Rex Grossman’s baseball cap was on backward and there was some stubble on his face. Less than a week before the Super Bowl, the Chicago Bears quarterback was relaxed and at ease.
“I’m having a blast,” he said Monday, despite questions about his past performances and comparisons with Indianapolis QB Peyton Manning.
Grossman was thoughtful as he answered questions during a press conference. After all, there’s practically nothing he hasn’t been asked this season.
He sounded more focused than flip. He came armed with patience, restraint and just enough flair to send home the most cynical slightly impressed.
Throughout the season, Grossman has absorbed criticism, heard the calls to bench him and then did enough to help the Bears get to the NFL title game.
“When I was drafted, one of the first things that people told me was that the backup quarterback was the most popular player in town,” he joked Monday.
Forget what former Indianapolis Pacer Reggie Miller told Dan Patrick on ESPN Radio when Miller said, “All the pressure is on `Sexy Rexy,’ [and] they’re going to destroy Chicago.” Imagine the burden Peyton Manning will carry into the game Sunday after spending a week in South Florida hearing himself called the modern-day Dan Marino if the Colts don’t win and never make it back.
Despite Grossman’s up-and-down season — excellent at times, abysmal at others — the Bears still won 15 games and earned a date with the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. That’s where he’ll really be in the spotlight, playing the same position as Manning.
“I would love to play more consistent so that they know what to expect, everyone knows what to expect. I know I can do that,” Grossman said.
“In my first full season I’ve had about 12 games, including the playoffs, I’m really proud of. And about six — five or six — that I’m really not proud of. They were bad. I need to work on those six games, but I’m happy where I’m at. I’m at the Super Bowl.”
Grossman was the NFC offensive player of the month for September and the Bears rushed to a quick start. But in a Monday night outing at Arizona — the Bears’ sixth game — Grossman threw four interceptions before Chicago rallied to win 24-23. He also had shaky games in losses against the Dolphins and Patriots, and another weak one against the Vikings, when his QB rating was 1.3.
“I’ve become somewhat numb to the criticism,” Grossman said.
“I don’t care who you are, it’s a position that just comes with it. The ball is in your hand every single play, you’re the guy people look at,” Grossman said. “It’s a situation where I’ve played bad and people are going to say negative things. I just didn’t realize the exaggeration either way that comes with it.”
Wide receiver Bernard Berrian, one of Grossman’s favorite targets and Chicago’s chief big-play threat, said the team rallied around its quarterback.
“When someone is getting criticized that much you are going tend to back him up and console him as much as you can, as much as possible,” Berrian said.
— Associated Press, Tribune
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HE SAID IT
“[Rex Grossman is] He has to deal with this just about every week. … He knows that most of you [reporters] have certain questions that you want to ask him, that most of you would like to let him know exactly just how bad he is and things like that. But he’s not going to buy into it. We don’t buy into it. Rex Grossman is here at the Super Bowl. The reason for that is he is a good player. As far as comparing him to Peyton Manning, you can compare very few players with Peyton Manning. But Rex and Peyton are not the only two guys playing.”
–Love Smith, Bears coach
