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More praise for Orton

No matter what Orton does, there just seems to be a movement to not give him any credit, so I take it upon myself to throw him as much as I can.

Here is a bit from The Chicago Sun-Times:


The numbers are starting to add up for Bears quarterback Kyle Orton. He already has started more games (eight) and directed more wins (five) than any rookie in team history. He needs just three touchdowns, six completions, 11 attempts and 316 yards to set rookie records in each of those categories.

And don't look now, but at the halfway mark of the season, you'd have to call him the odds-on favorite to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. With a foot injury limiting Buccaneers running back Cadillac Williams to 62 yards since he opened the season with a rookie-record 434 yards in three games, Orton's top challenger for the award might be Steelers tight end Heath Miller.

With three more victories, Orton will join the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger and former Ram Dieter Brock as just the third rookie to win at least eight starts.

Not bad for a fourth-round pick who watched six other quarterbacks go off the board on the first day of the draft. Orton spent a sleepless night wondering why he fell so far before the Bears took him with the 106th overall selection. That's 105 players after the 49ers opened the draft by taking quarterback Alex Smith. The Niners come to Soldier Field on Sunday with Smith at least a week away from returning to the lineup after he sprained his right knee in his second start.

Let's just state the obvious: rookie QBs don't win games often and make a ton of mistakes.  The Bears are in first place and regardless of what his numbers are a lot of that is because of Orton.  He is playing smart and within his means.  Don't expect the number to get drastically better this year.  Depending on how the Orton/Grossman situation works out this off season, if Orton is given a full off season and training camp to get ready, his numbers should be much better next year.