SB Nation User Blog: xarker

"Everyone welcomed Stafford aboard, and let's win games. How 'bout that? Forget Daunte versus...

xarker — Tue, 12 May 2009 22:34:50 -0000

"Everyone welcomed Stafford aboard, and let's win games. How 'bout that? Forget Daunte versus Stafford. Let's get to the playoffs." --Kevin Smith, Detroit RB.

Hey Kevin: You're a Lion. Set a reasonable goal. Like winning a game.

Bears QBs: The Litany of Failure

xarker — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:40:05 -0000

I compiled these stats in 2006 when we were all wondering what on earth was going on with Good Rex / Bad Rex, so they don't include Orton's 2008 campaign. But you'll get my point: However bad you think our QB history is, it's actually worse.

Original post: Grossman in context, from Dec. 16, 2006.

For those of you who are fans of normal NFL teams, this may be difficult to understand, but... Rex Grossman of the Chicago Bears is having one of the best statistical years in franchise history.

I just looked at Bears records back to 1933, and here's what I found:

Yardage:
Only three Bears QBs have ever thrown for 3,000 or more yards in a season (Erik Kramer did it twice). Grossman has 2,628 so far and is on-pace to finish with more than 3,200 -- the second-highest yardage total in a season by any Bears QB (Top 4: 1995, Kramer, 3,838 yards; 1962, Bill Wade, 3,172; 1991, Jim Harbaugh, 3,121; 1997, Kramer, 3,011).

Passing touchdowns:
Last Sunday Grossman became the sixth Bears' QBs to throw for 20 touchdowns in a season (Sid Luckman did it twice). He's on pace to finish with 25, and if he stays on his per-game average he'll notch the third-best mark in team history (Top 7: 1995, Kramer, 29; 1943, Luckman, 28; 1947, Luckman, 24; 1949, Johnny Lujack, 23; 1961, Wade, 22; 2006, Grossman, 20; 1965, Rudy Bukich, 20).

More touchdowns than interceptions:
At the moment, Rex has thrown 20 TDs against 17 interceptions. This may seem like an odd thing to even consider, but Bears quarterbacks seldom throw more touchdowns than interceptions. Grossman has a 20-17 ratio this season, and while that isn't exactly stellar, it's pretty remarkable for this franchise.

In only 25 seasons since 1933 has the Bears' annual passing leader thrown more scores than picks. The average TD-to-INT production in those 25 rare seasons? 14-to-9. By way of comparison, that's basically the year Jim Miller had in 2002, notching 13 touchdowns against nine interceptions and 1,944 yards as the Bears stumbled to a 4-12 record.

17+ interceptions:
OK, nobody likes throwing 17 interceptions, and let's face it: Rex is on pace to throw 20 of 'em. You'd think that a team this historically adverse to throwing the ball would rarely give the ball away that many times in a season, but again, you'd be wrong. Eleven Bears' annual passing leaders have done it a total of 12 times before 2006, and only one of those quarterbacks threw more touchdowns than interceptions that season (Lujack threw 23 touchdowns against 22 interceptions in 1949).

And this is kinda sad: Bears QBs have thrown 20 or more interceptions seven times. The Bears' record for touchdown passes in a season? Twenty-nine. The Bears' record for interceptions? Thirty-one (Luckman, 1947).

Look who isn't on these lists:
Jim McMahon is generally considered the second-best quarterback in franchise history (Luckman is the consensus pick for the best of the Bears' quarterbacks, and after that the discussion gets kinda pathetic), but if you look at him statistically, he's not all that impressive. The punky QB led the team in passing seven times but never passed for 3,000 yards (2,392) or 20 touchdowns (18) in a season.

In conclusion:
Man, Chicago really isn't much of a quarterback town. Maybe the reason people keep jumping on Grossman's back this year is that they expect their quarterback to suck. Because Chicago quarterbacks almost always do.

Consider this: Grossman's current passer rating is a mediocre 74.5... which would still rank as the 26th-best annual passing-leader rating in team history. Between 1967 and 1982, the best passer rating posted by a Bears' annual passing leader was 69.7 (Mike Phipps, 1979). As lousy as that was, it looked positively stellar compared to the litany of failures that surrounded it (Jack Concannon, 1967-70, 49.8, 31.3, 49.5, 59.2; Bobby Douglass, 1971-73, 50.4, 57.1, 49.7; Gary Huff, 1974-75, 50.4, 57.1; Bob Avellini, 1976-78, 49.7, 61.7, 54.6; Vince Evans, 1980-81, 66.1, 51.0).

It's hard to believe, but even when you discard his 11-2 record as a starter this season, Grossman is having one of the best seasons in team history. If he continues to progress the way that he has since his return to the lineup last winter, Grossman could be on track to become the franchise's Top QB in multiple categories. Quickly. Because to be blunt about it, the bar has been set pretty low.

P.S. For the record, in his first full season as a starter with the Packers (1993), Brett Favre finished with 19 touchdowns, 24 interceptions, 3,303 yards and a passer rating of 72.2. Chew on that for a while, Bears fans.

Poll

Which Bears QB was the most disastrous flop?

Bobby Douglass. Only reason he didn't throw more INTs was that his passes were just so uncatchable.

0 votes

Cade McNown. His picture is in the dictionary next to the word "creepy."

8 votes

Rick Mirer. He wore No. 13. We should have taken a hint.

1 votes

Kordell Stewart. Fans expected little from him, yet he still managed to under-deliver

2 votes

11 votes | Poll has closed

JA's spring To-Do list

xarker — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 02:55:34 -0000

Think making the biggest NFL deal in recent memory gets you some time off? Not in Chicago. Acquiring Cutler means its time to update all the Bears off-season scenarios. Here's your list, Jerry.

1. Acquire one, if not two, veteran wide receivers. And yes, one of them ought to be Torry Holt. Your wide receiver group contains only three players worth mentioning (Devin Hester, Earl Bennett and Rashied Davis), and only one of those three has any business being a starter in 2009. Your new quarterback needs targets. A trade for Anquan Boldin would be a master stroke -- but would the Cards move him for a second or a third? You're going to go looking for a rookie WR with one of those picks anyway, Jerry, so you ought to at least explore the option.

2. Have a long talk with Chris Williams. Look, you liked this kid so much you drafted him despite his back injury, and yes, everyone's long-term success depends on him contributing. But what he needs to do right now is be a good little soldier, listen to Mr. Pace, and learn his trade. He's going to play, but he's not going to play right away, and he needs to get his head around that.

3. Find a real No. 2 quarterback. The problem with bringing in a veteran like Jeff Garcia or Byron Leftwich last month was that as soon as you'd announce it, everybody in Chicago would have begun speculating about a quarterback controversy. That's not the case now. And look -- every team needs a legit veteran backup. You don't have one. Go get one.

4. Figure out where your defense went. Did they suck last year because they're old? Or were they just poorly coached? Whatever the answer, you need to know by draft day. My two cents says it was everything, but the de facto demotion of Bob Babich can't possibly hurt. You upgraded your coaching, and let's hope that's the biggest move you need to make.

5. Write down these positions on your draft board: LB, Safety and FB. Yes, you have to draft a WR, too, but you're no longer in the first round and let's be realistic: You'd have to get wicked lucky to land a starting WR in the second round this year (see Item No. 1). On the other hand, I'm not convinced we have a true starter at the SAM position, and there are LBs on that rookie board who could compete. Same with the safety position. And as for FB: Does Jason McKie have some embarrassing photos of you, or what?

6. Draft Brandon Tate in the 5th round if he's still there. This UNC wideout was overshadowing Hakeem Nicks until he blew out his knee last fall. Give him a medical redshirt and we'll check back next spring.

7. Have a beer. If you get all this stuff done, you're looking at a division championship. We love you, man.

Poll

Who is most likely to wind up starting across from Devin Hester on opening day?

Earl Bennett. Jay Cutler helps him read his playbook.

26 votes

Rasheid Davis. Because he swears he's got the drops out of his system.

0 votes

Torry Holt. Yes, he's good, but suddenly we don't seem to be afraid of that anymore.

14 votes

Marvin Harrison. Just find him a pinch-blocker.

0 votes

Some other stiff.

0 votes

40 votes | Poll has closed