As only the Bears can do, they managed to take an already strange situation and make it that much more awkward: <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Meanwhile, Griese felt like a guy sent to the principal's office for no good reason. Smith informed both quarterbacks of his decision Wednesday morning before the team's walk-through. But he concealed the information during a conference call with Seattle reporters and waited until around 4 p.m. after practice to share the news with Chicago media. In the interim, the Tribune reported the news at 1 p.m. that eventually leaked to other outlets. By the time Bears players walked off the field before Smith's announcement, Griese's demotion was well-known among reporters. Except nobody within the organization told Griese that the media was aware of the news, setting up an awkward five-minute exchange that was embarrassing for the Bears and uncomfortable for everybody. Asked if the Bears had informed him of the decision, Griese answered, "No." "I don't know what the situation is," he said. He most certainly did but was following NFL protocol of letting the head coach speak first on all such personnel matters. That's what 10-year veterans do, even if in Griese's few words he indicated he had many more to describe his feelings about the demotion that probably only his wife and agent will hear. "It's not my decision," Griese said. "You'll have to ask the decision-makers. I'm going to try to get myself ready to play. That's all that I can do." During his remarks, Griese disclosed that he would be healthy enough to play Sunday.</div></p>
This is what I expected all along. I was a big proponent of benching Grossman so he could get to watch a vet play the game and run the offense. I wasn't in favor of permanently making Griese the starter. It seems to have worked.</p> </p>
Griese wasn't much better than Grossman. And Griese isn't the long term solution. I think that Smith and co. didn't really want to bench rex all along. now they had a reason to get him back in.</p>
Grossman was reinforcing his bad play with more bad play. You wouldn't expect Griese to beat him out permanently, just to give Grossman a chance to watch the plays unfold from the sideline - a different perspective.</p> </p>
