Rex Grossman

Grossman will spend 2012 backing up Robert Griffin III.

Grossman could have gone anywhere as a free agent, but he returned to Washington given that he got his foot in the door by starting three games last year. And while he�s generally a bit clumsy, he also showed the ability to put up numbers as a starter last year. While the four interceptions and four lost fumbles were bad, he also threw for seven touchdowns and averaged 280 passing yards per game in those three starts. If he starts in Washington, Grossman could be useful when matchups are favorable.

Backup quarterback. Played under the same offensive system in Houston last year.

In theory, Grossman is battling with Dan Orlovsky to become Matt Schaub's backup. Grossman certainly has the experience factor over Orlovsky, but he's not as familiar with the offense. Orlovsky, who impressed head coach Gary Kubiak while making five starts in a difficult situation for Detroit last season, has a head start in learning the offense and the coaches like his similarities to Schaub.

You want to root for Grossman given all of his bad injury luck, but there's no evidence.... Do we blame the QB for the sacks or the line? It's probably 60/40 line, but the QB definitely shares the blame. As for Orton, he'll have a shot to compete for the job. He's got good size and decent arm strength according to scouts, but hasn't shown much of a spark when given the opportunity. At press time he was splitting first-team snaps with Grossman in minicamp, but the more experienced Grossman’s probably the favorite. Either way, with poor receivers and windy conditons, there's no reason to be anything but bearish on the Chicago offense.

Grossman is a tough call, because he shows flashes and did generate a fair number of scoring strikes last year (23), especially on a per-attempt basis. The Bears are extremely aggressive with the passing game, having thrown 57 percent of the time in the first half of games last year. And these are not dinks and dunks, but downfield darts – just over 58 percent of Grossman’s passing yards were in the air, not Peyton Manning- or Hasselbeck-numbers, but near the top of those rankings nonetheless. But we have to assume Grossman is scarred by the Super Bowl fiasco. Bears fans are losing patience, unfairly or not. The stench of failure in the air is approaching the strength of what used to come out of those Chicago slaughterhouses. Grossman’s big problem is that he lacks the accuracy (18 percent poor throws) and discipline (20 picks in just 480 attempts) to sustain the offense between big passing plays. This year, teams are going to test these shortcomings like the Colts did in the Super Bowl with their boring brand of Cover 2. There’s no evidence that Grossman will be able to adjust.

For the third straight year, Grossman enters training camp as the Bears' starter. The bad news is that in the previous two campaigns the former Gator has played a total of five games thanks to a torn ACL in 2004 and a fractured ankle in '05. He'll look to buck the trend this season and show the Bears that he was worth being drafted in the first round. If he can stay healthy, which is obviously a huge question mark, Grossman does have decent weapons in wideouts Muhsin Muhammad, Mark Bradley and Bernard Berrian and is playing in an offense he knows very well. Add in the fact that Chicago finally signed a veteran backup in Brian Griese that should pressure Grossman into elevating his game, and Rex could be worth taking a flier on in the late rounds of your draft. It's a gamble that could pay off if he manages to fend off the injury bug for the first time in his pro career.

Blessed with good arm strength and quick feet, Grossman managed just three games before tearing his ACL last September against the Vikings. While Grossman posted a respectable 7.2 yards per passing play to that point, he had just one touchdown pass and three picks, and the defenses he faced – Minnesota, Green Bay and Detroit – were below average. But a small early-season sample size for a young quarterback isn’t worth much, and given that Grossman’s knee is 100 percent at press time, we’ll withhold judgment. The presence of newly signed Muhsin Muhammad, a big, reliable and experienced target, can only help.

There's some upside here. The Vermeil/Coryell offense is now in place. Marty Booker is a good receiver. But where is Marshall Faulk or Priest Holmes to make it all work? Grossman played well, if not spectacularly, when he got the nod at the end of last season. It will be interesting to see if his progress continues.

Kordell Stewart figures to hold the QB job in 2003, with Grossman on the sidelines learning the pro game. Grossman will probably be No. 3 on the depth chart for a while, behind Chris Chandler.