Quarterbacks around the NFL continue to drop, which perhaps will create a trade market for Bears backup Rex Grossman.
Demoted in favor of Brian Griese two weeks ago, Grossman might be able to reinvent himself in a new environment. Grossman’s contract expires at the end of this season, meaning he is unlikely to receive the big bucks befitting an NFL starter.
Among the injured starters around the league: J.P. Losman of the Bills, Matt Leinart of the Cardinals, Trent Green of the Dolphins, Tarvaris Jackson of the Vikings, Jake Delhomme of the Panthers, Marc Bulger of the Rams and Alex Smith of the 49ers.
Bears general manager Jerry Angelo says he is not eager to deal Grossman. The NFL trade deadline is Oct. 16.
“Rarely do you see someone pick up a quarterback during the season … to hit the ground running and bring that team to the promised land, so to speak,” Angelo said before Sunday night’s game at Lambeau Field. “I don’t anticipate that. You go with the hand you’re dealt at certain positions, and the quarterback position is one of them.”
Does that mean the Bears will sign Grossman to a new contract?
“We’ll address that at the end of the year,” Angelo said. “There’s a lot of football left to play. Who knows? I only have to look at our history at that position, given the attrition we’ve had during the season. We want to keep as many good football players as we can and right the ship.”
Word on the street
Coming off last season’s Super Bowl appearance, the Bears don’t figure to require a major overhaul, despite an inauspicious start.
“Obviously, when you [start slowly], you have problems,” Angelo said. “There’s enough blame to go around. It’s not any one player. We had a few injuries. So you can rationalize some of it. But we have just not played a complete football game. It seems like we’re finding ways to lose instead of finding ways to win, as we did last year.
“When you come off a successful year, you want to keep the nucleus of your football team if you can. We had all 22 starters back last year. I’ve always said this: Each year a team takes on its own identity. You have to establish yourself every week and create that identity. We have just not done a real good job of that yet.
“There’s still time. We’re in a bit of a hole. We have to start making our move, we have to start tightening things up and do things we were doing on a routine basis last year.”
Overheard
Deanna Favre, wife of Packers quarterback Brett Favre, has written a controversial new book titled “Don’t Bet Against Me.” In the book she talks about her battle with breast cancer as well as her husband’s well-publicized past addiction to painkilling drugs.
“It was so hard because I have always been really private, really shy,” she said. “Just putting yourself out there is really hard. But at the same time, I fought breast cancer, and so many people said I saved their life because they found lumps. That had a huge impact.
“And I’ve also had friends ask me, ‘How did you deal with [Brett’s] addiction?’
“After realizing that I was helping people with the [public dialogue] about breast cancer, I felt like it was something I needed to do. I could be a positive influence. I’m glad I’m able to tell my story, but I really don’t like the spotlight that much.”
In the book, Deanna Favre writes about her husband’s excessive drinking and abuse of Vicodin, which she says caused tension in their relationship. So how did Brett feel about her airing the details of their personal problems?
“He was pretty good with it,” she said. “I had him read everything that was said in the book. I told him, ‘We can keep it in or we can take it out.’ It was hard [for him], but he thought that maybe someone else could read it and benefit from it.
“He was a lot like me at first, kind of quiet and shy. What better way to hide than to take a few pills, right? I kind of think that’s what happened. He’s come a long way.”
Sights seen
Actor Ashton Kutcher, a friend of Favre’s, was along the sideline for the start of Sunday’s game. … Deanna Favre, wearing a pink top in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, took part in the pregame coin toss. “It was awesome but a little bit awkward because for my husband, that’s business,” she said.
The last word
“Brett always says, ‘I would retire for you guys in a heartbeat.’ But I don’t want to be the reason. I tell him, ‘That needs to be your gut decision. It’s your dream.'”
— Deanna Favre, talking about her husband’s thoughts on retirement.
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fmitchell@tribune.com
