From Fred Mitchell in the Trib:

No one has suggested Rex Grossman is a 2006 version of failed Bears quarterback Cade McNown.

Not yet, anyway. It's just that the numbers … well, they don't lie.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 217-pound Grossman was taken 22nd in the first round of the 2003 draft out of Florida.

He has completed 54.9 percent of his passes (297 of 541 for 3,697 yards) for 22 touchdowns. Grossman also has thrown 20 interceptions in his 19 NFL games.

The 6-1, 219-pound McNown was chosen 12th in the first round out of UCLA in 1999. He is practically Grossman's left-handed complement—at least statistically.

He completed 54.6 of his passes (281 of 515 for 3,111 yards) for 16 touchdowns. He threw 19 interceptions during his 25 games in the NFL, all with the Bears.

While the Bears have been patient with Grossman's early series of debilitating injuries, McNown was dispatched after he suffered an injury to his left shoulder on Oct. 22, 2000, in Philadelphia.

Wednesday, McNown was awarded a $220,000 settlement from the Bears in a workers-compensation deal on the eve of a scheduled trial.

McNown, who has been out of football for four years, now lives in southern California. He declined a request to talk publicly about his case or the current state of the Bears.

Playing for coach Dick Jauron, McNown was widely castigated by coaches and teammates for his lack of leadership skills and perceived arrogance after a lengthy contract holdout his rookie year.

Two Chicago tech-industry workers even devised a now-defunct Web site called www.tradecade.com. The Web site featured animation of McNown being yanked away by a giant cane, as well as a petition requesting the Bears deal him.

McNown was traded during the 2001 preseason to the Miami Dolphins, along with a seventh-round pick, for a pair of low-round picks.

McNown was the third-string quarterback in Miami and saw no action during 2001. A failed attempt in San Francisco ended his brief career in 2002 when he re-injured his shoulder in an exhibition game.

Gil Gordon, the NFL Players Association's Chicago attorney, represented McNown in this case. Attorney John McAndrews represented the Bears.

Until further evidence is presented, the only tangible difference between Grossman and McNown is that Grossman has a far superior supporting cast and a more patient coaching staff.

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Further proof that statistics can be used to make just about any argument that you would like to make. If Fred Mitchell cannot see the difference between the two players, then I cannot help him.

thumbs down to fred mitchell. mcnown was the 3rd stringer on the 49ers for a few years after the bears dropped him.

and why didnt he state the most obvious similarity? both players wear #8

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That's just stupid. You can make stats say whatever you want but it comes down to wins and losses.

Very interesting. I DO believe Grossman has more tools than McNown. Having said that upfront, I'm not one to easily dismiss the stats and say they have no validity. Maybe the more relevant question is how much different the team is today than 5 years ago?

How much better is the defense today than when Cade was QB? What would Cade's record have been with THIS defense? And given the same defense as Cade had, what would Rex's record be? Rex has Lovie, Turner and Wilson. Cade had Jauron, Crowton and Shoop. Bottom line: The Bears are a better team today in many respects than they were then.

It takes 45 guys and coaches to win/lose games. QBs get too much credit and too much blame.

This is the second time in a row a post of mine has been posted twice...and I didn't do a darn thing differently.......

You're double clicking on submit with out realizing it Coast.

The comparrison to Cade is dumb. He was out of the league in like 4 or 5 years. I think at the very least Rex has proved to me that he will be in the NFL for 12 years. Maybe not as a starter. Although I believe he'll be the Bears starter for 10 years. But he'll defidently be in the league as a back up for that long.

Cade was a guy that never studied or prepared. From what we have learned Rex prepares very hard. Cade was an ass wipe that his teamates hated. The Bears players love Rex. They both like to sling it. I'll concede that but Rex has a much better arm and has shown the ability to make every throw. Cade had a weak arm and couldn't make the 15-20 yard out pattern. A very important throw that many should judge QB's on.

as much as i have questions about rex this article is ridiculous! garbage like this is a big reason why the media gets a bad rap.

Say what you want about Rex, but I would much rather have him than Steve McNair. He looks terrible tonight!

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"Tubby? Oh yes, Tubby."

Here is my oh-so-expert subjective counter-argument.

YOU"RE AN IDIOT!

I WIN!

Who gives a shit about his punctuation. what the fuck are you the English police? You are an idiot.

Anyway, was anyone else surprised Cade had 16 career TDs?

I seem to recall him being much worse than that... Marcus Robinson must have really helped pad his numbers.

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SVB UINO SVB ROSA

It almost sounds like you're describing Moose, Nas.

But my god, Marcus had a jet pack or something. That guy had great speed in his prime. I still remember him running away from everybody on a few bubble screens and whatnot.

A damn shame he kept getting hurt.

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SVB UINO SVB ROSA