"Rex Grossman's biggest flaw as quarterback of the Bears was that he was only at his best in a bubble.

For the most part, everything had to be just right for Grossman to succeed. His best games were often at home, in great weather, with great protection, short fields, leading all the way, backed by a dominant defense and a kick-return touchdown or two by Devin Hester.

At the height of his glory in 2006, Grossman was an MVP candidate with 100-plus passer ratings in five of his first seven games — the Bears were leading 26-0, 24-0, 37-6, 40-0 and 41-0, and Grossman was sacked three times in those five games. It was all downhill from there — and the Bears still almost won a Super Bowl with him.

That Jay Cutler is a more resilient quarterback and better at thriving outside of his comfort zone is unquestioned. That he's a better guy and a better teammate than he appears to be publicly is probably true. That he has been more tolerant of our stupid, ­nit-picky and annoying questions at news conferences is a credit to him and more of a benefit to him than he realizes. "