Grossman playing looser, with more confidence

According to teammates, Bears quarterback Rex Grossman has shown signs of maturity and improvement in the two weeks since returning from being exiled to the bench for six games.

"He's a little more carefree," center Olin Kreutz said. "But anybody who's gone through what he's gone through and been benched, you kind of get that attitude of, 'What else can they do to me? So I might as well go out and play.' "

If Grossman plays as well today as he did the past two weeks, the five-year veteran can accomplish something he never has before -- a passer rating of more than 81.0 in three straight games.

To do that, he might need to make it through a third straight game without an interception, something he's done only once before -- Games 13-15 last season. In his second go-round this season, Grossman picked up a win in relief at Oakland and played well in a loss at Seattle.

Playing on the road might be an advantage for Grossman, considering the criticism he received in the first two home games this season, a victory over the Chiefs and a loss to the Cowboys, in which he was picked off five times while throwing just 1 TD pass.

Grossman was also ripped in the media earlier in the season, but he told the Denver media in a conference call earlier in the week that last season's ups and downs taught him to deal with that.

"If you don't turn it on, you don't hear it," he said. "That's how I insulate myself. I don't seek out attention like that. I choose to watch and listen to other things.

"I think you're always trying to prove yourself. No doubt you have your ear to the ground if people are doubting you. But in no way does that ever effect your confidence."

Grossman said he wouldn't have been able to come off the bench and play well in the past two games without the ability to tune out the negative chatter.

"You always know your ability and your confidence level with your teammates and what you can do," he said. "I wouldn't be in this position if I didn't have confidence in myself as a quarterback. I don't let people who went to journalism school dictate if I have confidence or not."