Bears Can't Win Like This With Orton

As much as it pains me to say, I feel vindicated.

Lost in the emotion of the Chicago Bears snatching defeat from the jaws of victory last Sunday was this simple fact: Kyle Orton was the wrong choice.

Yes, Rex Grossman gave me heart palpitations during his brief tenure as the starting quarterback. Yes, he really did not do anything to set the world on fire in the preseason. However, and I've said this all along to anyone who would listen: Grossman can make throws Orton can't.

Case in point- Orton missing Wide Receiver Marty Booker late in the game. I'll put myself out on the limb and say the Rexy doesn't miss that throw. He may throw 2 into double coverage earlier in the game, but he makes that throw.

Remember Rex hitting Rashied Davis in overtime to set up Robbie Gould's game winning Field Goal in overtime against the Seahawks in the playoffs? Those are the kind of plays that ultimately sealed Grossman's fate, due to the simple fact that they were not readily duplicated enough to offset the terrible interceptions he threw.

Making the decision to start Kyle Orton was one made out of fear. Head Coach Lovie Smith was in fact saying, "We only need to score one more point than the defense allows, so that's all we're going to worry about".

Sure, a win is a win whether it's by 1 or 100 points. Playing scared usually winds up biting you in the end. It did in Charlotte. One can only hope Smith's gutlessness doesn't deride the will of the team collectively.

This week, they face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the home opener. A team that has been running the ball well. If the control the time of possession, the ability to strike quickly will become crucial.

Orton doesn't have it. For all the accolades of being a great game manager, Orton simply doesn't posess the skills to produce quick scores. Jim Miller was a good game manager.  Brian Griese (ironically the Bucs starter this week) was a good game manager. How many playoff games did they win?

For all his shortcomings, all Rex Grossman did was take a team to the Super Bowl.

When did that stop being enough?