Matt Barkley is turning John Fox into a believer

From the Grain of Salt department in Chicago this week comes a nice little compliment from Bears head coach John Fox to his starting — and really only — quarterback, Matt Barkley.

From Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times:

“The young man has continued to impress me,” Fox said. “He’s been thrown in on the road in Green Bay. He came in and started with a week’s work and performed well [against the Titans].

“The conditions he played in a week ago [against the 49ers], even though it was at home, it was still tough conditions for a quarterback or anybody that handles the ball.

“And then really to come here on the road against a good football team in a loud environment, I just continue to be impressed by the kid’s performance.”

That was a very nice thing to say about a kid who stepped into a role that has troubled the Bears all year.

But let’s ease up here before anointing Barkley the Chicago’s Next Top Quarterback.

The Bears (3-10) are as horrific as they’ve been in years. With three games left to play — all against teams still in the playoff hunt — it’s pretty clear there isn’t much hope to cling to in Chicago for anything other than a top-five draft pick.

John Fox has alternated between having to deal with starters going on injured reserve or getting suspended for a few weeks now, and despite that, his seat is consistently getting warmer. The best thing fans can hope for is a total rebuild.

Praising a quarterback for completing 20 of 32 passes for 212 yards and one (very nice) touchdown does not mean Barkley will, or should, be the centerpiece of that rebuild.

This doesn’t call for a complete breakdown of Barkley’s stats as a starter, or a deep dive into his playmaking ability. It’s merely a little praise from a coach in a horrible position to a player in a spot nearly as bad.

Let Barkley take his golf clap while Chicago fans go back to trying to forget this season ever happened.