The future is now

UPDATE 4:00 pm: It's official. Kyle Orton is the starting QB for the Bears. Whew.

The Bears better not start the season with Chad Hutchinson under center. At the last preseason game, Hutchinson had a perfect QB rating - perfect zero, that is. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone getting a zero. He had more interceptions and fumbles than he did completed passes.

So it's time to go with the future Pro Bowler: Kyle Orton.



So what's the skinny on Orton anyway?

Well, first of all, he's an Iowa boy. Born and raised in Altoona, although admits to being a Cornhusker fan. In fact, he chose No. 18 in honor of quarterback Brook Berringer, who led the Cornhuskers to the 1994 national championship and subsequently was killed in a plane crash on April 18, 1996. He went to Purdue and studied history. He left Purdue with a 2.43 interception percentage, the best in school history. So we won't be seeing a lot of interceptions. He was named 14th-best player in the nation (No. 2 in the Big Ten) by ESPN: The Magazine. Also got Most Fearless Quarterback in Big Ten by The Sporting News and was tabbed Most Accurate Passer, Strongest Arm and Coolest in the Clutch in Big Ten by Lindy's. Yes, yes, that's all based on how he did in college. This is in the NFL. So how has he done as a Bear?

In four exhibitions, Orton is 27-for-42 for 409 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. His passer rating is 92.3, nearly 70 points higher than Hutchinson's 23.1. And he's averaging an impressive 9.7 yards per pass attempt. That's .3 yards less than a first down every time he completes a pass.

There's just no doubt about it. It's time to start the rook. I mean, come on, the guy has his own comic book: