Fans give Orton warm greeting

There was no doubt which quarterback was the people's choice at the Bears' Friday night practice at Soldier Field.

During player introductions, Rex Grossman seemed to receive as almost as many boos and cheers, while Kyle Orton got a rousing welcome from the 24,977 in attendance.

On the field, neither quarterback looked sharp early, as Orton completed 3 of 6 in the first 7-on-7 session, all of them for short gains. Grossman was 2-for-4. Orton was on fire in the second 7-on-7, completing all 6 of his passes, including deep routes to tight end Desmond Clark and wide receiver Rashied Davis, who made a nice over-the-shoulder grab. Orton also connected on intermediate routes to Marty Booker and Devin Hester.

Orton was 3-for-5 in the first 11-on-11 set, all short passes. Grossman also went 3-for-5, a drop by Brandon Rideau, and one of his completions was for 23 yards to tight end Fontel Mines. Both QBs went 3-for-4 in the next 11-on-11 segment, but Orton picked up 20 yards on a pass to Brandon Lloyd and scored on a short slant to Rideau.

In the two-minute drill, starting from its own 35, Grossman's squad failed to reach midfield, while Orton's group got into position for Robbie Gould's 28-yard field goal. Orton started out working with the first team, but Grossman also got some reps with the ones.