Simple truth: Rex a bit too defensive

MIAMI -- He was a picture of post-frat, South Beach cool -- cap flipped backward, NFL logo yanked over his forehead, a day's growth of stubble hanging Sonny Crockett-like on his face -- when Rex Grossman heard the question. He wasn't especially thrilled about it, but, oh, was it timely: If he were a journalist paid to chronicle the fleeting fluctuations of a maddeningly mercurial quarterback, how would Reporter Rex write it?

You be the sportswriter, fella, and explain how you'd analyze yourself when you perform like Brett Favre one week and Brett Farce the next.

''I'd look at the good games,'' said Grossman, staring into a beehive of media. ''I'd look at them compared to the bad games. I think I've had a good season, and in the playoffs, I think I've played pretty well. I've done what they've asked me to do. I've definitely had some games I'd like to have back.

''That's kind of a complicated answer.''

Now he knows how we feel. For Grossman remains a uniquely complicated subject, as perplexing as any to hit a Super Bowl in recent memory. Despite the hopeful bravado in Chicago that suggests he has overcome his struggles and is ready to have the breakout game of his life Sunday, let's be honest. We still have no idea which Rex is going to show up against the Colts. Will it be Good Rex or Bad Rex? MVP Candidate Rex or Blutarsky Rating Rex? Rex the Minimalist or Rex the Saboteur? Rex the Wonder Bear or Rex the Stinking Dog? People may be tiring of the same old story line, but it hasn't changed, particularly with princely Peyton Manning as his counterpart and eminently capable of producing four touchdown passes and 30-plus points. This time, Grossman can't just get by and show up in the second half as he did against New Orleans. This time, he can't use the squirrely New Year's Eve excuse and say, ''It's the Super Bowl, and there were so many other factors that brought my focus away from what is actually important.'' He must be prepared to throw his own scoring passes, move the offense consistently with precision and daring, hang in a shootout with Manning if necessary and, above all, avoid screwups.

Otherwise, the Bears probably lose.

CBS has 47 high-definition cameras in place at Dolphin Stadium. Once again, they will focus as intensely on Grossman as any other player. We can overdo psychoanalysis at a Super Bowl, swept up as the media are in impressing each other, but the condition of Rex's psyche is a critical angle that should be dissected nonetheless. Monday was the first time he faced the global assemblage of reporters, and, truthfully, his candor was a bit unnerving. Grossman isn't fighting the reality that he has played poorly, including five games with sub-40 passer ratings. He just wonders why we don't emphasize the 15-3 record and his seven performances with 100-plus passer ratings, as many as the great Manning this season. I don't have a problem with Grossman debating us. I just wish he didn't sound so defensive, like a lawyer in a courtroom.

''Every quarterback makes mistakes,'' he said, turning the subject to icons Tom Brady and Manning. ''Those two quarterbacks have played so well for so long, so when they throw a bad interception, they get a free pass. But when a quarterback hasn't played for a long time, it's real easy to get down on someone. In my situation, I'm judged on every pass. If I throw a touchdown pass, I'm a great quarterback. If I throw an interception, I'm a bad quarterback. Give me some more time.

''I would love to play more consistent so that everyone knows what to expect. I know I can do that. In my first full season, I've had about 12 games, including the playoffs, I'm really proud of. And five or six that I'm really not proud of. I need to work on those six games, but I'm happy where I'm at. I'm at the Super Bowl.''

Which is precisely the point. In the big game, he can't relapse into Bad Rex without it altering football history, the honor of Chicago and the Bears' confidence in him as a long-term keeper at their traditional black-hole position. Rex-backers point to Baltimore's Trent Dilfer as a high-risk QB who won a Super Bowl and needed to make only one big play -- an early 38-yard scoring hookup -- before subsequently hitting only 11 of 24 passes for 115 yards. But the Ravens had an all-time defense that season, a unit better than the injury-diluted Bears. And they faced a quarterback, Kerry Collins, who was no Manning. Be certain the Colts will score many more points than the seven scored by the New York Giants in that game. Be just as certain the Bears will need more than the running game to respond offensively.

If Grossman wins, he will spend the offseason laughing at us and surely negotiating a new contract with the Bears, with his modest, five-year rookie deal expiring after next season. But if he plays poorly and loses? There will be monstrous fan and media demands to look elsewhere. He claims to like the pressure, saying in one breath, ''I don't care who you are, it's a position that just comes with it. The ball is in your hand every play. You're the guy people look at.'' Then, in the next breath, he opens a wound about criticism.

''It has bothered me at times,'' he said. ''It's a situation where I've played bad and people are going to say their negative things. I just didn't realize the exaggeration that comes with it.''

The Bears won't say it, but they must be concerned about a week of difficult questions taking a toll on their delicate, 26-year-old project. ''He has to deal with this almost every week,'' coach Lovie Smith said. ''Rex is a professional. He knows most of you 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. He doesn't buy into it. We don't buy into it.''

That said, the harsh truth can't be ignored: Grossman will have to hold his own against Manning, a legend who smells a triumphant ending after years of frustration and waiting. ''Do I feel I have to match Peyton Manning?'' he said. ''I feel I have to do what the coaches ask me -- run the offense, make good reads and, when a guy is open, hit him and score as many points as possible. I see it as a team effort. We have a great team.''

He makes it sound so simple. It never is, of course.

Jay Mariotti is a regular on ''Around the Horn'' at 4 p.m. on ESPN. Send e-mail to inbox@suntimes.com with name, hometown and daytime phone number (letters run Sunday).