The Chicago Bears have settled on a starting quarterback for the season. And when I say, "settled," I mean they really settled. Kyle Orton will get the first crack over Rex Grossman when the regular season starts. Too bad it doesn't mean anything.
This epic battle began before training camp when Orton won a coin toss to decide who would start off with the first-stringers. He held on for dear life, and outlasted Grossman, enough for the coaches to throw him out there. It's not so much Orton outplaying Grossman as much as it's Orton not burying the team six feet under.
Let's face it, neither of these QBs are any good. It's actually comical to hear head coach Lovie Smith announce a "winner" in the quarterback competition. He has to know it, but shockingly the Bears haven't done anything to remedy the situation. They just sit pat with what they have and accept their fate. It's mind-boggling actually. Hearing the news of Orton becoming the starter is like hearing, "Van Halen has a new front man...ladies and gentlemen, give it up for...Fred Durst!" Or "Wu Tang Clan's latest addition...Ja Rule!!" You knew from the second you heard it, it was all going downhill from there.
The Bears might be better off putting Devin Hester in the shotgun and running the "Wildcat" formation a la Darren McFadden at Arkansas. Maybe they should just stack the 53-man roster entirely with defensive players and just play D the whole game, hoping to get a pick six or a fumble recovery for a TD. In all seriousness, the Bears are in for a rough season offensively.
The biggest issue with the Bears is that they've passed on chances to fix the problem. Two years ago, Chicago had the chance to trade up in the draft when Brady Quinn slipped significantly. I didn't understand why they didn't do it at the time, and I still don't understand why they aren't exploring it right now. Quinn slipped to the 22nd pick when the Bears were selecting 31st. Why do you not go up and get him? You're talking about swapping first-round picks and giving up one future pick. That doesn't look too bad when you're stuck with what you have right now.
This year, the Bears neglected the situation again. With Joe Flacco on the board in the first round, they passed. With Brian Brohm and Chad Henne available in the second round, they passed. The trend continued for the rest of the draft with Chicago not taking a quarterback. It just doesn't make any sense to overlook such an important position.
The Bears have a great defense and stellar special teams. Devin Hester is truly something to marvel at on returns. However, the offense isn't there. It wasn't there when they went to the Super Bowl, and when you get that close to winning it all and know what your weakness is, how have you not addressed it three years later? By trading away Thomas Jones and falling on your face by drafting Cedric Benson, you now have an offense that's non-dimensional, effectively slamming shut your window of opportunity. No pass attack and no running game turns the Bears into a no-trick pony.
This epic battle began before training camp when Orton won a coin toss to decide who would start off with the first-stringers. He held on for dear life, and outlasted Grossman, enough for the coaches to throw him out there. It's not so much Orton outplaying Grossman as much as it's Orton not burying the team six feet under.
Let's face it, neither of these QBs are any good. It's actually comical to hear head coach Lovie Smith announce a "winner" in the quarterback competition. He has to know it, but shockingly the Bears haven't done anything to remedy the situation. They just sit pat with what they have and accept their fate. It's mind-boggling actually. Hearing the news of Orton becoming the starter is like hearing, "Van Halen has a new front man...ladies and gentlemen, give it up for...Fred Durst!" Or "Wu Tang Clan's latest addition...Ja Rule!!" You knew from the second you heard it, it was all going downhill from there.
The Bears might be better off putting Devin Hester in the shotgun and running the "Wildcat" formation a la Darren McFadden at Arkansas. Maybe they should just stack the 53-man roster entirely with defensive players and just play D the whole game, hoping to get a pick six or a fumble recovery for a TD. In all seriousness, the Bears are in for a rough season offensively.
The biggest issue with the Bears is that they've passed on chances to fix the problem. Two years ago, Chicago had the chance to trade up in the draft when Brady Quinn slipped significantly. I didn't understand why they didn't do it at the time, and I still don't understand why they aren't exploring it right now. Quinn slipped to the 22nd pick when the Bears were selecting 31st. Why do you not go up and get him? You're talking about swapping first-round picks and giving up one future pick. That doesn't look too bad when you're stuck with what you have right now.
This year, the Bears neglected the situation again. With Joe Flacco on the board in the first round, they passed. With Brian Brohm and Chad Henne available in the second round, they passed. The trend continued for the rest of the draft with Chicago not taking a quarterback. It just doesn't make any sense to overlook such an important position.
The Bears have a great defense and stellar special teams. Devin Hester is truly something to marvel at on returns. However, the offense isn't there. It wasn't there when they went to the Super Bowl, and when you get that close to winning it all and know what your weakness is, how have you not addressed it three years later? By trading away Thomas Jones and falling on your face by drafting Cedric Benson, you now have an offense that's non-dimensional, effectively slamming shut your window of opportunity. No pass attack and no running game turns the Bears into a no-trick pony.
