play of the game?
A. Jauron said there was a problem communicating the call to Chandler on that play. A pass intended for Dez White was incomplete.
“The last play of the game was called where we had three guys on the sideline, trying to get an extra 5 yards and then step out,” Shoop said. “Or if the corners were rolled up, a 15-yard gain, perhaps, and then step out of bounds.”
Q. Why was Marty Booker called for an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty?
A. Booker made a 13-yard reception in the third quarter in front of Rams cornerback Travis Fisher and then became too demonstrative in the eyes of the official.
“I didn’t intend for it to go that way,” Booker said. “I just got up and tried to show some emotion. That’s how they called it.”
Q. Do you think the Bears’ veterans are giving 100 percent effort for Jauron? Isn’t it time to see what the rookies can do during this lost season?
A. Bears veterans feel especially frustrated the last couple of weeks and still want to be out on the field.
“Our job is to win this year,” defensive end Phillip Daniels said. “The rookies are getting plenty of playing time.”
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Have a question or an idea for Fred Mitchell? E-mail: AskFred@tribune.com
