Like him or not, Orton is quarterback in Chicago

BasX · Mar 26, 2009

DANA POINT, Calif. -- Sorry, Chicago, but it doesn't matter what Denver does with Jay Cutler. Your Bears aren't interested, and this is how I know: When coach Lovie Smith was asked this week which area of his team was his biggest concern he never, ever, ever mentioned his quarterback.

Kyle Orton, welcome back.

Complain all you want about Orton, but he's going to quarterback the Bears another season. In fact, he won't be challenged. There is no Rex Grossman. There is no Brian Griese.

There is no one, period, but Caleb Hanie, and, no, he won't pose a challenge. Chicago's offense might, but Smith insists it won't be because of Orton.

As Lovie said, the Bears are what they always were -- a running team that must play good defense -- and I didn't hear anything about a quarterback in there. A year ago, the Bears defense was so porous (ranking 21st overall, 30th against the pass and 16th in points allowed) Smith vowed to make changes, and his first move was to promise to get more involved.

"Our defense has to be among the best in the league for us to be successful," he said.

Ooops, there he goes again, not saying anything about his quarterback. That's because the Bears are not built around their quarterback. They're built around Matt Forte, Brian Urlacher and an ability to bury opponents with a defense that collapsed at all the wrong times last year -- blowing three leads of 10 or more points and collapsing in the last 10 seconds in a stunning 22-20 loss to Atlanta.

That game, more than anything, tells you what the 2008 club was all about. Orton rallied the club to a go-ahead touchdown with 11 seconds left, only to see Atlanta pull off a ridiculous victory when the Bears somehow allowed Matt Ryan to complete a 26-yard pass with one second remaining. That set up the game-winning field goal and put Smith in a funk he is having trouble overcoming.

"It's a shame we didn't win that Atlanta game," Smith said. "As a quarterback, you have moments when it's on you. We're a running team that plays defense and special teams, but our quarterback has to make plays (in that game). There's no time. He has to drive the team down the field. And he has to score a touchdown. Not a field goal -- a touchdown. And it's on the road. So it's a shame we didn't win, but you still have to go with what Kyle did."

And what Orton did last year was play well enough to rally the Bears to late-season overtime victories against New Orleans and Green Bay before folding in Houston. Nevertheless, Chicago was 9-7 and this close to making the playoffs, despite the defensive lapses -- and that tells Smith he has no problem with Kyle Orton at quarterback.

"I know he started as a rookie," Smith said, "but that was a long time ago. He has the things you look for in quarterback. First, you want him to be a leader, and the team had faith that he could get the job done. There's no question of that. His first year as [a full-time] starter, the team voted him as team captain, and that's saying a lot. Then there are decisions. He's a smart guy who knows the game and is extremely intelligent. He knows he's not going to make mistakes that will get you beat. And when he has to come through and make plays, he can do that."

So when Smith says, "I like Kyle," he means it. He also means he's not looking to replace the guy, and one look at the depth chart proves it. There is no one else there who has taken a single snap. So, get ready, Chicago: Kyle Orton is back, like him or not. And the Bears do.

"We've seen Kyle in tough situations," Smith said. "We've been together awhile, too, so we have a great relationship. But I trust him. You have to have faith in a leader, and we do. He's our quarterback, and we'll go from there."
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http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/11549000

Fuck I'm confused.

chevelle · Mar 26, 2009

I just think its that they can't openly talk about Cutler, so they keep on having to say that "Kyle is our quarterback" line.

I always thought when Ron Turner was hired, we were supposed to have a high octane offense like the Chiefs did when Turner was their coordinator??? What the hell ever happened to that? Orton is never going to allow us to be an effective scoring team. Our defense at the end of the year was so worn out by having to make up for the lack of offense. Forte looked tired too. We need more production from the quarterback and all this crap about Kyle Orton being the future is garbage.

MikeDC · Mar 27, 2009

I could swear they just wrote that article last year and changed the names. Or the year before. Or the year before that.

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Like him or not, Orton is quarterback in Chicago

BasX I Win

chevelle Cutler for MVP!!!

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Like him or not, Orton is quarterback in Chicago

BasX I Win

chevelle Cutler for MVP!!!

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