Put Down the Jack and Grab Your Helmet

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Dec 11, 2007 2:39PM

Chicagoist demanded it, and Lovie listened. When the Bears face the Minnesota Vikings next Monday night, Kyle Orton -- our favorite drunky QB -- will once again line up under center.

With a 5-8 record and three games to play, it's time for the Bears to start planning for the future. Rex Grossman's contract is set to expire, and he's done little to make the Bears want to commit to him for the long term. Before possibly seeking a quarterback in the draft or via free agency, they Bears are best served by taking another look at Orton.

In 2005, after Rex Grossman suffered a season-ending injury during the pre-season and Chad Hutchinson suffered career-ending (his ESPN profile still lists the Bears as his "current" team) crappiness, the Bear thrust Orton into the starting lineup as a rookie. Despite a league low 59.7 QB rating, he lead the Bears to a 10-5 record in his fifteen starts.

Of course, Orton didn't have much time to learn the play book before taking the ball in '05. With three years in the Bears' system, we expect to see a much more capable Kyle Orton on the field, who can do more than "manage the offense."

Not that we're expecting him to become their franchise QB of the next decade. We're just hoping that he'll prove serviceable enough that the Bears can maybe scratch one of the many positions off their long off-season shopping list. Rebuild the offensive line and find a real running back this year, and next winter worry about finding the franchise QB.

Image via wlup.com