| Randolph Charlotin. 21st August, 2008 - 11:28 am
 The quarterback controversy in Chicago is settled. Kyle Orton will be at the helm of what head coach Lovie Smith hopes will be a ball control offense. But is this the best approach for this team?
Going by Smith’s best year with the Bears, the quick strike was a big reason why in 2006 Chicago reached Super Bowl XLI.
During that season, Rex Grossman threw 23 touchdowns. Of those scores, eleven were scores of 20 yards or more. Only eight TD passes were 10 yards or less. Having the ability to score from long distance decreased the chances of making mistakes because drives were short.
Grossman was also the offense’s biggest problem. He threw 20 interceptions and his completion percentage was 54.6. Those numbers aren’t conducive for an offense based on efficiency and being mistake-free.
Orton, on the other hand completed 63.2 percent of his passes and threw no interceptions during this preseason. Based on those stats, Orton should be able to run the offense to Lovie’s desires.
But Orton’s regular season numbers say otherwise. His career completion percentage is 52 percent with 12 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. His play in the final three games of 2007 were a slightly better than his career average (53.8 pct, 3 TD, 2 Int), but one game was against a Green Bay team focused on the playoffs, not winning the meaningless 15th game of the season.
Accuracy will be important for Orton, but being productive is of greater importance. His preseason numbers were good, but he threw zero touchdown passes, and offense failed to score TDs under his direction. Kyle needs to lead the team to points. He will have to do it with unknown parts.
What made the 2006 Bears great was a physical run game that averaged 119.9 yards a game. That average plummeted to 82.5 a game, putting more pressure on the inaccurate Grossman. The backfield responsible for ’06, Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson, are no longer with the team. This year’s hopes are on the shoulders of rookie Matt Forte, the other Adrian Peterson, and free agent Kevin Jones, a former 1,000-yard back recovering from ligament surgery. If this backfield can’t be productive, it will only make it harder on Orton.
Even if the ground game gets results, will Orton have time to pass? Last year’s offensive line gave up 43 sacks. If Orton is going to take advantage of cornerback, turned kick returner, turned receiver Devin Hester, he needs time in the pocket.
Chicago tried to address that concern in the draft by selecting offensive tackles Chris Williams (1st round) and Kirk Barton (7th). But back surgery has shelved Williams until mid-season. He was expected to start at left tackle. Guard Terrence Metcalf has also missed time due to a knee injury.
Ultimately it won’t matter who the quarterback is if there are too many obstacles to cross. Orton might run the offense well, but drives built on short passes plays into the hands of the defense.
The equalizer would be connecting with Hester from long distance. Just don’t expect the Bears to be able to use it much. |
