Random thoughts while wondering what ever happened to Henry Burris:

Scrambled Egg Dept.: The hardest thing about having your team lose a Super Bowl is the aftermath.  Everywhere you look, you see "Colts beat Bears" and it kills you because it really didn't have to turn out like that.

In going through the net this morning, the primary culprit for the Bears defeat last night has been identified as Rex Grossman.  Most of the writers that I read believe that the Bears could have come back last night IF Rex hadn't tried to force a pass to Mushin Muhammad that was picked off and returned for a back breaking touchdown by Kelvin Hayden. 

While Rex isn't entirely to blame, he does get the lion's share of it.  And based on what I wrote last night, I was kind compared to some of the tougher critics that actually write for a living.  Some were a bit diplomatic, comparing Grossman's abysmal performance to flunking an exam.  Others were downright caustic, hanging on Grossman the best nickname I've seen yet: Train Rex.

The national guys, who don't cover the team on a regular basis (and are more objective) even joined in the fray saying that Grossman should have won the MVP as the most valuable player for the COLTS.  Some talked about how Rex let his team down.  Others chose to write in detail of Rex's foibles.  Even others are casting for his replacement.

Here's the takeaway from all this: When the Bears drafted Rex Grossman I was surprised.  Having covered the SEC for six years, I knew that although he talked his way onto the Florida football team, the same mistakes and gunslinger tendencies Rex showed last night gave Steve Spurrier fits.  Spurrier is a coach who cuts his quarterback very little slack and over the course of the two years that Grossman played for him, Spurrier yanked him out of the game on numerous occasions because he made poor decisions.  Nothing drives Steve Spurrier nuttier than a quarterback who makes bad decisions.  That's why Darth Visor loved Danny Wuerffel so much: He had a lot of discipline and made smart decisions.  Rex could be termed the "anti-Wuerffel."

That's not to say Rex doesn't have a great arm, which he does.  But quarterback, as Peyton Manning showed last night, is about more than just winging the ball to your receivers.  It's about accuracy and hitting the guy, in stride at the right place and time.

Rex Grossman is the equivalent of a baseball pitcher who has a 95 mile an hour fastball and little control.  He is "Wild Thing" from the movie "Major League"  or "Nuke LaLouche" from "Bull Durham."  If he and the Bears continue this state of denial that there is no problem with Rex, the problem will begin to fester.  How long will it be before some of Rex's teammates (like Brian Urlacher) finally turn on him and make it known that his performance is holding the team back?  How long until Lovie Smith decides that Rex needs to be held accountable for his performance not just nurtured and coddled.

While it is true that yesterday was better than any day during the Wannstedt or Juron eras, the fact is you go to the big game to win it.  The Bears did not, but it wasn't because of destiny or an opponent head and shoulders above them.  It was because Rex Grossman chose to throw an ill advised pass at an inopportune time.  That scenario must be addressed as the Bears prepare for next season.

I really believe that Rex's biggest problem is that he doesn't play to win, he plays for individual glory and the wins and  losses are byproducts of the glory he receives.  Until Rex realizes how his actions effect his teammates and his city, the Bears are stuck being a good team that will never win a big trophy.

Useless Knowledge Dept.: Rex Grossman becomes the first quarterback wearing the number 8 to lose a Super Bowl.  Previously, Steve Young, Troy Aikman (twice) and even Trent Dilfer won Super Bowls wearing that number.

Devin Hester's opening kickoff return for a touchdown was ill advised.  In the BCS Championship game, Ted Ginn Jr. also returned the opening kick for a touchdown for Ohio State, only to have the Buckeyes lose to Florida 41-14.

The Bears became the first Chicago team to lose a championship game or series since the 1992 Blackhawks.  If you are one of those narrow minded individuals that doesn't acknowledge the sport of hockey, then it's the first championship game or series loss since the Bears lost to the Giants in the 1956 NFL Championship Game.   Beginning with the '85 Bears (and including the 1992 Blackhawks), Chicago teams had won seven of  eight championship games or series that they had participated in.  If you refuse to count hockey, it's eight straight including the 1963 Bears.

If you are under forty and acknowledge hockey, the only teams not winning a championship in your lifetime are the Cubs and the Blackhawks.  The Blackhawks lost in the Stanley Cup finals in 1971, 1973 and 1992.  In order to have watched the Cubs participate in a championship game or series you would have to be in your mid sixties and to have seen them win one you'd have to be at least 100.  It's good to be a Sox fan.

Kneepad Dept.: As expected, now that the Colts are Super Bowl champs, the national media is lining up to kneel before Peyton Manning.  Especially the big guys like Peter King and John Clayton.  Make sure you wipe your chins, boys.

Share the Love Dept.: Did you know that there are other players on the Colts besides Peyton Manning?

Children of the Corn Dept.: Jubilant fans in downtown Indy get a little too much corn squeezings and turn over several tractors.  Oh the humanity.  We understand the parade will go the entire length of downtown, two blocks.  Opie, Andy and Aunt Bee are scheduled to bundle up and attend.  In a related story, Indy residents claim that the country thinks that Indy doesn't have a "flavor of its own." Sure it does: VANILLA.