Many Chicagoans–media and fans–have taken more than a few shots at Rex Grossman during the ups and downs of the 2006 regular season.
With each turnover late in the season, the cries about his shortcomings grew louder and some fans called for his replacement as the Bear’s starting quarterback.
But in the intense national spotlight of Super Bowl scrutiny, those catcalls have become a cacophony. It’s become fashionable outside Chicago to hold Grossman up to the sparkling resume of Colts QB Peyton Manning and to find him lacking.
Will that fly with Chicagoans? Or in playground parlance: Is it OK for the family to beat up little brother, but not OK for outsiders to pick on him?
Read the headlines, passages and quotes from news outlets around the country over the last several days. Then answer the question: “Do you have a problem with the national media’s criticism of Rex Grossman? Send your comments to redeyesports@tribune.com.
Espn.com on Monday published a large image of Grossman “thinking” about being “Good Rex” or “Bad Rex.” Under the image was a link to an article about the 10 worst performances by Super Bowl quarterbacks.
Newsday.com headline: “Ringmaster of this circus isn’t Rex: Erratic QB Grossman can’t compete for hype with superstar Manning.”
Toledo Blade headline: “An average QB just not enough in Super Bowl.” The article goes on to say, “Rex Grossman vs. Peyton Manning doesn’t sound like a fair fight.”
The New York Daily News asked: “Is Rex Grossman the worst Super Bowl quarterback of all time?” and goes on to say, “there are reasons why Grossman, a former first-round pick (2003) out of Florida, has so many detractors,” and lists some of his more dubious statistics.
From Washington Post columnist Mark Maske’s NFL Insider blog: “You wouldn’t say the worst because he does have his good moments, too. How about the most erratic quarterback to win a Super Bowl? Maybe that.”
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “Let the debate begin: Is Rex Grossman the worst Super Bowl quarterback ever? He certainly has a good case, based on his 11 for 24 for 144 yards statistical line from Sunday’s championship game. There is also a load of empirical evidence from this season. Being the absolute worst, however, is saying a lot.”
The New York Times defended Rex: “… the real statistical marvel of this season is Rex Grossman, quarterback of the Chicago Bears, who has managed to put up numbers on par with some Super Bowl legends and yet is still regarded by some as the reason that his team cannot possibly win it all.”
