Smith won't speculate on QBs, other Bears positions for 2008

Rex Grossman, who began the season as the Bears' starting quarterback, was benched but then played much more effectively when re-instated six weeks later, is eligible to become a free agent in March.

Third-stringer Kyle Orton played well enough while starting the final three games to be somewhere in the mix next season, the final year of his contract.

Brian Griese, who replaced Grossman until his shoulder injury led to the latter's return, is under contract through 2010 ($14.5 million for five years), but at a salary that would be prohibitive if the Bears decide to bring Grossman back at anything close to the average NFL salary for a starting quarterback.

It's unlikely any other team would hand Grossman the starting job, but there could be more than a few that would give him the opportunity to compete for the No. 1 spot. That might be all the Bears would guarantee him.

Coach Lovie Smith bobbed and weaved when asked if re-signing Grossman meant he would be the starter in '08.

"I can tell you right now, we would like for Rex Grossman to come back," Smith said. "We would like for all of our guys to come back, period. Rex has won a lot of football games for us. You look at how he played at the end of the season. Until that (knee) injury he was playing good football. We would like for him to come back again."

But, as the starter?

"I'm not not talking about any starting positions right now," Smith said. "We would like for the group to come back as a whole. But I would like for all of our players right now as we go into the off-season to feel like they have to come back in and earn their position."

As for the ground game, which was No. 30 in yards and last (No. 32) in average gain, improvement is essential for a team that fancies itself a run-based attack.

"Whenever you can't run the football consistently, it makes it tougher," Smith said. "And that was the case with us. It starts up front and has a lot to do with the backs. For whatever reason, we weren't able to get that done this past year."

Starter Cedric Benson and backup Adrian Peterson both finished with a sub-standard 3.4-yard average per carry, but neither got much help from an offensive line that will look much different next season.

Smith spread the blame among the line, the backs and the coaching staff.

"We had a few problems here and there," he said of the aging O-line. "We know we could have done some things better, and we will do some things better than in the past."

With the disappointing Benson coming back from a fractured ankle, it's a given he will have to fight for his job in training camp.

"Just look at our production at the running back position: it wasn't good enough," Smith said. "We need to improve there. If we feel like there is a player who is good enough to come in and help us at any position, we'll try to bring him in."

Benson, whose cast was removed Monday, said competition wouldn't be unexpected, but it would be unnecessary.

"I wouldn't be surprised, but they'd be wasting their time," Benson said. "Y'all know the competition that goes around here. I've had it before. It doesn't matter to me. Maybe (then) somebody else can get some criticism."

Although some members of the coaching staff have also taken flak throughout the season, Smith gave a blanket vote of confidence but didn't absolve anyone of blame in a season that saw a six-game drop in the standings, from 13-3 to 7-9.

"It starts with me," Smith said. "I know I can do a better job than I did this past year, as can our entire coaching staff. We know we'll have to do a better job, but I feel comfortable with the coaching staff we have in place right now.

"Unless there is a coach who's moving up and has a better opportunity, I would like to see our coaching staff come back intact; the same coaching staff that led us to the Super Bowl, I feel like can lead us back to another."

While it's a long road back for the Bears, that second-year bounceback has been the trend in recent years. Since 2000, only one of seven Super Bowl losers has made it to the playoffs the following season, with four of them finishing 7-9.

But, in the second season after a Super Bowl defeat, only one team since 2000 has failed to make it back to the postseason.