Unsexy Rexy

Sex appeal: the supposed trademark of Rex Grossman, as his nickname, Sexy Rexy would suggest. It's safe to say, now, that Rexy ain't so sexy anymore. \nSomething made the Bloomington native move from the gunslinging, confident quarterback we saw in the first five games of this season to another inconsistent, Steve Spurrier-defunct quarterback. Something we see now was masked by optimism in the Windy City.\nRexy embodied everything Chicago wanted in a quarterback, in part because he was everything the other guys weren't: a raw, young arm commanding a potent offensive attack with the anchoring of the league's toughest defense. Simply put, he could have been the final piece to a puzzle that's been 21 years in the making.\nWell, Chicago, pull back on the reins of that horse jettisoning toward the postseason. You've got a serious red flag in No. 8. \nRexy plays with a reckless abandon, and he doesn't seem to minimize his mistakes. Of course, this isn't news to Bears fans, especially as of late. However, it's hard to win with a quarterback who garners a 43.1 completion percentage in the fourth quarter this season, which accompanies a lifeless 35.7 quarterback rating.\nHis 18 touchdowns are offset by 14 bleak interceptions and seven fumbles -- turnover totals that rank in the top five among quarterbacks. While completing a little more than 55 percent of his passes, his best games statistically have come against defenses in the lower tier of the league in both points allowed and yards allowed. \nFor Sexy Rexy, his greatest hindrance affecting both his play on the field and the results on the stat sheet is his height.\nRex Grossman is trying to battle his way through an extreme height disadvantage at the line of scrimmage, and the result is poor mechanics and turnovers. If anyone else watches any sporting event with an objective eye like I do, then you should be able to couple the evidence.\nRexy is listed as 6-foot-1 (in women's heels maybe) on every Web site that Google could produce, including NFL.com. However, common sense tells me otherwise. For a quarterback, Rexy's listed height is still manageably small, but it's safe to assume he is a lot closer to 5-foot-11. \nHis height restricts his vision on the field, plain and simple. \nI've long believed Rexy is not performing on a consistent basis because he cannot see past the line of scrimmage and read the defense while the play is unfolding. He constantly takes a seven-step drop and less frequently steps up into the pocket. If he were to scoot up into the pocket as the trenches mold into a shape of a horseshoe around the quarterback, the big bodies at the line would impede his downfield vision.\nWith that said, Rexy continues to maneuver as far away from the line as he can to avoid the obstructions. What is interesting is his tendency to throw off his back foot, a trademark of the gunslinging Brett Favre, Rexy's favorite quarterback growing up. Ironically enough, it's not his emulation of Favre that brews a back-shifting, heel-weighted Grossman. It's overcompensation.\nRexy seems to constantly throw off his back foot to compensate for his relatively low release point (in relation to his height). He needs to step into his throws, as he needs a more dynamic trajectory. The result is an inaccurate pass roughly 45 percent of the time by a player thought to be revitalized by a clean bill of health.\nSmaller athletes need compensatory attributes to counteract their height limitations. Doug Flutie and Michael Vick use mobility to expose their arms. MLB pitcher Pedro Martinez uses the torque he gets as he twists his upper body at the waist. Horse jockeys straddle and whip the likes of Seabiscuit, Butter Cup, Butter Stuff and Butter Nuts en route to eternal undersized-athlete glory.\nNot many things can help Sexy Rexy in his height issue -- I'd recommend testosterone shots to help him in ways puberty couldn't, but he might start growing hair where hair shouldn't grow.\nSooner or later, defenses will pick up on this obstruction, if they haven't already, and send seven guys to clog the line every time Rexy wants to throw.\nIf his height is truly the problem, which I think it is, maybe Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner and the rest of the coaching staff should devise an offense that fits Grossman better. Or maybe da Bears should start warming up "da backups" before season's end.