Reins are off Orton this time

According to Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner, new starting quarterback Kyle Orton, unlike in 2005, will have the run of the playbook this time around.

That's when the game plan was scaled back and the rookie was asked only to manage games and avoid negative plays that would lead to losses.

"We just go out and run our offense and play," Turner said. "We won't think twice about, 'Well, we want to call this (but) we can't.' Maybe during his rookie year we did do that. We wanted to do this (but thought), 'Well, let's not put him in that situation.'

"Right now, if we think it's good and we want to call it, we're going to call it."

Orton's performance in the class room, on the practice field and in the film room during his two years away from the playing field has made a difference. It has given Turner the confidence to allow the 6-foot-4, 217-pounder more latitude in the late-season audition that could determine his future status with the Bears -- or if he has a future here.

The look-see begins tonight in the national spotlight of Monday Night Football. Turner is confident that Orton is a smarter quarterback, even though he doesn't have any more game experience after two years of inactivity.

"I sat in every quarterback meeting with him for the last two years," Turner said. "He has prepared every week like he is the starter, which is hard to do because he was obviously frustrated, and he's made that known.

"To go from being a starter and winning 10 games as a rookie to being No. 3 and not playing, you're going to be frustrated. But he's handled it extremely well."

Even the normally low-key Orton could be excused for being a little overexcited considering the built-up anticipation over the past two years, but he said he got himself calmed down early on.

"After our first practice I relaxed, and I have a lot of confidence going into this game and think I'm going to really play well," the 25-year-old said. "I think the entire team should play without a lot of pressure. We're not in good shape right now playoff-wise, so there's not a lot of pressure on us. So just go out and try to play well."

It isn't expected to be easy for Orton with a running game that has been weak all season and managed just 83 yards on 24 attempts in the first meeting with Minnesota nine weeks ago.

More encouraging is that Brian Griese threw for 381 yards and 3 touchdowns in that game and that the Vikings are last in the NFL in passing yards allowed.

"I think a big part of that is that people see how good they are against the run, and they don't try it," Turner said. "They don't attempt to run the ball on them, and probably rightfully so.

"We're going to go in and run our offense, (but) we know we have to make some plays in the passing game, obviously, and hopefully we'll have some opportunities to do that, and when we do we'll take advantage. But we're going to have to get something out of the running game as well."

It's much more likely that if the Bears are able to move the ball, it will be through the air, and they're more inclined to let Orton crank it up than they were in 2005, when he threw more than 30 passes in just three of his 15 starts.

This year has been a different story. The Bears have thrown 33 or more passes in 10 of 13 games, including seven of the last eight.

That would seem to play to Orton's strength. In three years as Purdue's starter, he threw for 9,337 yards and 63 touchdowns, third-best in school history.

"Kyle has a very strong arm," Turner said. "The ball is going to get on (the receivers) quick when it leaves his hand. His release isn't quite as quick as some of the other guys, but I think he makes up for it in the velocity of his throw. The timing factor comes out a little different."

That's something Orton has had to work overtime on this week, since he has spent the past two years running the scout team, imitating each week's opponent, while throwing to nonstarters.

"Right now, we're clicking pretty good," Orton said Friday. "We've had two really good days of practice, and we haven't had a lot of balls hit the ground. We're coming in with a lot of confidence."

At least Orton seems to be.