Take note, Bears: QBs are the key to success
As GM Jerry Angelo, head coach Lovie Smith and the rest of the Bears' brain trust go about the business of rebuilding the team, they should take note of the current playoff picture.
It doesn't take a genius to realize the key ingredient among the vast majority of the best teams is a top quarterback.
Of the eight highest-rated quarterbacks this season, every one of them was on a playoff team, and six of them are among the eight still playing.
And two of the three playoff quarterbacks who weren't among the regular-season leaders -- the Giants' Eli Manning and the Chargers' Phillip Rivers -- were instrumental in leading their teams to victory in the wild-card round.
Conversely, having a top-notch runner in the regular season hardly guaranteed success. Of the top 11 ground gainers in the NFL this season, only four of them were on playoff teams, and only two of them -- the Chargers' LaDainian Tomlinson and the Jaguars' Fred Taylor -- are still playing.
The old adage about needing to be able to run the football effectively to win in the postseason never was more inaccurate than last weekend. Not one of the four winning teams had a runner with more than 66 yards, and the Jaguars' leading ground gainer was semi-stationary quarterback David Garrard with 58 yards.
The Seahawks, who haven't been able to run the ball effectively all season, got a team-best 46 yards from Shaun Alexander. The Giants got 66 yards from backup Ahmad Bradshaw on 17 carries, the longest of which went for 8 yards. The Chargers' Tomlinson managed just 42 yards on 21 carries.
Clearly, quarterback is the priority for the Bears and most of the other 19 teams that didn't make the playoffs.
The Patriots were no better than average in the running game, but they're closing in on a perfect season.
The Colts, who could pose the biggest challenge to the Patriots' run at history, are even worse running the ball. They were No. 18 in rushing yards and No. 22 in average gain per rush.
The Cowboys and Packers, the NFC's top two teams, finished 17th and 21st, respectively, in rushing yards, while the Seahawks were 20th. But the Cowboys were No. 4 in passing yards, the Packers No. 2 and the Seahawks No. 8.
The Bears were No. 15.
The argument has been made that average gain per pass play is even more important than total passing yards, and the disparity in that category between the haves and the Bears is even greater. The Cowboys were No. 2, the Packers No. 3, the Seahawks No. 13, and the Bears No. 23. On the AFC side, the Patriots were No. 1, the Colts No. 4 and the Jaguars No. 7.
So, even if the Bears decide to re-sign Rex Grossman, that's just a start. They should take a cue from former Packers general manager Ron Wolf, who drafted a quarterback in every year but one from 1992-99, even though he had Brett Favre, arguably the best in the game.
Not all of Wolf's picks, many of them second-day choices, panned out. But he realized that quarterback was the most important position on the field.
Even though Favre was starting every game, every year, the Packers drafted future NFL starters Mark Brunell (fifth round, 1993), Matt Hasselbeck (sixth round, 1998) and Aaron Brooks (fourth round, 1999).
At quarterback, it's always better to have too many than not enough. The Bears should know that by now.
Pro Bowl omissions
Five players who should have been voted to the Pro Bowl:
OLT Joe Thomas, Browns
Rookie deserved it way more than Ravens' Jon Ogden, who was strictly a reputation pick.
DE Mario Williams, Texans
No. 2 in the AFC with 14 sacks; should have gone ahead of Titans' Kyle Vanden Bosch.
*RB Fred Taylor, Jaguars
Ran for 1,202 yards, and 5.4-yard average more than 1 yard better than Joseph Addai and Willie Parker.
S Kerry Rhodes, Jets
Ravens' Ed Reed went on reputation -- from a bad team that struggled vs. the pass.
WR Greg Jennings, Packers
Had 12 TDs compared to teammate Donald Driver's 2, and 17.4-yard average was No. 2 among NFC leaders.
*Taylor has been added to Pro Bowl roster, replacing the injured Parker
-- Bob LeGere