Bears silent on Orton's injury; Grossman the man for now
No matter the severity of Kyle Orton's ankle injury - and the Bears have no intention of providing any update until Wednesday - it appears Rex Grossman will start Sunday at Soldier Field against the Bears' toughest opponent of the season, the 8-0 Tennessee Titans.
"He took tests (Monday) morning, and we have some more to take, and that's about all I can tell you right now," Bears coach Lovie Smith said, declining to specify the tests that Orton underwent. "He has an ankle injury. I wouldn't be quick to rush and start trying to play (doctor). I'm not playing doctor; you shouldn't either. You should let us come and tell you once we know for sure exactly what the injury is. We're hopeful, I'll just say that."
The Bears already know the extent of Orton's injury; it's just a matter of when they want to release the information. But it's doubtful that a player who collapsed on the field and couldn't walk off under his own power would recover in time to play seven days later.
A positive sign was that the team is not immediately seeking to add a veteran quarterback behind Grossman and undrafted rookie Caleb Hanie, but that could change.
"Right now we're staying exactly the way we are," Smith said. "To do that you would say that Kyle will be out for a long period of time. We're not there. We're evaluating an ankle injury, that's about all we're doing right now."
Grossman was the loser in the preseason QB battle with Orton, but as backup quarterbacks go, he's better than most, if for no other reason than his experience in the offense and the success he's had in the scheme, despite his inconsistency.
If this week winds up being his 2008 debut as a starter, Grossman could not have picked a more difficult defense. The Titans are No. 1 in the NFL in points allowed (12.9 per game). No. 7 in total yards allowed (289.8), 12th against the pass (198.1 yards per game) and 10th in rushing yards allowed (91.6 per game).
Grossman looked rusty against the Lions, but he did oversee a 14-0 comeback and threw a TD pass that helped salvage the victory.
But he also had 2 passes batted at the line of scrimmage, one of which was intercepted, and on several occasions received the obligatory home-crowd boos that have accompanied his negative plays since early last season.
Grossman gets much more support from his teammates, who appear to be expecting him to start Sunday even if they can't say it.
"We've been to battle with him, and there's no hesitation to go back to battle with him again if we have to, if Kyle has to miss some time with his injury," tight end Desmond Clark said. "Rex is the guy who took us to the Super Bowl two years ago, so he's tested."
Grossman has started 24 regular-season games in Ron Turner's offense since 2005 with a 16-8 record. He would have gotten credit for a win in relief Sunday if that were an NFL stat.
"He redirected the ship and did a great job," said offensive left tackle John St. Clair. "We have a lot of confidence in Rex. He's been there before; been there done that. He's played at a very high level, so there's no concern with Rex, he's the same guy who led us to the Super Bowl."
Although Grossman and Orton have different styles, and Grossman has a tendency to take more chances, Smith says the Bears' offense and his confidence remain unchanged.
"We're going to run our offense," Smith said. "We have a history with Rex, running all of our plays. He's been in every possible situation you could think of, and that's how we do it. If there's an injury, it's the next guy up. We expect him to do the job and find a way to win."
This week that's a difficult assignment against the NFL's only undefeated team.
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=247929">Injury stalls Orton's breakout season <span class="date"> [11/03/08]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>