By the time rookie quarterback Rex Grossman reported to work Wednesday morning, he already had memorized the game plan Bears offensive coordinator John Shoop faxed him Tuesday night.
Shoop cynics will wonder whether that meant Grossman has a good memory or the Bears have such a basic game plan that it didn’t waste more than a sheet of fax paper.
They’ve even raised the question of whether Grossman might be wasting his time running Shoop’s offense if the Bears confine the potential big-play rookie to looking for yardage in small chunks.
“As we did with Kordell [Stewart] and Chris [Chandler], we’ll design our game plan to highlight things that Rex does well,” Shoop said Thursday.
Critics liken the Bears’ version of the West Coast offense to an Alcatraz for quarterbacks, and hold out hope Grossman will be the first to break free from the shackles of a scheme that has produced fewer yards than any other NFL team this season.
Grossman’s insertion as starter promises that possibility. “We’re still running the same offense so I don’t know what people expect,” tight end Desmond Clark said.
At Florida, Grossman led the NCAA in yards-per-pass-attempt during his best season in 2001 with an average of 9.86. The Bears’ average this season is 5.05.
“I do believe one of Rex’s strengths is his arm strength … but things go into it,” Shoop said. “Those [injuries to the offensive line] will all be factors.”
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Edited by Michael Kellams (mkellams@tribune.com)
