Grossman can do little to spark listless offense

SEATTLE - Rex Grossman did very little to win the starting quarterback job, but he didn't get much help from a ragged and sputtering offense Saturday night.

Bears special teams accounted for 9 points, on a 75-yard punt-return TD by rookie wide receiver Earl Bennett and a safety, and the defense was responsible for 7 points, on a 6-yard interception return by Corey Graham.

But the offense didn't get moving until late in the fourth quarter of a 29-26 overtime loss to the Seahawks (2-0) at Qwest Field. The Bears fell to 0-2 in the preseason.

Caleb Hanie's 9-yard TD pass to Kellen Davis tied the game at 26-26 with 2:55 remaining, but Robbie Gould missed a 47-yard field-goal attempt as time expired in regulation.

On his first four possessions, Grossman and the first-team offense managed just 1 first down.

The only series that resembled a drive was Grossman's fifth and last, which started at the Bears' 7 but died 3 yards short of midfield. Grossman was 5-for-5, but the drive stalled after a holding penalty on Josh Beekman.

"We didn't play real smart," Grossman said. "We'll go back to the drawing board as far as our approach. We have to play a lot smarter in every single area. In order to be successful, you have to go up and down the field and score points.

"Seattle played pretty well, but we hurt ourselves for the most part."

While Grossman completed 9 of 15 passes, they accounted for just 74 yards and a passer rating of 44.9. He also was intercepted once and flagged for intentional grounding.

Both misplays were the result of an offensive line that provided little protection against a Seahawks defense that was No. 4 in the NFL in sacks last season but was missing Pro Bowl defensive end Patrick Kerney.

Grossman wasn't sharp, but he was far from the only culprit.

The bumbling offense committed 5 penalties, 4 while Grossman was in the game. The other infractions included a holding call against tight end Desmond Clark and false starts by Beekman and tight end Greg Olsen.

"It's tough to get into a rhythm, but it's preseason - that's not an excuse," Grossman said. "Normally you have a full game to eventually bounce out of that, get a big play and then the momentum switches."

Grossman also was hampered by poor field position, starting drives at his own 20-, 13-, 20-, 33- and 7-yard lines.

The Bears didn't cross midfield until less than a minute remained in the first half.

That was on their seventh possession, which was the second series for Kyle Orton and also his last. The 51-yard drive resulted in the first points for the offense on Robbie Gould's 39-yard field goal with 25 seconds remaining in the half and left the Bears trailing 9-5.

Orton finished 5 of 9 for 43 yards and a passer rating of 68.3.

In the two-minute offense, he completed 5 of 7 passes, including 4 to Brandon Lloyd for 37 yards. The TDs by Graham and Bennett gave the Bears a 19-9 lead after three quarters, but the Seahawks scored the final 17 points while the Bears' offense barely treaded water.

Special teams got the first points of the night for the Bears, when linebacker Darrell McClover blocked a Reggie Hodges punt into the end zone and Seattle's Tim Lindsey knocked it out of the end zone for a safety.

But Brandon Coutu's third field goal, this one from 46, put the Seahawks on top 9-2.

Cornerback Charles Tillman had a first-quarter interception at the Bears' 8-yard line that kept the Seahawks from another potential score.