BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – Bears quarterback Rex Grossman knows exactly what he’d like to accomplish in his first preseason start Saturday night against the Seahawks in Seattle.

Bears quarterback Rex Grossman shares a laugh with Devin Hester at training camp.

“I’d love to get a couple touchdowns right away and get into a rhythm, move the chains and be efficient,” said Grossman, who’s competing with Kyle Orton for the starting job. “I’m excited about getting that opportunity to start the game and get out there and make things happen.”

Grossman made things happen in Monday’s practice, connecting with Brandon Lloyd on a deep touchdown pass down the left sideline, showing excellent touch in completing a long throw to rookie Earl Bennett and rifling a 35-yard pass down the left sideline to Marty Booker.

“I’ve been feeling good,” Grossman said. “It helps when everyone kind of comes together. That timing is so crucial to a quarterback. We’ve definitely established that and we’re getting better. With Devin [Hester] and Brandon Lloyd and Marty Booker—all those guys who haven’t been in the system or had a lot of reps—it’s getting a lot better.”

In last Thursday’s 24-20 preseason-opening loss to the Chiefs, Grossman completed 4 of 8 passes for 44 yards with 1 touchdown, no interceptions and a 106.2 passer rating.

The former Florida star, who replaced Orton midway through the second quarter, tossed a 25-yard TD pass to running back Garrett Wolfe and, most importantly, did not commit a turnover.

Continuing to take care of the ball is a must for Grossman, who threw just one interception in five games after replacing Brian Griese as the Bears’ starting quarterback midway through last season. Grossman had been benched earlier in the year after tossing 25 interceptions in 17 starts from Week 3 in 2006 through Week 3 in 2007.

“He’s a very talented player and he’s played some great football,” said offensive coordinator Ron Turner. “That’s what we’re looking for him to do on a consistent basis.

“Just like everybody, he’s got to go out and play well—play with great poise and confidence, and really just run the offense, make good decisions, be smart with the ball and be accurate.”

One area Grossman has improved in training camp and the first preseason game is stepping up in the pocket. Failing to do so in the past led to him throwing errantly off his back foot as well as taking significant losses on sacks.

“I think it’s become a habit now, which is good,” Grossman said. “You work on it so much in practice, even in 7-on-7 I find myself stepping up a little bit. You can find those gaps in the pocket to step up and throw in. It’ll give you more options other than trying to roll out.”

Working tirelessly with coaches on stepping up in the pocket isn’t the only reason that Grossman is beginning to do it with more regularity. He’s also more agile and mobile after focusing on improving his quickness during the offseason.

“I’m in better shape,” Grossman said. “I’ve trained my body to do those movements to where it comes natural rather than just relying on my arm to back up or roll out and just wing it. To step up and create those passing lanes will definitely help.”