Orton to start Thursday's preseason opener vs. Chiefs

BOURBONNAIS - There was no coin flip this time and no rock, paper, scissors. But Kyle Orton will start at quarterback Thursday night against the Kansas City Chiefs at Soldier Field.

Rex Grossman, the other contender for the No. 1 job, will play in the first half, and he will start the second preseason game, with Orton in relief.

Coach Lovie Smith cautioned against reading too much into the decision to give Orton the first preseason start, and offensive coordinator Ron Turner went even further.

"I would say, 'Don't read anything into it,' " Turner said. "It means absolutely nothing. What went into the decision? I don't know, just kind of you know, Kyle you're going this week, Rex you're going next week."

Orton nevertheless appreciates the opportunity.

"I'm excited," he said. "I wanted to get out in front of the home crowd to start the preseason. I feel like I've played well the last four or five days. I've been sharp, and this is just one more step. I want to continue the process."

Both quarterbacks were informed of the decision Tuesday morning.

"It is what it is," Grossman said. "It doesn't matter at all. I'll be starting vs. Seattle, and he's got this game. We'll go from there."

Grossman is expected to get some snaps with at least some of the first-team offense still on the field.

"We plan on playing our players a little bit longer than we normally do," Smith said. "We're anxious to see exactly what we have."

Not the same: Ten-year veteran offensive tackle John Tait has been asked to compare his situation as a first-round rookie holdout in 1999 to that of this year's first-round pick, offensive tackle Chris Williams, who has missed the past 11 days of practice with a back injury.

"People kind of want to compare our situations, but I think they're totally different because I wasn't even there to watch a practice or be in meetings or anything," said Tait, who just like Williams was the 14th overall pick. "That's a huge disadvantage. So at least he's here. He's listening in meetings and being around the guys and being able to go out and watch practice and stuff like that, which is more than I was able to do."

Because Tait missed all of training camp, he was a roster exemption for the first two weeks of the regular season and didn't play in a game until Oct. 10. He started three games near the end of the season.

Williams has been a no-show at some recent practices and scarcely visible at the dining hall, leading to speculation that he was getting a second opinion on his condition, which has not improved since the injury occurred July 24.

Injury report: In addition to offensive tackle Chris Williams, linebackers Hunter Hillenmeyer and Michael Okwo, guard Terrence Metcalf (knee scope) and defensive end Dan Bazuin (knee) did not practice Tuesday night.

Running back Kevin Jones (knee), who remains on the physically-unable-to-perform list, came out in shoulder pads for the first time while also wearing a heavy knee brace, which he has not donned prior to Tuesday. Jones ran close to full speed on the sidelines during the early part of practice.