The Chicago Bears Must Make a Decision As Soon As Possible

There is not a doubt in my mind that the Chicago Bears, as an organization, want to see Rex Grossman be the starting quarterback of the team, not only for 2008, but for years to come in the future.

The problem with the Bears is that they are an organization that is afraid to admit they made a mistake until it gets to absurd circumstances, like in the case of Cedric Benson earlier this summer.

Rex Grossman has been given every opportunity to succeed as a Chicago Bear and has failed to produce. During the past couple of years, we have learned that Grossman is an all-world practice player but is unable to crack it on gameday.

How much longer do we have to debate the topic? How much more do the Bears have to see before they make a decision on who will be taking snaps on Sept. 7 in Indianapolis?

There is no progress being made right now by the Bears spending this much time giving both Orton and Grossman so many reps. I support Kyle Orton in the competition, but whichever way the Bears decide, they need to make a decision soon.

Personally, I see no reason why a decision was not made before training camp opened up this year. Why not let it be known that either Rex or Orton are going to be the starter, but keep them on a shorter leash than you would in most cases of a starting quarterback?

By splitting reps in practice, the Bears are putting a limit on what will be seen by either of the two quarterbacks this fall.

The only reason the Bears are still debating the quarterback controversy is because they spent a first-round draft pick on Rex Grossman, and he was expected to come in and lead the Bears' offense for a number of years.

It is safe to say he has not lived up to the expectations he entered with, although he did quarterback the Bears to a Super Bowl appearance.

The problem with giving Grossman credit for the Super Bowl run is that he was not the one responsible for the Bears getting there. Instead, that was because the defense was amongst the best in the game, even without Tommie Harris, whom is their most important defensive player. 

Orton was expected to be a backup when he was drafted in the third round of the 2005 draft. To me, that is the only reason this team has not decided to name Kyle Orton their starting quarterback. Orton may not be able to throw the deep ball as well as Rex does, however, he doesn't throw nearly as many interceptions either.

What drives me crazy about the Bears is that they still want fans to believe that Rex is going to emerge as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFC. This is a joke, as we have learned that Grossman does not have the patience to do what it takes to ever make the Bears an elite team.

I'm not saying it takes a Tom Brady or Peyton Manning to lead a team to a Super Bowl victory. Eli Manning had underachieved in most peoples' eyes until leading the Giants to the unlikely Super Bowl win last February. Still, Eli was not as outstanding in the playoffs as we saw Brady be last year, or his brother Peyton the year previous.

Because of this, it is obvious, to me, that you do not need to be an elite QB in the NFL to win a Super Bowl. Don't confuse me for thinking Kyle Orton has what it takes to lead this Bears team to the promise land either. In the absolute, best-case scenario, I still feel the Bears are an eight-win team in 2008.

The problem is that Rex Grossman has proven that he will make too many costly mistakes, and he does not give the Bears the best chance to win on the most consistent basis.  Career-wise, Kyle Orton has quarterbacked the Bears to an overall record of 12-6, something the Bears do not seem to take into consideration while deciding their quarterback debate.

Get over yourselves Bears, and get on with things. Your failure to make a decision by now is holding this team back. Sure, they likely are not going anywhere this year anyway, but the Bears' failure to make a decision by now is only limiting the team's chances of success by that much more.