Have you heard? Bears have a take-charge QB

PHILADELPHIA -- They talked about Brian Griese's leadership and experience. And they talked about his poise. But how come nobody on the Chicago Bears mentioned their quarterback's ingenuity after that improbable 19-16 defeat of Philadelphia?

Because, make no mistake, it was Griese who won this game.

If need be, QB Brian Griese can make the tough decisions from the field. (US Presswire)

He engineered that game-winning, 97-yard drive with less than two minutes remaining and no timeouts left. He's the guy who threw the passes ... and made the critical plays ... and launched the winning touchdown.

But, most important, he's the guy who made all the calls but one. You heard me: He called his plays, and not because he wanted to but because he had to.

"Unfortunately, the audio in my helmet went out right before that (last) drive," he said. "Or, you could look at is as fortunately. But I felt really good calling my own plays in that situation."

Apparently. Never did he look more comfortable than driving the Bears from their 3-yard line in the last two minutes -- a frantic series where he completed seven of 11 passes, including the game winner, a 15-yard TD to Muhsin Muhammad with nine seconds left.

That was the only play Griese did not call. On the previous down, a first-and-10 from the Eagles 15, he spiked the ball, so he had plenty of time to go to the sideline for a call. And the call was a shot to the end zone, with Muhammad paired against safety Sean Considine.

"But the remainder of them were my calls," said Griese.

That's important to remember because if there's something the Bears learned on this trip it's that it's not just Griese's leadership, experience and poise that they can trust. It's his ability to improvise, too. Faced with what several teammates termed a "do or die" game, Griese trusted himself when he couldn't rely on his coaches.

And look what happened.

He solved one of the league's most complex and aggressive defenses in a contest that was as important to Philadelphia as it was to Chicago. For 58 minutes the Eagles had kept Griese and teammates out of the end zone, and now they would do it with Griese unable to communicate to offensive coordinator Ron Turner.

Only it didn't happen.

"He kept motioning to the sideline that he was not getting the calls," said tight end Desmond Clark. "That can be difficult when the quarterback loses communication with the sidelines, and it did appear to happen."