Rex Grossman as Bears Starter

I do have to comment on this phenomenon. Kyle Orton has led the Chicago Bears this season, and they are in first place. Orton's in because pre-season starter Rex Grossman got hurt in training camp. Now that he's healthy, and the Bear lead in the division is shrinking, the calls are going up to put Grossman back in. Charles Robinson writes

Enough is enough. You can't wait until the division is tied up to move Rex Grossman into the starting lineup.

Um, need I point out that Grossman, though a third year player, has appeared in a grand total of six games in his career, half of those being in the 2003 season? Orton has appeared in 13 games, all this season. Let's compare some key career stats:

Stat	Orton	Grossman
QB Rating	60.9	71.1
Comp. Percentage	52.9	54.5
Yard per Game	138.3	174.0
TD Passes	9	3

Obvious conclusion: neither QB has very good stats. So the idea that Grossman will magically make the Bear offense better is kind of silly. If anything, put 3rd stringer Jeff Blake in. He's a grizzled veteran in his 13th year, with nearly 22,000 yards passing and 133 touchdowns.

Personally, I like Orton. I've seen a few Bear games. He makes mistakes, but then again he is a rookie. What I like about him is that he throws a really nice ball, especially on deep routes. I think he can develop into a pretty good QB in this league. The one time in the Steeler game they took the leash off the offense, they moved right down the field with some nice pass plays and scored a touchdown.

So, let's keep the Grossman watch in perspective. It's not like bringing in Dan Marino to replace Damon Huard or something (which the Dolphins should not have done that year, in my opinion, but that's a different story). It's one effective rookie, playing with a lot of rust and a gimpy ankle that's just healed, to replace a true rookie.