Bears' Griese on the mark

For the first time in recent memory, Bears coach Lovie Smith was not asked a single question about the quarterback position during his Monday afternoon news conference.

That, by the way, is a good thing for a rejuvenated team that still has a long way to go to get back to where it was a year ago -- and especially for quarterback Brian Griese.

Griese showed significant improvement in his second game since replacing Rex Grossman as the starter.

Griese looked rusty a week earlier in his first start in nearly two years. But against the Green Bay Packers, the 10-year veteran showed he was capable of playing more than well enough to get the 2-3 Bears back to playoffs.

Griese raised his passer rating from 68.3 in his first start to 97.8 in his second. He cut his interceptions from 3 to 1 and his sacks from 6 to 2.

"Great job (by) Brian Griese," Smith offered without being asked. "It all starts with the quarterback leading our offense. I thought he distributed the ball well to a quite a few of the receivers. It seemed like everyone got involved."

While Griese threw just 25 passes and completed 15, he utilized nine different receivers, six of whom caught 1 pass.

"Brian did a great job of being aware of situations," offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. "He did a great job of just managing the game, and he also made some plays. When we had opportunities to make plays, he gave guys opportunities to step up and make them."

The biggest was the game-winning, 34-yard TD pass to tight end Desmond Clark with 2:05 remaining. The play is designed to be a short flip to fullback Jason McKie in the flat, but when Griese saw Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk sniff it out, he went to Plan B -- which is Clark.

"I looked back to see if Griese was looking at me," Clark said, "and when I looked back, the ball was coming. Everybody bit on Jason McKie out to the flat, and it just opened up."

Had Griese missed the connection, the Bears would have been forced to go for it on fourth-and-2 or let Robbie Gould attempt a 52-yard field goal, which is 3 yards longer than his career best.

"Desmond did a good job of setting up the safety and getting open," said Griese, who laid the ball out perfectly. "It's one of those throws where you just try to get it out as fast as you can and hit him in stride to give him a chance to score."

Griese's performance on national TV guarantees that he will be the Bears' quarterback at least for the near future, and much longer if he continues to play at the same level.

But he said helping his struggling team get back on course is more important than personal success.

"To be honest, I'm 100 percent about the team," said Griese, who is playing for his fourth organization and third in five years. "I just felt good for our team.

"I've put all the individual stuff behind me at this point in my career. I just want to be a part of a team that goes out and has fun winning, and that's why it felt good."

Considering the massive bag of ice the 32-year-old Griese had strapped to his left knee after the game, it didn't appear he was feeling that great physically, but he dismissed any concern.

"The knee is fine," he said. "This is just old age."