Grossman states his case (again)

BOURBONNAIS - It's not inconceivable that a decision on the starting quarterback will be made within a week, so Rex Grossman's first preseason start Saturday night could be his most important as a Bear.

A poor performance could be the last one that Grossman makes as a starter.

"We haven't put a timetable on it," offensive coordinator Ron Turner said of the much-anticipated verdict. "But we know that we need to make a decision so we can start getting the timing and everything else going. We'll just wait and see how the game goes and go from there."

It may be an oversimplification to say that Orton is more consistent and better at managing the offense, while Grossman has more big-play/bad-play ability, but there's some truth in both statements.

"I just hope that I bring a lot of big-play ability," said Grossman, who knows that won't be all that's expected of him. "I'm working on just managing the offense and doing exactly what the coaches ask, so hopefully I'm a quarterback that wins a lot of games in the end."

As the starter, Grossman will face a Seahawks defense that tied for sixth in points allowed last season, was fourth in sacks and eighth in interceptions. Turner said he expects from Grossman the same things he looked for last week in both quarterbacks and the same things he's been watching for since training camp began.

"We're looking for him to play with great poise and confidence," Turner said. "Really, at the quarterback position, (you have to) just run the offense, make good decisions, be smart with the ball and be accurate, just what any quarterback's supposed to do."

Turner knows Grossman is capable of big plays and lighting up the scoreboard, but he's also prone to meltdown games.

"He's a very talented player, a very good player," Turner said. "He's played some great football. That's what we're looking for him to do on a consistent basis."

Consistency could be difficult considering the Bears' uncertain situation at wide receiver, where four players are vying for two starting positions and at least five have gotten reps with the starters. For now, there is no acknowledged No.1 receiver, no go-to guy, but Grossman downplays the significance of that.

"We have several guys that we go to," he said, "It just depends on the pattern. In this offense we have several different routes, and some guys do things better than others, and we'll call their number when that play's called."

There have been concerns that offensive consistency might suffer because neither quarterback is getting a majority of snaps, as the starter normally would. But neither Grossman nor Orton considers splitting snaps to be a problem.

"I've had plenty of reps," said Grossman, who came to the previous four training camps as the clear-cut starter. "I don't feel like there was a downside."

Orton, who has never gone to training camp as the starter, said, "I got a lot of reps and got better as a football player. That was my goal and hopefully, as the preseason continues, I'll just continue to get better."

With training camp now completed and two preseason games in the next six days, the Bears won't be splitting reps at quarterback much longer.