THE SECOND COMING OF THE CHICAGO BEARS

Chicagoans continue to dream of a "second coming" but should jolly well know better. It just ain't going to happen. I have followed all season what seemed to have been a very promising story of the return of a very dominant Chicago Bears team that would simply march into Super Bowl XLI and take what rightfully belongs to them, but as the weeks went by and "reckless" Grossman revealed himself, it suddenly dawned on me that it was all a dream.

It was sacrilege even to think that team was anywhere near as good as the marauding team of the 1985 - 1986 season. I posted here some time ago exactly how I felt about the chances of the Chicago Bears and nothing has changed. In fact, things have gotten worse in terms of how I feel.

Usually, I am able to keep my emotions in check especially where Football is concerned, but this time around I have the added burden knowing that my friend's mom is about to be let down. It's a real shame. After an amazing comeback from cancer, she has now being diagnosed again but somehow is putting up another gallant battle. For sure, she maybe unable to watch, but would have been cheering all season and hoping for a great end to what was shaping up to be a very memorable one.       

To say Grossman's season has been erratic would be an understatement but more poignant is that the last few games have been awful. This is especially worrying seen that we are now at the stage of the season where men must stand up and be counted. Even though the Bears continued to their imprsessive regular season record, the quarterback position has been woeful.

So reckless has Grossman been that he continues to give up interceptions as if they were fashionable and his passer rating has nosedived. In the season finale, in particular, it fell to an astounding 0.0. (I don't know exactly what it means, but I am using it). Given Grossman's pathetic showing, it could only mean one thing. It must all seem like a bad dream to everyone given that this is someone who earlier in the season was being touted as MVP.

The Bears quarterback has been so bad that, against the Packers, at a most inopportune time in the season Lovie Smith was forced to bring in backup quarterback Brian Griese. To compound the matter, after the game, with naivety reserved exclusively for amateurs, Grossman admitted that he was not as prepared for Brett Favre and the Packers as the regular season was for all intents and purposes finished; the team had won the division and the game did not count for much. What?

This statement tells the whole story. I would strongly urge Chicago fans not to hold their breath. A blinkered, erratic and very naive quarterback with no confidence is an extremely bad combination. 

Now the Bears has announced that the "reckless" one is the man for the playoffs; something Chicago fans, I am sure, did not want to hear. Problem is, Grossman has been the man all season, so Lovey Smith has no choice but persevere with him. To turn to the "ring rusted" Griese who has been on the bench all season, would be just as bad or even worse than sticking with Grossman.      

Later today the Bears will start their campaign in the playoffs against the Seahawks. They are at home and lest we forget, there are two guys - Brian Urlacher and Devin Hester - who could turn any game around. We have been counting them for as long as the season has gone on.

While nothing is guaranteed, they should win but with the consistency and mental toughness needed to go all the way and with the certainty that Rex Grossman will return to his inept reckless ways, the only trumpet about to sound is that of the proverbial "fat lady" unfortunately not heralding the "second coming" but instead signalling to emotionally distraught Chicagoans that it's all over.