Rex Grossman to start his Hall of Fame career at 12:01 a.m. ET

There is a free agent quarterback I think the Chicago Bears should take a look at.

In college he was a Heisman Trophy candidate. In the pros, he is only one of two quarterbacks in the franchise's history to start a Super Bowl game.

And his numbers are just as good as Kyle Orton's.

His name.

Rex Grossman.

There is not a doubt in my mind SexCannon will only return to Chicago if (and only if) the team he signs with is scheduled to play at Soldier Field. Even then, if he is not starting, I could see where Grossman takes a leave of absence for that game week.

They (and by they I mean old people with wacky sayings and lots of free time) say history is unforgiving. But I have a feeling history has nicer things to say about Grossman's time in Chicago than Bears fans.

So when he goes on and signs with a nameless, faceless franchise with a heap of quarterback troubles and goes on to be a Pro Bowl-caliber player with playoff wins don't be surprised.

I won't be.

Ortman!

Photo Credit: AP

If not for his beard, I would not have been able to tell you that Kyle Orton was the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears on Monday night for their 20-17 overtime win against the Green Bay Packers.

Orton completed 14 of 27 passes for 142 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions and a 48.7 rating against the Packers, whose defense has as many holes as the swiss cheese many of the Packer fans hold to be holy. This is only where my problem with Bears fans begins.

There is a clear double standard here when it comes to signal caller for the Monsters of the Midway. If Grossman throws those two picks last night, Bears fans would have started an effigy with a fire that would have thawed Lake Michigan. Orton's mechanics are shotty, he stares down his receivers and he can't throw the deep ball.

Devin Hester is without a doubt the fastest player on the Bears, so there should be no reason to under throw him. Unless, of course, you're not talented enough to throw the deep ball.

Yet, Orton is embraced by many as the Jack Daniels-swigging, neckbeard owning quarterback savior.

When Rex fumbles the snap, it's his fault. When Orton does it, something is wrong with center Olin Kreutz. When Grossman can't hit his receivers, he's the worst quarterback in the world. When Kyle can't hit the same receivers, the Bears need better receivers.

Oh, and Rex kicks puppies and hates America.

To me, they're the same player. And the stats would back me on this one.

Orton (career):

• 12-6-0 (record as a starter)
• 55.2 completion percentage
• 4933 passing yards
• 27 touchdowns, 25 interceptions
• 70.7 QB rating

Grossman (career):

• 19-11-0 (record as a starter)
• 54.2 completion percentage
• 6164 passing yards
• 33 touchdowns, 35 interceptions
• 70.2 QB rating

So, I have a question for Bears fans. Where is the proof that Kyle Orton is a substantial improvement over Rex Grossman?

Don't worry. I'll wait.

Bears-Packers in a photographic nutshell

Sums it up pretty well, doesn't it?

Photo Credit: Yardbarker

Leave Rex Alone!

Photo Credit: Frank The Tank

Alright Bears fans, get your stones and throwing arms ready. I know you're not going to be happy with me when I say this, but I must do it: Leave. Rex. Alone.

When I logged on to Facebook yesterday, it was almost as if every one of my friends was blaming quarterback Rex Grossman for the Bears' 21-14 defeat at the hands of the Tennessee Titans.

Unless Rex took on the Titans by himself, I don't believe he should shoulder all of the blame.

I'm thinking this isn't the time to shred Rex, who pulled the Bears to within one score of one of the NFL's best teams.

Apparently, it's just me.

I know Sun-Times columnist Greg Couch went batsh-t crazy calling for third-stringer Caleb Hanie to start, but it doesn't mean you have to. These kind of off-the-rocker columns were best reserved for Jay Mariotti, but I guess someone's gotta fill the role of resident idiot now that he's gone, right?

"If Orton is still out with a bad ankle — and it’s a good guess the Bears will try to rush him back now — then the Bears’ starter needs to be [Caleb] Hanie. If Orton is back, Hanie should be the backup. It’s an impossible spot for the kid, but he’s much better equipped to handle any pressure than Grossman."

Really? Yes, because all that pressure he handled at football powerhouse Colorado State has prepared him. Yes, all that preseason pressure he overcame to beat Nick Hill, a quarterback that I would argue never got a shot to show he was that much better than Hanie.

On top of that, you want to put him right into the fire of a division title race against the Bears' biggest rivals. That's a bright idea. Can't wait to see him melt under the pressure like a wicked witch.

Thankfully the insightful Rick Telander is here to save the day:

"...the Bears would now be 6-3 and the league-best Titans 8-1 — if only gimpy Kyle Orton had started at quarterback … That might be true. But it’s tiring to keep ripping Grossman. Haven’t we done that?"

Been there, done that. Thanks for making sense, Rick.

Defensive coordinator Bob Babich must be thanking his lucky stars that everyone in Chicago is aiming its fury Grossman's way, as it was his defense that allowed Kerry Collins to look like Peyton Manning.

289 yards and two touchdowns for Collins, really? Being burned by the arms of Collins and Brian Griese are fireable offenses in my book.

It makes me wonder what Grossman could have done against this so-called defense.

Look who's biz-ack

Did he just lead us to victory?

Don't look now, but it looks like Captain Neckbeard is gonna be out for a while.

But fear not, Rexy's back.

And before you boo me off my own blog, let me break it down for you.

Rex Grossman isn't perfect, nobody is.

If you think you are, then look in the mirror. If you still think you're perfect, look at your significant other. If you still think you're perfect, look at your paycheck.

Alright, if you don't look like Brad Pitt or Jessica Alba, your significant other isn't Denzel Washington or Gabrielle Union and you're not pulling in six-figure paychecks, you're far from perfect.

Now that I've successfully put you in your place, we can move on with this post.

Kyle Orton's injury is a cruel twist of fate for a team and a fanbase that is so desperate for a quarterback, they tried match.com and were unsuccessful.

But at 5-3, the Bears are in first place in the NFC North so the Bears and their fans have nothing to complain about.

Because it could be worse: we could be stuck with Brad Johnson and Brooks Bollinger. Or Dan Orvlosky. Or Tavaris Jackson. Or ... you get the point. There are plenty of quarterbacks that don't deserve to be playing Madden '09, let alone starting in the NFL.

But Grossman is a proven commodity. He's been good. Heck, he's been great at times. And maybe, just maybe, losing out on this quarterback gig was just the wake-up call he needed.

He now has the opportunity that most people either don't deserve or don't capitalize on when it comes. Now that he's been given a second chance, look for the Sex Cannon to take advantage of it.

Grossman's job has turned from playmaker to caretaker. And with a relatively conservative playbook, a strong running game and a defense that has a flair for the dramatic, there's no reason for it not to happen.

Ignore the pick he threw today (because replays would disagree with the refs ruling) and note that he threw and rushed for a touchdown.

Maybe he gets it. Maybe he knows this is his one shot to make things right in Chicago. Maybe he knows that if he brings the Bears back to the playoffs, he'll return to the cult figure he was for the first half of the Monsters of the Midway's Super Bowl season.

Before we get ahead of ourselves (negatively or positively) we must note that Rex (and the Bears) have their work cut out for them.

The Tennessee Titans have been the league's best team thusfar. The Green Bay Packers are in the hunt despite relying on Brett Favre's back-up all season long. The St. Louis Rams are a joke. And Rex won't even have to face Minnesota's best player, because he's on the offensive side of the ball (The Real Adrian Peterson).

So before you go printing out Super Bowl tickets or jumping off the Sears Tower, take a look at the big picture. And thank your lucky stars J.T. O'Sullivan is on the San Francisco 49ers.