Kyle Orton to start for the Chicago Bears

By Jason Kirk  |   Monday, August 29, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

Chicago Bears
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Rookie quarterback Kyle Orton has been deemed the Chicago Bears' starting quarterback for their regular season opener. Chad Hutchinson, who had been Chicago's starter the past two preseason games, has been demoted out of the playing rotation. Head coach Lovie Smith announced that veteran Jeff Blake will be the backup and Kurt Kittner will be the Bears' third quarterback.

Hutchinson, who had taken over after Rex Grossman went down with a broken ankle, has struggled in both of his preseason starts. He finished the game against the Buffalo Bills going 3-for-14 for 33 yards with two interceptions and three sacks. He registered a 0.0 passer rating in the game and for the preseason his rating is a dismal 23.1. It was that type of poor performances that prompted head coach Lovie Smith to make the switch.

On the other hand, Kyle Orton, a fourth round pick out of Purdue, has performed well in the preseason. Although his outings have been against backups, he has gone 27-of-42 for 409 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions, for a passer rating of 92.3. The rookie has gained a lot of support from the veteran players for his confident play. Several players pointed out the success of Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger last season, suggesting that starting a rookie quarterback doesn't mean a lost season.

The depth chart shuffle outlines the instability the Chicago Bears have had at the quarterback position the past few seasons. The Bears used four different quarterbacks last season and have been forced to use at least three starters in six of the last seven seasons. For now, Chicago is hoping that they won't have to repeat those changes. The Bears end their preseason at home against the Cleveland Browns on September 1st and begin regular season play on September 11th at Washington against the Redskins.
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