Orton might have to lift Bears through air

If the Bears have trouble running the ball against a Minnesota Vikings defense anchored by "The Williams Boys," the two immovable objects in the middle of the line, the burden will fall on quarterback Kyle Orton to drive the offense.

The Bears may as well give Orton the keys now.

Six-foot-5, 311-pound Kevin Williams had 4 sacks last week against Detroit, even though the three-time Pro Bowler is considered a better run defender.

Six-foot-3 Pat Williams - listed at 317 pounds, or about 50 pounds short of reality - played nine years in the league before earning back-to-back Pro Bowl berths the past two seasons.

In the past five games, the Vikings have allowed an average of 60.6 rushing yards and an average gain of 2.6 yards per rush. Kevin and Pat Williams, who aren't related, are the keys to forcing opponents to abandon the run.

"They're big and they're athletic," said Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner. "They're physical. They play hard. They're instinctive. They're great football players, they really are. Both of them are outstanding, and we 'get' to go against them twice a year."

Coach Lovie Smith loves to say his Bears are a running team, but it's rare that any team beats Minnesota on the ground. The Vikes are No. 4 in run defense and have allowed just two 100-yard rushers in their last 38 games.

Orton is well aware that the Bears may have to throw to set up the run rather than the other way around, which is their preferred method of attack.

"We'll try to take advantage of whatever looks they're giving us," Orton said. "If they want us to throw the ball, then we'll try to do that effectively as well."

Turner has gained more confidence each week in Orton's ability to move the offense through the air. The three most productive passing days of Orton's four-year career have all come in the past four weeks, and Turner believes he has a quarterback who can step up if the run game is shut down.

"You have to have that in this league every game," Turner said. "You've got to be able to mix it up. If they want to stop the run, you've got to be able to throw it, and to have a quarterback that's playing with confidence that the guys believe in is huge."

Still, Turner's not quite ready to call the Bears a passing team.

"Lovie wouldn't like it if I said that," a smiling Turner said. "We want to run the ball, and that's where it all starts, and we're going to continue to run the ball.

"But you can't win without scoring points, and it's tough to score points if you're not throwing the ball and making plays in the passing game. It's really difficult in this league to put together 70-, 80-yard drives without big plays, and those big plays usually come in the pass game."

At least against the run-stuffing Vikings they do.

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