Chicago hope: Rex Grossman gives the Bears some offensive pizzazz, which could make a very good team Super.(NFL PLAYOFF PREVIEW)

What's happening to the Bears' offense isn't about longer passes and higher completion percentages as much as it is about hope. An inspired gospel choir couldn't convey hope any better than a No. 8 jersey in Chicago.

When Rex Grossman came off the bench in the second half against the Falcons three weeks ago, the Bears were given the kind of late-season jolt that can carry a team to its dreams. Even opposing coaches could sense it in dark, silent tape rooms across the NFL. "He gave some excitement to the offense in the throwing game," Packers defensive coordinator Jim Bates says. "There was an added energy for their offense."

Grossman's return has been so uplifting that some might say it was a blessing he broke his leg and had to miss the first 13 games of the season. In his absence, the Bears were forced to start rookie Kyle Orton, who did a wonderful job of not losing games. Behind Orton, the Bears developed into a solid but incomplete team, capable of trouncing inferior opponents with a stifling defense and a fine running game but incapable of refined passing.

In three short weeks, the profile of the Bears has been rewritten. Now, they're kind of like the Marines. They can squash your initiative. They can attack by land. And they can attack by air. "Chicago went from a team that could maybe do a little something in the playoffs to where now, assuming Grossman continues to play well, this team very easily could make it all the way to the Super Bowl," says FOX Sports and SPORTING NEWS analyst Troy Aikman.

Grossman is the wild card of the NFL playoffs, a joker in cleats. Opponents have only six quarters of game tape of him in Ron Turner's offense--he didn't play in the meaningless finale at Minnesota--so preparing for him could be a challenge. On the flip side, he still is working at redeveloping chemistry and timing with receivers, and the passing game isn't as far along as it would have been if Grossman had been healthy all season.

It won't take much tape study for opposing coaches to see Grossman won't hesitate to go up top when the opportunity is ripe. Twenty-five percent of his attempts have been for more than 20 yards, compared with 13 percent of Orton's attempts. "With Rex in there we feel really, really good about (going downfield)," Turner says. "He's got tremendous accuracy downfield. He sees the field so well. And he has a quick release."

Grossman, the 22nd pick of the 2003 draft, won't shy away from a risky throw. By nature, he is aggressive and confident. "He has what a lot of quarterbacks don't have in that he'll at least take a chance," Vikings safety Corey Chavous says. "Sometimes he's going to make some mistakes, but that also gives their offense the ability to make a big play. He will challenge a defense."