Chicago Bears' Offseason Analysis: The Quarterbacks

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play baseball in the major leagues.

World War II.

"Crazy man, Crazy" becomes Americas first rock and roll hit, the Cuban missile crisis, John F. Kennedy is assassinated.

The Beatles arrive in America, Apollo 11 lands on the moon, the first apple home computer is sold, the AIDS virus was discovered.

These are all just a few things that have happened since the last time the Chicago Bears had a hall of fame quarterback.

If you didn't know already the man I was referring to in the reference above was none other then legendary quarterback Sid Luckman

Now, as much as I hate Sid Luckman references and cliches, it's a sad reality to one of the most inconsistent positions in the entire history of the Bears.

The quarterback position for the Bears is one of the most debated and controversial positions on the roster and not exactly a "Bright" spot of many conversations.

If your reading this and are a Bears fan then you know what its like to hear other teams mention how well their Brady, Manning brothers, McNabb, Rivers, Brees, Warner, etc did on Sunday's game.

You also then know what it's like to feel more left out than a salad on Rosie O' Donnell's dinner plate.

Since 1979, there have been more than 70 quarterback changes for the Bears and 55 changes since the '85 Bears won the Super Bowl.

In our next session of the Bears' offseason analysis, we will wrap up the offensive side of the ball with a look at the quarterbacks on the roster headed into 2009.

Look for the Bears to possibly draft a QB in April's draft towards the later rounds to compete for the third string job or add depth in the practice squad.

2009 will be the first year that Rex Grossman will not be competing in a Bears uniform, thus ending the "Sexy Rexy" era.

Please let us bow our heads and take a moment of silence marking the end of this majestical journey.

R.I.P.   Rex Grossman    2003-2008

"May your next adventure with the Lions, Bengals, or sizzler be a joyful one."

We will start our quarterback analysis with the first string down to the third string.

Kyle Orton No. 18         6'4"         College-Purdue

Orton will be looking to come into the league as the Bears starter for the second year in a row.

In his first game as the season's starter, Oton led the Bears to a 29-13 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Orton was picked up by the Bears in the fourth round in the 2005 draft.

Many fans remember Kyle getting to see the field early because of Grossman's injured ankle. Orton threw for 1,869 yards that year with 9 TDs and 13 INTs.

Orton became only the second rookie quarterback since 1970 to win 10 starts.

Let's not forget that those wins were mainly because Orton had a Bears defense that ranked as high as second in the NFL that year.

In Kyle's first season as a starter, in 2008, he threw for a career high 2,972 yards with 18 TDs and 12 INTs.

Kyle's mechanics were much improved from his previous seasons and seemed to be more comfortable in the pocket. Although Kyle's skills have improved, he has been criticized over the season for his lack of ability to throw the deep ball.

I'm not a strength-and-conditioning coach, but hopefully for fans and his WR's this a skill that can be developed in the offseason.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?