Mark Bradley, Bears Superfan

So Rex Grossman was given the biggest stage in the world last year to show he deserved to be the guy for the future in Chicago... He didn't exactly prove the naysayers wrong. The offense took great strides in 2006, but they were still a below-average group, thanks in large part to Grossman's erratic quarterbacking. Grossman was healthy for 16 games last season, but his performance was uneven to say the least. In the build-up to the Super Bowl, it was often stated that Grossman had seven games with a passer rating of 100 or higher and three games with a rating of ten or lower. This fueled a sense that there was a "Good Rex / Bad Rex" dichotomy.

This perception arose in large part from Grossman's ability to post strong conventional numbers against bad defenses. Grossman played seven of his 16 games against teams that ranked among the league's ten-worst pass defenses and posted five of his seven 100-plus quarterback ratings against those bottom-feeders.

Worst Quarterback Ever to Win a Super Bowl:
Lots of people rooted for Rex Grossman in the Super Bowl. Bears fan rooted for Grossman. Gamblers who took the points rooted for Grossman. Superfan Bloggers rooted for Grossman...

But one man rooted harder for Grossman than anyone else. If the Bears could pull off a win, Grossman would replace Trent Dilfer as the Worst Quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl. When Dilfer led the Ravens to victory in Super Bowl XXXV, he had no idea what a dubious distinction he would earn. It only took two or three years for Dilfer to become a talk-radio argument stopper. "Of course the home team can win with Joe Armless at quarterback. The Ravens won with Dilfer, didn't they?" As the Bears defene and special teams dragged Grossman into the playoffs, Dilfer became Grossman's litmus test.

Image stuck in my mind: It was Super Bowl Sunday. The Chicago Bears had the ball at their own 38-yard line with less than 12 minutes to go. They trailed the Colts by five points. The Bears were one touchdown drive away from taking a fourth-quarter lead in the Super Bowl. On a first down play, Rex Grossman dripped back, looked deep, and threw a pass well over the head of Muhsin Muhammad. Indianapolis cornerback Kelvin Hayden caught the ball and "tiptoed" down the sideline for the game-clinching touchdown. Nevertheless, Grossman is back.

Odds and ends: The Bears failed to get a first down on their last four possessions of the first half. ... Bears WR Muhsin Muhammad became the third player to score Super Bowl touchdowns with two different teams. He joined Ricky Proehl and Jerry Rice. ... The Bears became the 14th different losing team in the last 14 Super Bowls.

Rex Grossman couldn't win the Super Bowl and erase Dilfer from our collective consciousness. But as the old saying goes... What doesn't kill you makes you stronger! I'm hoping Rex will show considerable development in his second full season as the starter.

Labels: Good Rex / Bad Rex Dichotomy