Gee, does this mean we’ll get off the bus running? Sure hope so. Forte was the only thing I’ve seen out of this offense that makes sense with a line that can’t move and receiver’s looking for their pension checks. Just cut off the microphone from OC Turner and RUN, BABY, RUN!

Because a “playmaker” makes plays, no matter who they have around them.

I think the decision’s wrong only because of the overwhelming mindset that Orton “won” the job simply because he won’t lose games for us. He won’t win games for us either, unless he starts throwing down the field . . . and all of those other issues (o-line problems, inexperienced, short receiving corps, etc.) improve or prove the many opinions out in cyber and sports “journalism” world wrong.

I’d like to see Orton throw more than 10 yards down the field when A) it isn’t the two-minute drill, and/or B) we’re not trailing in a game and NEED the quick score. For this to happen, Turner needs to really be on his game in calling plays ALL year. Turner needs to show he knows how to coordinate this offense this year.

I do think that Orton has a much stronger arm than most say. In Minnesota last year I was impressed with his arm. That said, I still think our coaches are bad evaluators of the offense. With the current regime of decision makers, it started for me drafting Benson and a player like Mark Bradley, who we drafted on that dread p-word (potential).

And then getting rid of Thomas Jones was the biggest f-up for me in the last 20-years of decisions. Why? I can kind of forgive bad draft picks because drafting can be tricky. But, when you sign a free agent and they revive their career and are the best back you’ve had since Walter Payton (in my opinion, better than Neal Anderson, sorry) then you royally mess up. You just don’t trade your best offensive player because you drafted someone else high. Once the games start, draft position should not be a deciding factor.

Everyone talks about how many quarterbacks we’ve gone through in the last 17 years, which too often shows off how many running backs we let come and go every two years. If we had as much continuity of players on the offense as we do on defense then maybe our offense could improve yearly. Instead, on offense we’re always willing to clean house with the slightest problem. A-Train may not have been great, but he’s still playing. T.J. could easily gain 1500 and catch for 500yd plus with Favre at QB.

On defense, we blew it last year, and we resigned everyone to long contracts and Archuleta was the only one let go. The staff blamed it on injuries and the offense, and escaped all culpability. Instead, Briggs gets lots of money and seems to have stepped back into Urlacher’s huge shadow.

I’d rather have seen Berrian get the money and let Jamar Williams step up IF they are going to do business the same for both the defense and offense. Why, again? Because Briggs seems to have dropped off. I hope that he has a great year, though. Or, since “rewarding our own” doesn’t seem to work for the offensive side, how about going out and finding some big free agents in their prime (not when they are old (Moose) and cut by their team for salary cap reasons).

I hope we do much better than what so many fans here think we will. I believe we can, but it takes a lot of clicking and lots of things to go right.

So now we have a QB who won’t take chances and will “manage the game”. Okay, so be it. But wouldn’t Chris Simms be a flat out upgrade over Orton?