Farewell, Rex Grossman. Best wishes.

The Rex Grossman era in Chicago is officially over.

Many felt that the era had ended in April, when the Bears traded for Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler.  I was not convinced.  There was no question that Cutler would take on the starting role.  Coach Lovie Smith even indicated that Grossman didn’t factor into the team’s 2009 plans.  Yet I believed that there was a slim possibility that the Bears might sign Grossman as a backup.  After all, the team had showed unshaking confidence in Grossman since he was drafted in 2003.

Friday, the Houston Texans announced that they had signed Grossman to a one-year deal.  Three quarterbacks are already on the team’s roster and Grossman will compete for the third-string job.

Rex Grossman’s tenure with the Bears was a proverbial roller-coaster ride for fans.  He saw limited playing time at the end of his rookie season, ultimately breaking his finger.  He played three games the following season before being sidelined with a knee injury.  In 2005, he broke his ankle during a preseason game, eventually returning for the final two games of the regular season and one playoff game.   

At the time, it seemed that Grossman was more fragile than a Precious Moments figurine.  Fans questioned his durability and wondered whether the Bears had squandered yet another first-round draft pick.

Grossman stormed out of the gates in 2006 season, quieting many of his critics.  In four out of the first five games, he logged impressive passer ratings of 98 or higher.  He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month in September.  “Sexy Rexy” was the toast of the town, and Bears fans were convinced that the team had found its first elite quarterback in over half a century.

Then the wheels came off the Rex Grossman Family Fun Ride.

Grossman became wildly inconsistent.  Stellar performances served as the bookend for dramatic failures.  A three touchdown game was followed by a three interception game.  Fans wondered whether “Good Rex” or “Bad Rex” would show up for games.  The nadir of Grossman’s season came on New Year’s Eve when he threw three interceptions on twelve attempts and earned a nice round passer rating of zero.

Grossman was marginally competent in the Bear’s first two playoff games, earning the team a trip to Super Bowl XLI.  He completed more than 70 percent of his passes in the title game, but turned the ball over twice.  One interception was returned for a touchdown and the Bears fell to the Indianapolis Colts, 29-17.

Coach Lovie Smith again named Grossman the starter in 2007.  After poor performances in the first three games, he was benched in favor of antique quarterback Brian Griese.  He later returned to his starting role after Griese sustained an injury to his deteriorating carcass.  Upon his return, Grossman returned to his incredibly inconsistent 2006 form.  As the season drew to a close, Grossman again injured his knee and Kyle Orton assumed the starting role. 

Orton’s ascension to starter was the beginning of the end for Rex Grossman. 

By that point, Grossman had become the most polarizing figure in Chicago sports.  During the 2007 season, fans incessantly argued about whether Grossman or Orton deserved the starting role.  On sports radio, a sound bite of Lovie Smith proclaiming that “Rex is our quarterback” became a running gag.

Grossman was resigned for the 2008 season and played in a backup role.  He appeared in three games and drew the ire of fans, despite offering mediocre performances and guiding the team to a win in his first game back. 

In many ways, his departure is a foregone conclusion.  Many fans were ready to move past the Rex Grossman era after the 2007 season.  He had little impact in 2008 and he is now simply a part of Bears lore.

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Grossman’s enigmatic Bears career was unlike anything that I had seen before.  Never before has a Chicago sports figure been simultaneously celebrated and maligned by fans.  In 2007, the Grossman versus Orton debate had become incredibly heated, dividing Bears fans into two distinct camps. 

One year later, Grossman had become a villain of sorts.  Many fans detested the mere sight of Grossman in a Bears uniform. 

Grossman’s irregular statistics are often attributed to his “gunslinger” attitude as a quarterback.  While the term has become trite by uninspired sports writers, it is quite applicable to Grossman’s style of play.  He is a risk taker who prefers to throw the deep ball and struggles with the short game.  Granted, long passes are far riskier, but Grossman seems to think that screen passes are for pussies.

Many times, the risk would pay off.  At the start of the 2006 season, Grossman’s performance was breathtaking.

Other times, such risk-taking would result in dropped balls, turnovers and a nearly unwatchable game for Bears fans. 

The vitriol spewed about Grossman is a result of the tortured history of Bears fans. The Bears’ quarterback woes are legendary.  In nearly 90 years, the franchise has sent only two passers to the Pro Bowl.  In the past two decades, the Bears have changed their starting quarterback approximately 676 times. 

The flashes of brilliance seen from Grossman at the start of the 2006 season elevated the hopes of Bears fans.  The team had finally found its franchise quarterback.  Multiple championships were inevitable, as was Grossman’s enshrinement in the Hall of Fame.

Grossman’s subsequent struggles became a crushing, collective disappointment for the city.  Living legends are not supposed to throw four interceptions in a game, nor should they post a passer rating of 1.3. 

Despite his struggles, many remained faithful in the mercurial quarterback.  The trip to Super Bowl XLI further heightened their hopes.  Once the Bears harnessed Grossman’s raw talent, it would only be a matter of teaching him the steps of the Super Bowl Shuffle. 

When Grossman played poorly at the beginning of the 2007 season, the last remaining faithful felt betrayed.  They grasped at straws for find an answer.  Clearly, something was clearly wrong with the kid.  He had all the talent in the world, but lacked the work ethic, toughness or desire to lead a champion.

Fans demonized Grossman as a football antichrist and wanted him on the next plane out of town.  Last week, they finally got their wish.

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Such hatred is completely inexplicable.  Despite his flaws, Rex Grossman is a talented quarterback.  He was simply unable to perform to the colossal expectations set for him by fans. 

By all accounts, Grossman is a good guy.  In general, his teammates liked him and supported him as he struggled.  He doesn’t have a huge ego, was cognizant of his failures and did not blame his teammates for his errors. 

Chicago is a city that has embraced sociopaths such as Dennis Rodman, Dave Kingman and Jim McMahon. Megalomaniacs such as Sammy Sosa and Frank Thomas were treated like heroes.  Fans lionize Brian Urlacher, despite his clear disdain for the media and frequent inability to offer more than monosyllabic grunts in response to questions. 

Yet the city treated Grossman like a flatulent leper with swine flu.  In no way did he deserve such scorn.

With his tumultuous Bears career behind him, Grossman heads to Houston to compete for a third-string job.  The Texans have an established starting quarterback in Matt Schaub, so his future is unclear. He may toil away in obscurity, or he may once again ascend to the prestige of a starting role.

While the former outcome is far more likely, I am hoping that Grossman finds some level of success in the future.  I admit that has ruined many Sundays for me, but he also provided spectacular performances made it uncommonly delightful to be a Bears fan. 

The 2006 season was incredibly enjoyable as a Bears fan.  Granted, Super Bowl XLI was terribly disappointing, but the playoff run was highly entertaining.  Grossman played a huge role in leading the team to the big game, and for that I am grateful. 

Farewell, Rex Grossman, and thanks for the memories. 

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