Time not ripe for change
Backup option is there, but it's too early to pull Rex
The young quarterback is at a crossroads because he gives the ball away too much. He's responsible for 15 turnovers in the last six games -- 11 interceptions and four fumbles -- after turning the ball over only three times in the first five.
There already are plenty of voices calling for Grossman to be benched in favor of Brian Griese. Before that happens, it's only fair to consider Griese's body of work. He's obviously an accurate passer who will take what a defense gives him. He also has thrown seven touchdowns and seven interceptions in his last six games and 30 interceptions overall in his last 20 games.
Griese could prove a viable option, but now is not the time for that move. That option isn't going anywhere. It's always available. First, it's important to see if Grossman can play through his problems, and Minnesota is the perfect team to begin that evaluation.
It was the Vikings in Week 3 who first stumbled upon the strategy for attacking Grossman -- pressure him up the middle and use his height disadvantage against him.
Grossman is obviously a strong-armed passer with a lot of intangibles that are important for success at quarterback. Listed at 6-1, he also lacks ideal height and, unlike most undersized players, isn't a great athlete. He has quick feet, a fast release and a lot of God-given ability, but he doesn't make a lot of plays outside the pocket and rarely attempts to run.
Tom Brady was pretty pumped up about his 11-yard run Sunday that kept a touchdown drive alive. He eluded Brian Urlacher on that play. It's not one Grossman would attempt. He has minus-eight yards on 15 attempts this season and has rushed for 39 yards on 29 carries in his career, with a long of eight yards two leg injuries ago.
National observers are dismissing Grossman as a pocket passer whose vision and mechanics break down when he's rushed up the middle. One suggestion is that the Bears roll Grossman out of the pocket or come up with gimmicks to get him outside, so he can get away from pressure and see the field better. The Bears tried to do that against Miami, and Jason Taylor reached up and intercepted a Grossman pass and returned it for a touchdown.
Grossman's strategy of backing up in the pocket and throwing off his back heel hasn't proved much of a deterrent to the inside pass rush.
More damning than physical limitations are the mental lapses Grossman has suffered. One player said in the locker room Sunday that the final interception Grossman threw downfield toward Rashied Davis came off a play designed to go to Muhsin Muhammad. Bears coach Lovie Smith and offensive coordinator Ron Turner said they liked the man-on-man coverage on the outside on that play.
Still, Grossman opted to take a chance and put the ball up for grabs to Davis, who's generously listed at 5-9, 193.
Turnovers define the Bears, and no team does a better job of taking the ball from opponents. They've forced 34 turnovers through 11 games. No other team has hit 30. The Bears are the only team in the league to create at least two takeaways in every game this season. But their plus-10 turnover differential is only third in the league behind Baltimore and St. Louis because of the avalanche of giveaways in the last six games.
Only four teams in the league have committed more turnovers than the Bears: Arizona (25), Oakland (26), Cleveland (29) and Pittsburgh (30). None of those teams is going to the playoffs.
Teams that give the ball away consistently don't win in the NFL. Former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson once cut a reserve running back for fumbling twice at Soldier Field in the season finale en route to his first Super Bowl victory. Johnson walked onto the field, met the guy as he walked off and told him to pack up his stuff and fly a commercial jet home.
During a TV interview at halftime of the Bears game, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo told a story about throwing a red-zone interception and coming to the sideline thinking about getting that one back, only to have Bill Parcells tear into him. He said the message stayed with him.
You have to wonder whether anyone is making that point to Grossman. A fire-and-brimstone speech is needed, at the very least. A threat of physical violence might work better.
Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of Grossman's season has been the awful numbers he has put up in the fourth quarter. His completion percentage is only 43.1 (25-for-58), and his passer rating is 35.7. Only Oakland's Andrew Walter is worse in both categories in that quarter (41.2 completion percentage/23.2 passer rating).
Grossman is in a slump. The Bears have a problem. There are five weeks left to straighten out the issues before the playoff run begins. The solution needs to begin on Sunday.
Mike Mulligan and Sun-Times reporter Brian Hanley host a daily show from 10 a.m.-noon on WSCR-AM (670).