Brown lauds Grossman's grit

Bears guard Ruben Brown has a lot of admiration for the way quarterback Rex Grossman has handled his critics.

"That takes a lot," Brown said. "Because had that been me, I would have been in here (cursing) everyone in the building. It would be hard to even go out and deal with people in public because I know what people say to me about him; just imagine what they are saying to his face. He's a strong guy."

Brown's in his 13th NFL season, and he has seen his share of players who couldn't handle the criticism Grossman took last season. He singled out former Buffalo Bills quarterback Rob Johnson.

"He folded like a tent," said Brown, who played his first nine seasons in Buffalo. "When the pressure was on, he was out.

"There were a few other guys who just could not take the pressure of the scrutiny and all of the other things that go with being in the NFL. Just couldn't handle it. But Rex handles it like he's a duck in water."

Brown said if a teammate went off on fans like Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano, he might be all for it.

"Some guys, like Rex, if he went postal on everybody, I'd be right behind him," Brown said. " 'Yeah, go, get 'em off your back!' It just depends on the guy."