Grossman says yes to no-huddle

If Rex Grossman has any say in the matter -- and he does -- the Bears could utilize more no-huddle offense in the future, maybe as soon as Thursday night.

"I like it a lot, just for the fact that you're able to get to the line and see what the defense is going to do," Grossman said.

"They pretty much have to show you what they're doing, and then you can even call the play off of that. It's nice in that respect. They can't disguise as much. They can't run around.

"You're putting the defense on their heels rather than you constantly on your heels adjusting to what they're doing with their disguises and all those things. Plus, you can call plays according to the coverage that they're in at that moment and then go with it."

When the Bears went to the hurry-up on their opening possession Sunday, Grossman completed all 5 of his passes for 65 yards and a touchdown for a perfect passer rating of 158.3.

Even the running game got off to a good start in hurry-up mode, with Adrian Peterson picking up 16 yards on 3 carries. He managed just 51 yards on 19 carries the rest of the way.

"As a quarterback, it's fun," Grossman said. "And our running game works out of it real well, too. They're usually in a base, vanilla look (on defense), and if they are blitzing, you can pretty much see it coming.

"They blitzed a couple of times on our first drive and we hit a hot (read) to Dez (Clark) and made a big play on it (for 13 yards). You get momentum going.

"It's kind of like the Phoenix Suns playing basketball. You're just going, and from a quarterback's standpoint, it's a lot more fun that way."

The 79-yard opening drive was the Bears' longest of the day and the only one that ended up in the end zone.

After that, the Bears went away from the no-huddle, but dropped passes and missed opportunities had more to do with the offensive slowdown than anything else.

"I think there's definitely a place to do it more -- and maybe some games less," Grossman said. "It just depends on what the coaches are thinking that specific Sunday … or Thursday."

Offensive coordinator Ron Turner said Grossman's performance has been better since he returned to the field, whether he's going with or without a huddle.

"I see a different guy," Turner said. "I think he's more relaxed right now, maybe a little more focused on the job at hand."

In his second go-round, Grossman's passer rating has been higher in each of four games than in any of his first three starts before being benched.

He was picked off six times and threw just 1 TD in the Bears' first three games, but he has had just 1 interception in four games (three starts) since returning, while throwing 3 TD passes.

The better he plays, the more input Grossman will have into game-planning, which probably means more no-huddle plays.

"His biggest input is how (well) we do," Turner said. "If we're doing well, we'll probably do it more, and I thought he handled it really well (Sunday). It's something we will definitely keep alive and have in the future. He definitely is lobbying for it."