LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Speaking to grade school students during an appearance earlier this week, Ruben Brown discovered that Bears fans of all ages seemingly have only one thing on their minds.

Kicking off a question-and-answer session, an inquisitive young boy asked the veteran guard whether Rex Grossman was going to remain the Bears’ starting quarterback.

Rex Grossman entered Week 13 tied for 25th in the NFL with a 72.0 passer rating.

“That was the first thing they wanted to know right off the bat,” Brown said. “I said, ‘Yes, he’s going to be our quarterback.’”

In cruising to their second straight NFC North title with a league-best 10-2 record, the Bears are the only NFL team that has clinched a playoff berth. But Grossman’s ongoing slump has caused some fans and media to question whether the former Florida star should be replaced by veteran backup Brian Griese.

The intense scrutiny has not gone unnoticed by teammates, who remain staunch supporters of the struggling young quarterback.

“We definitely have circled the wagons in the locker room a whole lot tighter with some of the controversy that’s going on in the papers and on TV,” said cornerback Nathan Vasher. “It’s everywhere you go.

“We know what kind of ability Rex has. We’re 100 percent behind him. We feel like he’s one of those guys who can definitely take us to where we want to go, and that’s to the Super Bowl.”

Named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September, Grossman led the Bears to a 5-0 start by passing for 1,243 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. In the last seven games, however, the fourth-year pro has committed 18 turnovers with 14 interceptions and four lost fumbles.

Despite the decline, teammates are confident that Grossman will revert to form.

“We’ve got Rex’s back 100 percent,” said defensive tackle Tank Johnson. “He’s going to be fine. We’re a close-knit team and we’re not worried about Rex. He’s a great quarterback.”

“He’s done it,” said defensive end Adewale Ogunleye. “That’s the good thing with Rex. He shouldn’t feel too much pressure because he’s done it. He’s played well. If he can look back on those good days, good days will come for this team.”

Brown has seen his share of quarterback controversies and this one barely registers on the radar. He played for the Buffalo Bills from 1998-2000 when an ongoing feud between Doug Flutie and Rob Johnson virtually destroyed the team.

“That was pretty ugly,” Brown said. “That was probably one of the ugliest team situations that we were ever in. It was divided from the top on down, but this is different because the locker room’s not divided because the people upstairs aren’t divided. We’re all together. Anytime you have a split—I want this guy, I want that guy—that’s maybe because of a trickle down from upstairs. But we’re all behind (Grossman) and that’s the way it’s going to stay.”

Brown and the rest of the veteran offensive line are determined to help Grossman break out of his slump. When asked how they can assist the quarterback, the eight-time Pro Bowl guard said:

“Do our best to alert him to the hot protections, the things that are coming at us, the different blitzes and dogs, and try to pick up as many as we can. Those are things we can do to help him have a clean pocket and help him have confidence that it’s going to take more than one guy coming to really force him to move faster.”

Brown understands why so much attention—both good and bad—is focused on the quarterback.

“At that position there’s only one guy,” he said. “It’s easy to target that one guy and say, ‘He didn’t get that pass out there.’ But we all know that it’s not just him. He’s not the only problem. A lot of people are pointing the finger at him, but there are a lot more issues other than that and they are definitely things we can correct.”

Grossman has conceded that Monday night’s game against the Rams could represent his final opportunity to rebound before he loses his job. When asked about that scenario, coach Lovie Smith would only say that it’s an important game for everyone wearing a Bears uniform.

“This is a critical time for Rex to play well, yes,” Smith said. “Our entire football team, it’s a critical time for us to play. We’re trying to get home-field advantage. This last quarter of the season we want to play our best ball. I would say that for all of our positions. It’s critical that we play the best ball that we can possibly play right now.”

Roster move: The Bears on Saturday signed safety Tyler Everett to the 53-man roster from the practice squad and waived cornerback Derrick Strait. Everett signed a three-year contract. Terms were not disclosed.

Everett entered the NFL with Denver as an undrafted free agent in 2006 out of Ohio State. The 5-11, 202-pound safety was signed to the Bears practice squad Sept. 4, released Oct. 10 and re-signed Oct. 19.

Strait played in one game for the Bears after signing with Chicago on Nov. 8. He was inactive against both the Giants and Jets before making his Bears debut at New England. He was also inactive versus Minnesota on Dec. 3.