Brian Urlacher made waves not too long ago when he stated on ESPN First Take that Kyle Orton was his favorite quarterback during his 13-year career. Not Rex Grossman, who led them to the Super Bowl. Not Jay Cutler who reached the NFC championship. It was the guy they traded to get Cutler. It seems the Bears icon isn’t alone in that love either. Former running back Thomas Jones is also a big admirer.
He was there when the team drafted Orton in 2005 and had a good idea of what the kid was made of. That season when Grossman went down with a leg injury, the 4th round pick still managed to go 10-5 in his place. Sure he was aided by a great defense but it was still an impressive feat. One Jones feels the coaches didn’t appreciate enough because they were too hung up on Grossman and his status as a former 1st round pick.
If they’d embraced Orton as their guy sooner, the team’s fate might’ve been different.
Thomas Jones and Urlacher loved Orton for the same reason
Both Jones and Urlacher loved Orton for his leadership but more importantly for his understanding of the Bears’ strengths. He knew right away they were a team drive by defense and running the football. That meant his job was to manage the game, keep the ball as long as possible, and avoid turnovers. In 33 games, he threw 27 interceptions. That is a rate of .81 per game. That may seem bad until you realize Grossman was .97 in his run with the Bears. Considerably worse. Cutler? He was .93.
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So yeah. It’s easier to understand why guys liked Orton. While he may not have put up the flashy numbers, he also did far less to hurt the team. Would thing have been different in 2006 had the Bears committed to him rather than riding out the Grossman train? It’s impossible to know. However, the fact that he beat the Indianapolis Colts when he became the official starter at the beginning of 2008 leaves one to wonder.