Let's see what Grossman can do with help from Olsen, Hester

No offense to Brian Griese, but even if he's healthy enough to play, Rex Grossman should get another long look as the Bears' starting quarterback, beginning with Sunday's game at Seattle.

Griese has been everything he was supposed to be, or as Dennis Green would say, "He is who we thought he was." But he was supposed to be a solid backup, capable of running the offense efficiently, but a backup-quality player nonetheless.

And maybe that's all Grossman is and ever will be. But three games this season after an up-and-down first season as a full-time starter isn't enough of a chance. Since Grossman is an unrestricted free agent after this season, the Bears should at least find out for sure what he is before they allow him to walk away.

Griese's passer rating is an adequate 77.1 -- 21st best among quarterbacks who qualify for the league rankings -- with 9 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. All solid, acceptable numbers for a No. 2 quarterback. A lot of teams wish they had a backup as competent as Griese.

Grossman's passer rating, even after his rescue mission against the Raiders, is still only 53.9. To put that in perspective, it's 3.3 points higher than the Vikings' Tarvaris Jackson.

So why give Grossman, who has thrown 2 TD passes and 6 interceptions another shot?

Griese played better in his six starts than Grossman did in his three, but they weren't competing on a level playing field.

Because of a sprained knee, Bears rookie tight end Greg Olsen didn't play in the first two games of the season and then was used sparingly in Grossman's last start, catching 2 passes for 28 yards.

Since then, Olsen has proved to be an impact player and one of the main weapons in the Bears' passing game, and Griese has reaped those rewards.

Olsen didn't get on the field much vs. the Raiders and didn't catch a pass because the Bears had predetermined, correctly, that wide receivers Bernard Berrian and Muhsin Muhammad could have success against Oakland's depleted cornerback corps. They combined for 8 catches and 176 yards.

The Bears also ran the ball a season-high 34 times against the Raiders, and Olsen's immense value is as a playmaker in the passing game, not as a run-blocker.

But in the four games prior to that, Olsen led the Bears by wide margins with 19 catches and 217 yards. That's a major player Grossman didn't have at his disposal in his first stint, and it should make a big difference if he gets a second chance.

Devin Hester also was not a factor in the offense the first three games of the season. He had no catches, and only one pass was thrown his way. Hester still is not a regular contributor to the passing game, but he's an occasional threat, and his increased presence on the field opens up other avenues of attack.

Also, for some reason, the Bears didn't allow Grossman to throw the longball early in the season, when he had just 1 completion of 25 yards or longer. And, as he proved with the game-winning 59-yard bomb to Bernard Berrian on Sunday, that's what he does best.

So give Grossman a chance to run the offense with Olsen and Hester, two of the team's most dangerous playmakers operating at full efficiency, and see if his performance doesn't improve.