Bears get no closer to settling QB issue
On a night when the focus was on the Bears' quarterback battle between Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman, the most impressive drive of the night was engineered by third-stringer Caleb Hanie in a 24-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Soldier Field.
On Hanie's first possession, he drove the Bears 80 yards in 12 plays, capping it with a 13-yard strike to Brandon Rideau in the end zone for a 17-14 Bears lead with 23 seconds left in the third quarter. Early in the fourth quarter, Hanie, an undrafted rookie from Colorado State, led the Bears to a field goal that put them ahead 20-17.
That didn't do anything to settle the QB contest, but neither did the play of Orton and Grossman.
"Both guys did some good things," coach Lovie Smith said. "Our team isn't ready to play the Colts yet (in the regular-season opener); none of us. We'll go back to the practice field, flip the rotation (with Grossman starting next week), and go from there."
Orton's performance could be classified as efficient but ordinary. In three possessions, he compiled an 83.8 passer rating but put just 3 points on the board.
"Personally, I thought I saw the field pretty well," Orton said. "I felt comfortable, and for the most part I thought I threw the ball very well. A couple batted balls, but other than that I thought I played pretty well."
Grossman's passer rating of 106.2 was inflated by a short toss to Garrett Wolfe that turned into a 25-yard TD. Neither quarterback committed a turnover, but each had a notable negative play.
"When I did play, it was all right," Grossman said. "I think we could definitely execute better."
Orton completed 7 of 10 passes for 56 yards but failed to sustain any drives.
Starting from the Chiefs' 43, the Purdue product hooked up with Devin Hester for 16 yards and two plays later exhibited excellent timing with Mark Bradley on a 7-yard sideline route, releasing the ball before Bradley was out of his cut. Later, Orton was flushed from the pocket but scrambled to safety only to drop the ball, which he was able to fall on at the 24.
The Bears settled for Robbie Gould's 42-yard field goal with 6:51 left in the first half that brought them within 7-3 and ended Orton's evening. Despite injuries that left the Bears with a makeshift offensive line, that drop was the only sack of Orton.
"I thought they played well," he said of the O-line. "I didn't feel anybody (on the pass rush.) I think we got some good stuff to go back and look at on film and hopefully make some improvements. We have to find a way to score some more points."
Grossman's first possession opened at the Bears' 12, and he got them out of that hole with a 19-yard strike to Brandon Lloyd delivered just as Lloyd broke to the sideline.
But after reaching midfield that drive also died. Grossman started the second half behind the second-team offensive line and playing mostly with backups, although some of the first-team wide receivers remained. Two possessions totaled 7 plays and 2 punts.
But backup linebacker Rod Wilson's interception of third-string quarterback Tyler Thigpen and 12-yard return gave the Bears the ball at the Chiefs' 25.
On the first play, Wolfe took a short flip over the middle from Grossman, veered toward the east sideline and scored untouched, cutting the Chiefs' lead to 14-10 with 7:38 left in the third quarter.
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