T.REX: Get It On, Bang a Gong!

WILL ‘T’ STAND FOR ‘TERRIFIC’ OR ‘TERRIBLE’ FOR CHICAGO’S REX GROSSMAN IN 2007?

With the Chicago Bears kicking off the season this afternoon with a tough test against a formidable San Diego Chargers team, the focus will once again be on Rex Grossman. As Grossman enters his fifth season in the NFL, the question remains whether Rex can become a consistent quarterback and avoid those peaks and valleys that made last year so promising and yet so frustrating and heartbreaking. Grossman’s performance this season (along with that of running back Cedric Benson) will go a long way in determining whether the Bears can defy the difficult task of returning to the Super Bowl after the heartbreak that was XLI.

So as Rex begins what will hopefully be his second full season as the Bears starting quarterback, I’ll ask him a question that a jeepster sang back in the mid-1970s before dying in a car accident in 1977.

Dear Rex,

“are you my main man
are you now are you now
are you my main man
are you now are you now
are you now

are you a god man
are you now are you now
are you a frog man
are you now are you now are you now?”

– Marc Bolan of T.REX, “Main Man” from 1974’s The Slider

So will Grossman be the “Main Man” at the quarterback position for the Chicago Bears for years to come? If Grossman wants to prove that he is the “Main Man” in this contract season, he can begin by doing so on Sunday in San Diego.

The Chargers and former Bears Defensive Coordinator Ron Rivera (now San Diego’s Linebackers Coach) will be sending the rush at Grossman all day, and how Grossman responds will be an important indication of whether he can step up and play mistake-free football in big road games against tough opponents.

Grossman failed miserably in two such games last season, throwing three interceptions at New England during a November 26th loss and completely falling apart against the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. And let’s not forget the Monday Night Football debacle in Glendale, Arizona in which Grossman tried to give an unimpressive Cardinals team a victory before being saved by Brian Urlacher and Devin Hester.

In facing the Chargers on the road, Grossman is dealing with a team many thought would be lining against the Bears in Super Bowl XLI. While San Diego may not be the most ideal team for Chicago to kick off its season, the Chargers are a perfect test for Grossman, who in all fairness is the best quarterback the Bears have had in a very long time.

So what would constitute a solid opening game from Grossman? To begin with, no fumbled snaps. Bears fans should live with one Grossman interception as long as it’s early and not late in the game.

In simple terms, win or lose, Grossman will need to quickly show that he can be the “Main Man” in terms of consistency for the Bears offense, especially now that this position is vacant with Chicago’s terrible trade of running back Thomas Jones to the New York Jets after the Super Bowl.

Even if Chicago loses to the Chargers today, the game can be considered somewhat of a victory if Grossman steps up and plays a solid game. Because if the Bears lose and Grossman plays awful, you know who the blame is going to fall on.

Exalted NFL MVP after four weeks last season by the same Chicago and national media that now rips his every mistake, Grossman must show this season whether he is the Bears quarterback of the future.

Whether Bears fans and Grossman like it or not, the test begins at 3:15 p.m. in San Diego.