Minutes after wrapping up the season at home, players and coaches already were talking about 2008. Orton's name came up frequently. Listen closely.

"Kyle Orton again did things to help us every time he's behind center," said coach Lovie Smith.

"I think he (elevated his status) but we were all high on Kyle coming into those three games," added offensive coordinator Ron Turner. "Kyle's got a lot of poise, a confidence about him, and he's got a big arm. The guys believe in him, no matter what the situation is.

"He played at Minnesota in his first game, a tough environment, against one of the top defenses in the league, and showed great poise. Last week (against Green Bay), with the conditions the way they were, he wasn't rattled at all. He played great and handled it well."

In three starts, Orton threw for 478 yards and three touchdowns, completed 54 percent of his passes, was intercepted twice and sacked twice for a QB rating of 73.9 -- second best behind veteran Griese.