A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days

And yet, how unsurprising. People may get upset at Brian Griese for throwing those three interceptions but it must be remembered that he hasn't had nearly the number of practice repetitions that Rex Grossman has had. As a consequence, Griese looked rusty. But he also looked like Rex Grossman. I have to think that Griese will have the potential to improve with practice and to show us the smarts he clearly has. At that point in time, the mistakes will go down in number. I have a lot more faith in Brian Griese improving his game than I do in Rex Grossman improving his. Again, look at it this way: Today, with very little chance to take his game out of hibernation, Brian Griese looked like a warmed up Rex Grossman. That speaks volumes.

But the defense. Oy. They are beat up and whatever one has to say about Griese's sudden insertion into the starting lineup and the challenges it poses for him, the fact of the matter is that the offense remains anemic and as a result, the defense has to spend more and more time out on the field. The more that happens, the more tired and injured the defense gets--to the point where opposing offenses have an easier time scoring on them. Let's face it, the Bears defense if not made up of a bunch of pushovers. But neither is it invincible or capable of winning games all by itself. It needs offensive help.

And that help does not appear to be available. At least not in the short term. Brian Griese may get better--and I think that he will--but he is not the longterm quarterback the Bears need. Trading Thomas Jones in the offseason turned out to be an utterly foolish move and the Bears are in need of a running game as a consequence. It is an open question as to whether the Bears will do so poorly that they will be able to draft highly--though after today's game, one does wonder whether or not that might happen--and even on the free agent market, the Bears' options may be limited. How many quality quarterbacks are there to be picked up in the free agent market? And how many of them can be picked up with a quality running game as well?

What we appear to be seeing is proof that the Bears may well have missed their chance to be Super Bowl Champions. They remain a dangerous team but they are splintering as well. The offense is filled with doubt in key positions. And if the Bears do really poorly, they may not be the attractive option for free agents that they would want to be. It was easy, going into this season, to tell free agents that if they signed up with the Bears, they may go to the Super Bowl and win it. Next season? That boast is looking iffy at best.

Not good. Not good at all. And things may get much worse before they even have a sand castle's chance in an earthquake of getting better.