Rex Grossman and the struggling Bears are taking a lot of heat, but the team has demonstrated over the past two years that it can handle adversity. Head coach Lovie Smith fosters unity and is definitely a team guy. He doesn't point fingers.
So, contrary to popular belief, the Bears are not on the verge of mutiny or chaos. Clearly, Grossman isn't playing up to par, but there is another issue here. The Bears simply do not have the running game they had last year. I'm not second-guessing the decision to part ways with Thomas Jones, but the tandem of Cedric Benson and Adrian Peterson has not been as productive as Jones and Benson were a year ago.
Rex Grossman
Quarterback
Chicago Bears
Even though Grossman hasn't had a lot of help so far, I think the Bears will be less tolerant with him now. How long he remains the starter depends on how comfortable they are with their options after him. If they are not confident in Brian Griese, they will probably try to let Grossman play his way out of his slump. Which may or may not work. If they are more confident in Griese than they seem to be, another week or two could bring some changes.
I'm not sure what I would do. I do not see each player close up. When you do not know what is happening on the inside, it is awfully hard to be judgmental.
Make no mistake, a quarterback controversy or a lack of production from such a high-profile position can disrupt a team. But I think the Bears are unified enough to prevent this situation from getting out of hand.
How about them Cowboys?
The Cowboys' offense has been prolific. Tony Romo has obviously benefited from all he went through last year. He looks like he has really improved. The Cowboys are getting a lot out of WR Terrell Owens. Their offensive line looks much better. Tight end Jason Witten is a good threat, and they have a nice situation at running back with Marion Barber and Julius Jones. Offensively, they look pretty strong and can probably sustain this steady production.
I'm not surprised by Romo's play. I saw him do some of this last year. He's playing very, very well. There will be a rough spot or two because he is still in a maturation process as a player. But if he can keep it up, the Cowboys will win a lot of games.
Against the Bears in Week 3, the defense played better than it had in the first two weeks. The Bears' offense, on the other hand, doesn't present much of a challenge. A big NFC test will be when Dallas faces Donovan McNabb and the Eagles in Week 9.
Transition season in San Diego?
Any team facing what the Chargers are dealing with will have a period of adjustment. When you change the head coach, both coordinators and also lose a couple of key assistants, it creates a disruption.
Even though the Chargers might not have changed the offensive system or the terminology, the coaches do not have as good a feel for how to use their personnel as the prior group of coaches did. The new coaches simply don't know the players as well as the guys who had been coaching them for three or four seasons. It takes awhile for a new group of coaches to figure out the players' capabilities. This affects play-calling and assignments, obviously.
The new coaches also do not have the same understanding of the AFC West. It's almost like playing an out-of-conference game when you don't really know your division opponents extremely well. It goes mostly unseen, but a big part of this season for the Chargers is getting their coaches acclimated to the nuances of playing in that division.
Bill Parcells, the former head coach of the Giants, Patriots, Jets and Cowboys, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.