Bears Continue to Roll, Beat Lions 26-21

Backup quarterback Brian Griese replaced starter Rex Grossman
in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions, guiding the offense on two impressive drives that set up field goals by Robbie Gould giving the Bears their 13^th win of the season. They now have the best record in the NFC.

Making the change in quarterbacks was part of Lovie Smith’s
game plan regardless of the score or the outcome. It was a bold, but logical move for the Bears coach. Last week he made a gutsy call by not calling time outs and trying to end the game in regulation against Tampa, again, another bold call. But for Smith and the Bears, it all seems to be working.

Switching Griese for Grossman added a touch of intrigue to a
game with nothing at stake for the Bears who secured a first round bye and home field throughout the NFC playoffs. But as any head coach will tell you, momentum is crucial heading into the playoffs. Smith will do the same this week in the season finale at Soldier Field against the Green Bay Packers on New Years Eve.

Lovie Smith insisted before the game that he would “Play to win.” Not to avoid injuries – by using his starters as long as necessary in the hopes of staying sharp for the playoffs.

The change in quarterbacks won’t stop the questions about who is best suited to lead the Bears into the playoffs. Grossman has had three consecutive games without an interception.

“I thought I was going to play the whole game,” said Rex Grossman. “But I guess they had plans that they were going to get me out mid-third quarter.”

Griese looked sharp coming off the bench, engineering an impressive 72 yard drive that put Robbie Gould in position for
the go ahead field goal midway through the 4^th quarter. On the
next drive, Griese drove the Bears again to set up Gould for another field goal, giving the Bears a five point cushion, and ultimately the win.

“I hadn’t played in a while, so it felt good to get out there and contribute to a win.” Griese said, who had not played in the previous seven games after being used sparingly. “I’m ready to
play whenever they want me to, but I don’t have any expectations.”  He will get another chance this coming Sunday.

After the game, Smith confirmed that the change at quarterback was planned. “We wanted  to get a win in the worst way and we wanted to look at a few other players,” Smith said.

Against the Lions, Grossman had another sub par performance in what has become an up-and-down season for Rex. Grossman was 20 of 36 for 197 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Griese was 6 of 9 for 51 yards.

Bernard Berrian’s 13 yard touchdown score early in the second quarter gave the Bears the lead, but proved to be Grossman’s
only bright spot in the game. Later in the game, his passes were
off target, luckily, they were not intercepted.

“We’ll leave the decisions up to the coaching staff,” said wide receiver Mushin Muhammad, whom Grossman overthrew badly
on a play that likely would have been a touchdown in the third quarter. “I’m confident with both guys, but Rex has been our guy all season.”

Rumbling,  but stumbling Lions…

Kitna has the distinction of holding the turnover record this season at 30. But today, Kitna looked sharp, completing 27 of 45 passes for 283 yards with touchdowns to Roy Williams, Dan Campbell and Mike Furrey. Furrey was also impressive with 10 catches and 107 yards.

Kitna’s biggest mistake was when he fumbled when Bears rookie sensation Mark Anderson sacked him late in the game, adding to his long line of miscues at crucial times. Ogunleye’s recovery at
the Detroit 32 with less that four minutes left, set up Gould for a field goal. This forced the Lions to go for a touchdown on their final drive.

Lions quarterback Jon Kitna had a chance to rally the Lions at the end of the game, but came up short. Kitna threw a pass into the end zone on the final play of the game when a leaping Mike Williams got his hands on the ball, but could not haul it in. Williams was defended on the play by rookie sensation Devin Hester.

“I owe it to myself and the team to make that play,” Williams said. “That’s just a play you make.”

The Bears and Lions are at opposite ends of the spectrum this season. The Lions were playing for pride since the mid part of the season, for the sixth straight season. They are now 2-13 and have many questions yet to be answered

What were they thinking?...

Also a concern, actions off the field have become distractions for both teams in the past few weeks. Bears defensive star Terry “Tank” Johnson was ordered under house arrest for violation of
his previous legal problems. He stayed at home in suburban Gurnee.

The Lions also made news off the field this past week. Defensive line Coach Joe Cullen was also suspended  by the NFL for the game for two arrests – one for driving nude and one for drunken driving.

The Lions fans showed their displeasure for team president Matt Millen, who took control of the franchise when the team’s decline began in 2001. About 100 fans were seen leaving the stadium during the second quarter chanting “Fire Millen!”

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