Kyle Orton

The Chicago Bears definitely seem to be in a bind.  I’m starting to wonder whether former first-round pick Rex Grossman will ever play more than half of a season in the NFL.  After he went down earlier this preseason the Bears were looking for someone else to fill that spot; and it looks like they found someone.  Kyle Orton, fourth-round pick of this year’s draft, has been named the starter for the season opener.  While he has been pretty solid this preseason it still probably spells even more bad news for the Bears this season.  

Rookie quarterbacks hardly ever succeed.  For every Ben Roethlisberger there’s five Ryan Leafs.  Now I’m not saying that Orton is going to be horrendous, but I am saying that he’s going to be inconsistent at best.  I remember watching this kid in college and thinking that he was the best QB in the nation last year after Purdue’s first four games.  And then he fumbled.  Literally.  When Wisconsin defensive end Erasmus James hit him and made him fumble Orton’s and Purdue’s season took a 180.  After that game Orton was never the same.  He only showed flashes of what he could do and was considered by some to be ordinary.

So now what am I supposed to expect from Orton after his jump to the pros?  It’s hard for me to justify thinking anything else than what he has showed me in the past.  The fact of the matter is that he’s inconsistent.  I expect some solid performances from Orton but I also expect some hard to watch routines.  Not to mention he doesn’t have an experienced running back to take the load off his shoulders.  Cedric Benson won’t be bad but I doubt that the Bears’ offense can be too efficient with a rookie QB and RB.  If you think Jake Plummer is hard to watch in Denver then you’re going to want to turn your eyes away from the Orton Show in Chicago.