Bears choose lesser of two evils in Kyle Orton
In one of the least interesting quarterback battles in recent NFL memory, the Chicago Bears have announced that Kyle Orton will be the team’s starter over Rex Grossman for the Sept. 7 season opener against the Colts.
This is one of those times where a player didn’t so much win a job as he did less to lose it. Need numerical proof? Orton is 12-for-19 for only 99 yards through two preseason games compared to Grossman’s 13-for-23 for 118 yards with a touchdown and interception. Not exactly a Hall of Fame battle.
“We take a lot of things into consideration,” coach Lovie Smith said. “But in the end, it comes down to a gut feeling you have. I feel good about Kyle leading our team.”
The Bears’ offense ranked 27th in the league last year and appears to have regressed: They will be starting a rookie running back, the offensive line is a mess and they don’t have a No. 1 receiver, or you could argue, a No. 2 either.
Orton led the Bears to a 2-1 finish in three meaningless starts last year and was 10-5 in his rookie year in 2005, completing 190 of 368 passes for 1,869 yards and nine touchdowns.
“[Orton] is so far ahead of where he was then,” offensive coach Ron Turner said. “His knowledge of the system, his physical condition, the way he is throwing the ball; everything.”
The former Purdue star is the safer choice over Grossman; Orton is steady and won’t turn the ball over as much, while Grossman has big-play ability – oftentimes his mistakes also leading to big plays for opposing defenses.
”Right now, I am happy being named the starter,” Orton said. ”But I’m just happy where my game is at also. I am playing good football and have been given the reps to get better. I just want to keep that going.”
When Orton starts at Indy, it will mark a run of 10 seasons in which the Bears have used the same starting quarterback in consecutive openers just once - Grossman in 2006 and 2007. Grossman lost his starting job after Week 3 last season when the offense sputtered only to regain it following an injury to Brian Griese. Grossman then was knocked out for the end of last season with a sprained left knee in a game at Washington. That gave Orton the opportunity to start the final three games. He guided a floundering team to wins over Green Bay and New Orleans.
Yet Smith didn’t exactly say this would be the only QB move of the season.
”Is [the competition] over?” Smith said. ”Nothing is ever over with any position. We don’t name any guys starters for a lifetime or anything like that.”
Smith said Orton and all the Chicago starters would likely play into the third quarter of this Thursday’s exhibition game against the 49ers, in which the Bears are current 3-point favorites on WagerWeb.com.
Related posts on The Red Zone Report
