LESSON 1.1
GROSSMAN’S FAVORITES
Bears quarterback Rex Grossman grew up in Indiana in the 1980s and ’90s, paying special attention to quarterbacks, including his five favorites of all time.
“I found myself wanting to watch these guys because they were playmakers and fun quarterbacks to watch,” Grossman said. As he begins his first season as the Bears’ starter, he lists his favorites.
1. Joe Montana
“Starting from when I was beginning to understand football on Sundays, it was Joe Montana. I couldn’t explain it at the time. He was accurate and they scored a lot of points; the 49ers were always in the Super Bowl, always on TV. I admired his calm, the way he played the game, cool under pressure, accurate passer.”
2. Brett Favre
“In my high school days I watched Brett Favre be the NFL MVP three years in a row.”
3. Jim Harbaugh
“We went to a lot of Colts games when Jim Harbaugh was playing for them, and that’s when I was developing as a quarterback. I really liked his style of play; he was tough and made plays. They called him Captain Comeback. He was a fun player to watch.”
4. John Elway
“He was a fun player to watch, especially his comebacks.”
5. Dan Marino
“He had a quick release. He would just kind of sling it around, and they threw the ball a lot. They had a fun offense to watch.”
LESSON 1.2
HE’S STILL NO. 2
The Bears have traditionally been a running team, so much so that their all-time leading receiver is Walter Payton with 492 receptions in his 13-year career. Among receivers and tight ends, Johnny Morris is the all-time leader with 356 catches. The trading of Marty Booker means another challenger to Morris’ ranking is gone. Booker was just 52 catches short of passing Morris. Curtis Conway was closing in on him but left after seven years, and Bobby Engram was only two or three seasons away when he was released. Morris’ status has stood the test of time. A look at the Bears’ all-time leading receivers:
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Rank Player Pos Rec YRS
1 Walter Payton RB 492 13
2 Johnny Morris WR 356 10
3 Curtis Conway WR 329 7
4 Mike Ditka TE 316 6
5 Marty Booker WR 315 5
6 Neal Anderson RB 302 8
7 Matt Suhey FB 259 10
8 Bobby Engram WR 246 5
9 Dick Gordon WR 238 7
10 Harlon Hill WR 226 8
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LESSON 1.3
MONDAY NIGHT BLACKOUT
Coming off two straight losing seasons, the Bears were snubbed by the NFL when it came to playing on “Monday Night Football.” In the nine Monday night-less seasons, the Bears have had a winning record and gone to the playoffs three times, had a losing record four times and had two .500 seasons.
2001: 13-3
Surprise NFC Central champions, lost first playoff game to Philadelphia at home.
2000: 5-11
Monday night viewers didn’t miss anything.
1999: 6-10
Dick Jauron’s debut season.
1998: 4-12
Dave Wannstedt’s farewell season.
1990: 11-5
Monday night crew misses NFC Central champions. Bears beat Saints in playoff opener, then lost at N.Y. Giants.
1983: 8-8
Five wins in final six games presaged five straight playoff seasons.
1982: 3-6
Strike-shortened season, Mike Ditka’s first.
1979: 10-6
Won wild-card berth, but lost at Philadelphia 27-17.
1976: 7-7
Jack Pardee returns Bears to respect-ability in his second season.
LESSON 2.1
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO LOVIE
New Bears new head coach Lovie Smith weighs in on a variety of topics:
Best advice ever received (from his mother, “many times”): “You don’t have time to feel sorry for yourself.”
Last book read: “The Purpose Driven Life,” by Rick Warren.
Favorite college town: Columbus, Ohio, where Smith was once an Ohio State assistant coach.
Favorite NFL team as a child: Dallas Cowboys.
Favorite athlete as a child: Cowboys wide receiver Bob Hayes.
Career choice if not coaching: Teaching high school.
Most overrated part of football: Size of players.
Most overrated statistics: Using total yardage to rank offenses and defenses.
Most important defensive statistics: Scoring, turnovers and third-down efficiency.
Most embarrassing moment in football: Losing to Michigan as an Ohio State assistant.
Most memorable moments in football: Winning 2001 NFC title game as Rams’ defensive coordinator and being named head coach of the Bears.
LESSON 2.2
BEARS SCHEDULE BY THE NUMBERS
16-13-2
Bears’ record on Thanksgiving. Bears are 0-2 in Thanksgiving games at Dallas, where they will spend the holiday this season.
4
Games against 2003 playoff teams, tied with Detroit and Green Bay for fewest in the league.
.496
Winning percentage of Bears’ 2004 opponents last season, tied for 21st in NFL with Minnesota.
LESSON 2.3
ASSISTANT COACH STUDY GUIDE
1. Ron Rivera, defensive coordinator: The son of an Army officer, he spent part of his youth in Germany and Panama before moving to California, where he attended high school.
2. Terry Shea, offensive coordinator: He was a college head coach for seven years, two at San Jose State and five at Rutgers.
3. Pete Hoener, offensive line: This is his fourth coaching job in Illinois. The Peoria native and Bradley University graduate was the offensive line coach at Illinois State in 1977 and at the University of Illinois 1986-88. His first coaching job was as an assistant at Belvidere High School in 1974.
4. Bob Babich, linebackers: He was on the coaching staff at Tulsa with Lovie Smith 1984-86.
5. Rob Boras, tight ends: He was the head coach at Benedictine University in Lisle in 1998.
6. Darryl Drake, wide receivers: He coached Lions’ first-round pick Roy Williams at the University of Texas.
7. Karl Dunbar, defensive line: He watched Bears rookie Tommie Harris from the opposing sideline as an Oklahoma State assistant last year.
8. Torrian Gray, assistant defensive backs: The Minnesota Vikings’ second-round draft pick in 1997, he started five times as a rookie and had a three-year career ended by a knee injury.
9. Tim Spencer, running back: He played for the USFL’s Chicago Blitz in 1983.
10. Wade Wilson, quarterbacks: This former eighth round pick of the Vikings wound up in the Pro Bowl.
11. Dave Toub, special teams coordinator: He spent 12 seasons at the University of Missouri, three as defensive line coach and nine as strength and conditioning coach.
QUIZ:
Which Bears assistant coach could easily be called Mr. Illinois?
LESSON 2.4
HE’S BACK FOR MORE
Nobody has caused more trouble for the Bears in the last decade than Brett Favre, who will be out to extend an NFL record at Lambeau Field on Sept. 18. He has thrown a touchdown pass in an NFL-record 24 straight games against the Bears.
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No. QB, team Opponent TDs Years
1. Brett Favre, GB Bears 24 1992-
1. Dan Marino, Miami N. Y. Jets 24 1995-98
3. Dan Fouts, San Diego Oakland 17 1978-87
4. Joe Montana, SF Atlanta 15 1980-89
5. Steve Grogan, NE Indianapolis 14 1976-90 %%
