'Midget' remark may loom large

Rubbing his upper right arm as if it still hurt, Rex Grossman recalled the jolt his body felt when Chargers linebacker Shaun Phillips sacked him Sunday on the Bears' second offensive play.

[ron]

ron is right to call wrecks that way cos he really is a mental midget and if you watch that nfl film where they focus on the colts defensive line coach you see why ron didn't hesitate to say it to his players cos it's obvious and pathetic cos now the league knows how to play wrecks,this is gonna be a long season

[The Sports Authority]

Pop quiz? Grossman or Manning, Manning, Brees, Romo, Palmer, Del Homme, Favre, McNabb, Young, Pennington, Brady, Hasselback or Bulger...

That's not even comparing him to the Cutlers, Smiths, Leinarts, Campbells, etc...Grossman is an average NFL quarterback at best.

If they're not injured or gone mental, I think Leftwich, Carr or Culpepper would have been upgrades. Hell, Grossman would be lucky to have Kerry Collins career.

I've never been sold on Grossman, not at Florida and not in Chicago. Not that the Bears are loaded on offense, show me where Rex stacks up against any of the guys I've mentioned.

Okay, now give them the Bears defense. Why Chicago seemingly hasn't tried to upgrade this position is puzzling considering that D and some good young skill players.

Signing Culpepper, Carr or now Leftwich couldn't be cap breaking and could you definitively say Grossman is better than any of those three.

The Bears didn't reach the Super Bowl because of Grossman, they got there in spite of him. Yes, average QBs can make it and have won it all, but Grossman is highly replaceable.

[Addison sports fan]

Give me a break, if that comment will motivate a professional team they aren't much of team to start with .... come to think of it if it does motivavte them, then the whole bunch of them are mental midgets!

[pld coach]

Please stop being an apologist for Grossman. A 53.7 passer rating speaks volumes. Saying it was not a giant step backward was accurate. It is the same step backward. If it is not his intellect or courage that should be questioned, and it is thought his throwing arm is strong, what is the problem with Grossman? More importantly, how do you fix something when you have no idea what it is that needs fixing?

[Jack]

I am sick of hearing, "I need to play better.", "We need to execute."

Get it in gear, play better, stop calling a conservative game and start playing like defending NFC champions should.

[Matt K]

Grossman is a mental midget, any Bears fan has to be willing to admit it.

[Roger]

David's right. The Bears didn't lose because of Rex. But the Bears didn't win (last year) because of Rex, either. It was a combination of defense, running, blocking, special teams, good plays, lucky plays, and then Rex. Just look at that Saints game. That play by Berrian on an errant throw sealed the deal - especially after the Saints running back ran through the Bears defense on that touchdown run.

The way to beat the Bears is simple. Stack the box. Cedric runs best up the middle. Stack the box. If Cedric can't run, continue to stack the box because Rex won't be able to throw with all of those hands and arms in his face.

[Florida Jim]

Rex Grossman and the Bears need to shut up the opponents with their play not their mouths. I look at Manning and Brady and see how comfortable they are with the snap, the dropback, the pocket the rollout and wonder when Rex will ever get comfortable. How could he and Berrian not be on the same page after all this time together in practice and games?

[Ken]

Hey Kreutz, does the truth hurt. They certainly proved a point.

[Harlan]

What's the issue here? Grossman is a mental midget. He proved it again on Sunday.

[Matt]

But Briggs is no mental midget. He was smart enough to sprint like a frightened school girl and hide for five hours after trashing his car at three in the morning.

[Tim]

Wow!!!

You sound like you like the Bears in this article. Weird.

[MATTHEW1]

IM SOOOO TIRED OF PEOPLE STICKING UP FOR GROSSMAN. HE IS THE 30TH RANKED QB IN THE NFL HE SUCKS PLAIN AND SIMPLE. PS BERRIAN WAS TRIPLE COVERED!!!!!!!!

[SMITH]

Let's face it Wreck's is a mental midget good old Ron is right. What professional QB doesn't check his 2nd and 3rd receivers? I'm tired of the Bears sticking up for Wreck's and am beginning to think that Lovie, Ron and Jerry are mental midgets as well. Bring on Brian or Kyle!

[MATTD]

ED O'BRADOVICH & DAN HAMPTON WERE AT A GOLF OUTING MONDAY, AND DURING THE Q&A SESSION O'BRADOVICH & HAMPTON BOTH SAID THAT GROSSMAN DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO READ A DEFENSE, AND THAT PRIMARILY WHEN HE'S GOOD, IT'S ALL DUE TO LUCK. THESE ARE PRO'S, AND I TAKE THIER OPINION OVER LOVIE & JERRY ANGELO.

[NoPCinSportsPlea se]

From Dictionary.com

midg·et

3. very small or of a class below the usual size.

Perhaps the word was used accurately... however it was taken out of context by some to make another, totally unrelated point?

[Antoine Randle El]

Rex may not be a "mental midget", but at the same time the guy is not exactly an "intellectual giant".

[Animal]

San Diego is quickly becoming a team of chumps. I like LT but hearing them whine about a fairly innocent Patriots celebration, and then listening to this junk after a home win they were lucky to get is ridiculous. That team will not make the Super Bowl unless their QB gets a lot better during this year. The Bears probably will make the Super Bowl if they don't have many more injuries.

I kind of agree that Benson looks soft. That fumble was not a hard hit.

[Stan]

So, they're soft and stupid.......what's new?

[Fan Seeking QB]

What's the big deal? I doubt the Chargers think Grossman is stupid. Like the rest of the league, the Chargers probably believe that Grossman and Benson lack the mental fortitude to keep their focus when things get tough. Is this news? Have Grossman or Benson done anything to prove their doubters wrong? If anything, their preoccupation with what others are saying abut them confirms that they are thin-skinned and easily knocked off-focus. Any smart team will do everything it can to get inside the heads of Grossman and Benson, until it no longer works. Grossman and Benson need to respond on the field. This reminds of the Dusty Baker regime, when the Cubs wasted their energy and focus on Steve Stone and other perceived critics. We saw how well that distraction served the Cubs. Grow up and play ball. And the way the Bears brass defends Grossman and Benson reminds me of the way the White Sox brass defends Guillen and Ken Williams. These teams think their fans are mental midgets. Their attitude is "who are you going to believe, us our your own lying eyes?" Don't insult our intelligence by pairing a great defense with a crummy QB. That is how the great Bears of the '80s managed only one Super Bowl. This team deserved better.