Dispatches

What horrendous luck Bears third-year quarterback Rex Grossman has had. After missing the final 13 games of last season with a torn right knee ligament, he broke his left ankle in Chicago's preseason loss to the Rams last Friday. Grossman will miss at least three months, leaving the job to Chad Hutchinson, whose career record as a starter is 3-11. The Bears, who on Sunday signed veteran Jeff Blake, would be wise to give strong-armed rookie Kyle Orton, a fourth-round pick out of Purdue, a long look in their three remaining preseason games.... On his fifth play back in the lineup after missing the last half of 2004 with a torn pectoral muscle, Giants defensive end Michael Strahan sacked Cleveland's Trent Dilfer last Saturday. "You have no idea how good it feels to be back playing this game healthy," Strahan says.... Looks as if Jerry Rice will be the fourth or fifth receiver in Denver, a role he's comfortable with. Coach Mike Shanahan says he had no interest in signing Rice during the off-season until the 42-year-old wideout said he was willing to be a role player. "I'm not saying I'm complacent now, because I'm not," Rice says. "I'm still competitive. But I don't have to catch 12 balls a game to feel I'm doing my part. This is the right time to be here. I want to teach these guys what I can and pass the torch to the next generation."