'Brian's our quarterback'

Considering the Bears are 1-2 and have one of the league's worst offenses and an injury-ravaged defense, pessimists might compare new starting quarterback Brian Griese's mission to commanding a sinking ship.

But that's not the way the 10-year veteran looks at it.

"I feel like I'm at a point in my career where I'm ready for the challenge," said Griese, whose last start was Oct. 16, 2005. "I'm ready for the opportunity and respect the fact that we have a great opportunity here with the talent on this team."

The Bears' next three games are against NFC North opponents, starting Sunday in Detroit against the 2-1 Lions, followed by a visit to Green Bay to face the 3-0 Packers and then home against the 1-2 Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 14.

"The next three weeks we have an opportunity to make a statement of what kind of team we're going to be and how we're going to bounce back from adversity," said Griese, who officially was named as Rex Grossman's replacement Wednesday in what was a poorly kept secret. "I got the word on Monday, and I've been excited ever since."

Griese is charged with breathing life into an offense that is No. 30 in passing yards and total yards, No. 31 in average gain per pass, No. 26 in rushing yards, No. 32 in interception percentage allowed and No. 28 in scoring.

The Bears' offense has scored 2 touchdowns in three games, one on a 2-yard pass to backup offensive tackle John St. Clair.

The Bears also have an NFL-worst 11 giveaways, including Grossman's 6 interceptions, a major reason for his demotion.

"We always go at every position with the player we think gives us the best opportunity to win now," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "Right now, offensively, we're not getting a whole lot done.

"It's not one person. I just think we need a breath of fresh air, so we're going to go in a different direction. There are other positions offensively that need to step up: coaching, players, and we all need to do a better job to get some production."

Still, Grossman said he didn't expect to lose his job, although he remains second on the depth chart ahead of Kyle Orton.

"I was surprised, you know, frustration," the five-year veteran said. "You've just got to move on and realize that at any point you could be right back out there.

"The frustrating part is I know this offense is close to getting into a rhythm and clicking, and I just wish I could have been the one pulling the trigger."

Barring an injury, the Bears don't seem inclined to go back to Grossman in the near future. Smith intimated that Griese would get a long look and said the quarterback position won't be a back-and-forth, week-to-week proposition.

"We don't do things that way," Smith said. "I always let players play for a period of time to show us exactly what they are.

"Brian is our quarterback."

But Griese doesn't consider himself entrenched.

"You learn early in your career that this business is based on performance," he said. "I know that from my experience, if you perform, you'll keep your job, and if you don't, eventually you'll lose it."

A Bears defense riddled with injuries will make Griese's task more difficult. Four starters missed all of Wednesday's practice, and three more participated only on a limited basis.

But Griese has enough to deal with on his side of the ball without worrying about the defense.

"I think that playing offense is an attitude," he said. "Since I've been here, the offense has kind of been a second-class citizen. I believe attitude is a great predictor of success, and hopefully I can bring a little bit of energy and enthusiasm to our huddle and some consistency from what I've done throughout my career.

"I can tell you this: I'll be prepared, I'll work hard, and I'm going to compete on Sundays, and I'm hoping that that's good enough."

Griese's career completion percentage of 63.0 is significantly higher than Grossman's 54.2. He has started 72 NFL games compared to Grossman's 26 and has a 104-80 touchdown-to-interception ratio compared to Grossman's 28-34. Entering this season, Grossman's passer rating was 72.4, Griese's 84.5.

"He hasn't made a lot of bad decisions," Smith said of his new starter. "There is something that goes into being a veteran and being in a lot of different situations, a lot of different offensive systems, just the knowledge that he has of football in general.

"Hopefully, that will put him in position where he can start making plays, the things we ask the quarterback to do, make the right checks, get the ball to the receivers and let them start catching the football and start doing something with it."

The things Grossman didn't do frequently enough this season.