Bears Fans Might Finally Get to See Griese

Football Betting Lines

12/20/2006 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Bear fans may finally get to see backup quarterback Brian Griese over the final two weeks of the regular season. Of course, it has nothing to do with a quarterback controversy, and everything to do with the fact that Lovie Smith can rest some of his regulars now that Chicago, with their 34-31 overtime win over Tampa Bay, has clinched homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.

"It's not like we're going to shut down our team. We have a few things to correct going into the playoffs," Smith said.

Among those things, surprisingly, is the defense, which gave up 31 second-half points at home to a pathetic Buccaneer offense that was averaging around 11 points per game heading into Week 15.

"Obviously, you give up 31 points, it's not our best game. It was good enough to win, though," Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said.

"We're 12-2, we have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. What more do you want from us at this point in time?"

A few weeks ago, the answer to that question would have been "better play at the quarterback position." However, after throwing for a career-high 339 yards (the first 300-yard passing game by a Bears quarterback since 2002), two touchdowns, and no interceptions Sunday, Rex Grossman is playing well enough to quiet all of the naysayers.

"Three hundred yards looks good on paper, but as long as we win, that's the only thing that counts," Grossman said.

"Rex, the last two weeks, is back to the way he was playing earlier in the year," said offensive coordinator Ron Turner. "Earlier in the year, he was playing great football. Everybody forgot about that, and just remembered a couple of those bad games he had and forgot he was Player of the Month [in September] and Player of the Week twice, and that he was playing very well and very efficient."

With two weeks to go, it's not certain how much playing time Grossman and the rest of the starters will receive. A year ago, Chicago was in a similar position and opted to sit Grossman during the final week of the season, despite him still shaking off some of the rust from having missed the first 14 games. The difference was that there was there was no risk of having the distraction of people calling for backup Kyle Orton to start in the playoffs.

The same cannot be said if Brian Griese goes out and plays well. Some may remember what happened to the Buffalo Bills in 1999, when starter Doug Flutie sat out the final week of the season in order to rest for the Wild Card round, only to have his job given to backup Rob Johnson. Lovie Smith would never make such a foolish move late in the year, but that doesn't mean that talk radio shows and Chicago sports columnists wouldn't at least bring up the idea.

TANK JOHNSON'S FUTURE UNCERTAIN

Bears management is undoubtedly becoming frustrated with defensive tackle Tank Johnson, who seems to expose one character flaw after another. Just hours after issuing a public apology for his most recent arrest (firearms violation after police raided his Gurnee, Illinois home), Johnson was at a club where his bodyguard and close friend, Willie Posey, was shot and killed. Posey, 26, had also been arrested as part of the police raid of Johnson's home.

The defensive tackle was inactive for the Bucs game Sunday, and Lovie Smith did not have an update on his status.

"I think whenever you get into trouble, and it's not the first time, there's some concern on his part," Smith said. "But I haven't told Tank anything (because) when you lose your best friend, there's a grieving period that you go through.

"No decisions have been made about (his status). I have a little bit of input on most things around here, and this will be one of them."

It was reported that Johnson told teammates he is afraid that his days with Chicago are over. Bears players have come to Johnson's defense throughout the week.

"I support him 100 percent, but that's not even the issue right now," cornerback Charles Tillman said. "We're 12-2, that's the issue. We're playing for the moment, the now - the now."

"He's a really good guy," middle linebacker Brian Urlacher said. "He got himself in a bad situation. I don't think it's as bad as people are making it out to be. He's a great guy. He had some bad timing with a couple of things. I know he wants to turn it around and get things going in the right direction. Hopefully, he gets a chance."

The Bears are already without the league's best defensive tackle, Tommie Harris, who is out for the season with a hamstring injury. But considering the severity of Johnson's legal problems, the depth chart might not be a significant factor when the team makes a decision on the lineman's future.

WHO'S HOT

Tight end Desmond Clark had an unexpected coming out party against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their strong pass-covering linebackers. Clark had a career- high seven receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns.

WHO'S NOT

As great as he's been, return ace Devin Hester displayed his greatest stigma on Sunday, when he fumbled three times against Tampa Bay. Fortunately for Chicago, just one of Hester's fumbles was lost. The record-setting rookie had five kickoff return opportunities, but averaged just 15.2 yards per. His most exciting work came on his six punt returns, which he seemed to average 25 yards of total running per return but just a little over 10 of yards actual yards gained.

NEXT UP

The Bears travel to Motown to face the 2-12 Lions.

---

Andy Benoit is the author of Touchdown 2006: Everything You Need to Know About the NFL This Year. For more information or to contact Benoit, visit www.touchdown2006.com.

Wwwpchlotto Football Betting News

<< Bears Fans Might Finally Get to Seek Griese
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Bear fans may finally get to see backup quarterback Brian Griese over the final two weeks of the regular season. Of course, it has nothing to do with a quarterback controversy, and everything to do with the fact that

<< Bengals don't step up in the spotlight
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This is going to be brief. It has to be. Dwelling too long on a single loss in the middle of the playoff race could lead to another one. Cincinnati can not afford another one. A trip to Mile High to face the Denver Br

<< Losman turns in solid showing
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Buffalo Bills quarterback J.P. Losman had one his best performances as a pro in Sunday's 21-0 victory over the AFC East-rival Miami Dolphins. Losman threw for 200 yards and matched a career high with three touchdown passe

<< Cutler looking sharp
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When the Jay Cutler era began a few weeks back, the Broncos were in the thick of the AFC playoff race, and after a couple rocky outings, the youngster still has a chance to lead his club to the postseason. Denver head coac

<< BC hires Jagodzinski
Chestnut Hill, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston College has named Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski head football coach, director of athletics Gene DeFilippo announced on Tuesday. Jagodzinski becomes the 33rd h

Twins' Radke retires >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Twins pitcher Brad Radke called it a career on Tuesday. "I don't know if I really want to say the 'R' word to tell you the truth but I'm going to say it, I'm going to announce my retire

Bears suspend DT Johnson for one game >>
Lake Forest, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bears suspended troubled defensive tackle Tank Johnson for Sunday's game at Detroit. Johnson was charged last Thursday with six misdemeanor counts of possession of a firearm without

Tar Heels rout Owls >>
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyler Hansbrough scored a game-high 20 points and frontcourt mate Brandan Wright contributed 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, as second-ranked North Carolina rolled to a 105-52 victory

McRoberts, Duke hold off Kent State >>
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh McRoberts scored 19 points, pulled down six rebounds and swatted six shots as sixth-ranked Duke held off a tough Kent State club, 79-72, at Cameron Indoor Stadium. DeMarcus Nelson added 18 points fo

Higgins lifts Canadiens over Sabres >>
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Higgins scored a pair of goals to help the Montreal Canadiens top the Buffalo Sabres, 5-2, at HSBC Arena. Sheldon Souray handed out a pair of assists and Cristobal Huet turned away 42 shots for the

MySportsbook.com, Online Sportsbook and Casino, is celebrating our 9th football season online since our launch in 1997. MySportsbook.com has experienced exponential growth, having taken over $8 billion in Sports and Casino Wagers since we opened our doors.

This year we will accept over $3 billion in wagers. Tens of thousands of winning wagers are created daily for the 300,000 people that have joined our website. In August of 2005, MySportsbook.com was acquired by Sportingbet, a UK company which is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange. Combined, MySportsbook.com and Sportingbet easily form the world's largest internet sportsbook company and one of the internet's most profitable companies. The acquisition has provided for added transparency and accountability to MySportsbook.com customers and thus provides more safety and security for our customers. Our business is audited by BDO Stoy Hayward, one of the largest auditing firms in London, and our accounts are published quarterly on the London Exchange. We encourage you to take a look around and truly hope you enjoy your experience.

Through advertising deals with the top handicapping sites in the world, MySportsbook.com reaches a global audience and is one of the most commonly visited gaming spots on the Internet.

MySportsbook.com offers the largest selection of casino games and sporting wagers on the Internet. We believe that an educated player is a more responsible gambler, thus we provide you with all of the latest news and handicapping information. MySportsbook.com is your ultimate destination for gaming information and wagering. You can start by signing up in the Casino or Sportsbook. Once you sign up you can use your same login in either the casino or Sportsbook. So do it now and start winning serious money Today!

If at any time you have a question, we have numerous people waiting to help you, so don't be afraid to call our customer service department. We do not take any telephone wagers but we can certainly answer any questions you may have about our service.

MySportsbook.com is officially licensed in Antigua as a preferred licensee recognized by the Directorate of offshore gaming of Antigua and Barbuda.

What more could you ask for from an Online Sportsbook?