Jury still out on Grossman

GM Angelo likes what he has seen, but QB must keep winning to stick

''When I first went to Tampa, they traded a guy,'' Angelo said. ''They said, 'Hey, listen, we just got a second- and fourth-[round pick] for a guy who can't play dead.' They said, 'He'll never play.'

''They said, 'Great, we just traded Steve Young to San Francisco.'''

With that, Angelo learned the inexact science of personnel moves at quarterback.

During a Super Bowl interview session Wednesday, Angelo pointed out how difficult it is to find a quarterback in the NFL, especially one capable of extending the dominance of a winning program. He couldn't say for certain he has one yet, either.

Angelo maintained that having one is critical because in an age of parity and free agency, dynasties remain possible through that position.

''It's easy to do if you've got a Hall of Fame quarterback -- let's say it's easier to do,'' he said. ''You've got to get that quarterback position in place.

''I don't think anybody has had a real dynasty without a Hall of Fame quarterback. You look at [Terry] Bradshaw, you look at [Bart] Starr, you look at [Joe] Montana, [Tom] Brady and obviously [Peyton] Manning [is capable].''

Angelo's own quarterback hasn't done enough to fit in this category because he has played only one full season. The future remains uncertain for Rex Grossman.

The Bears didn't win this year because of Grossman, and that's a prerequisite for the Hall of Fame-type quarterback who can guide a long run of success.

Still, Angelo isn't down on Grossman, either.

''The bottom line is that he is exactly what I expected,'' Angelo said. ''You have to win with him.

''We've won a lot of games this year with Rex. I've got to think that that's a big component when you measure any quarterback.''

Grossman's contract expires after 2007, and even though he has led the Bears to the Super Bowl, nothing is certain about the future -- one way or the other.

''They tell me when they had that undefeated team in Miami with [Bob] Griese, he averaged only 13 passes a game,'' Angelo said. ''That was shocking when I heard that.

''The bottom line is [winning] with quarterbacks, and [Grossman] has done a pretty good job. Hopefully that's going to be his history and he's just going to get better next year. We'll see next year. I can't say that [for certain]. Hopefully his upside is that he'll keep winning. In terms of the stats and this and that, that's for statisticians.''

It's possible Angelo's experience with the Young situation in Tampa Bay taught him something about quarterbacks. Not only did he draft a Super Bowl quarterback, but he had a few others pegged, as well.

''I liked Manning over [Ryan] Leaf,'' he said about the top two picks in the 1998 draft. ''I liked Vince Young over Matt Leinart [last year]. I'm not saying Matt Leinart isn't going to be a great quarterback, but you've got to have convictions. Both Matt Leinart and Vince Young are going to be special quarterbacks.''

He's still holding out hope for Grossman, too.

Sun-Times News Group