Da Bears!!!
If they are lucky, they will win 7 games - at Washington, Detroit, at Cleveland, at New Orleans, San Francisco and at Tampa Bay and Green Bay, losing the last 4 games. Anyone that believes more strongly is crazy so far, and anything less than 4 games is potentially biased too.
Kyle Orton is possibly the future. And I'll tell you what I would do:
1) He is a big, strong arm QB that went to a top-flight university in Purdue. So, he isn't too dumb to read defenses. He can play - but you got to give it time. At least 6-8 games. Then decide.
2) Kyle Boller was given a full season to get it together. He didn't WOW anyone. But he got the opportunity. And Baltimore's defense was and is superior to the Bears. And had (and have) a better running game.
3) The current Bears roster does not have superior talent. Defense has the bulk of whatever talent you got. (Aside from Muhammad and Kruetz.) They could not solve all their problems because they didn't go out and get an average QB, the one MUST need they had. (Rex Grossman was unlucky, but you can't expect him (with 5-6 NFL starts in 3 years) to be the franchise QB now.)
4) Bears fans need to CHILL. It sucks, but you got to understand championships are not won in just one off-season. Unless you think like a Yankee…owner.
5) Build for next year. If Orton puts up 2,400-2,900 yds. in 16 starts and has 15/12-20 TDs/INTs you got to call him the starter. (Rex backs up - Blake is TOO old.) And if Benson gets 85-100 yds. per game in 17-23 carries per, call him your #1 RB.
Draft next year for a quality/elite OL - maybe D'Brickshaw Ferguson/Virginia, Jonathan Scott/Texas or Matt Lentz/Mchigan - and look hard at players (like maybe a Reggie Bush or LenDale White mid-late 1st/early 2nd ) since both will probably come out. With their remaining picks (I think they gain a late rounder through a trade), BALANCE Offense and Defense. Even look at MLB (for the future) and shore up CB please...
6) If Orton FAILS, as rookies do, then you hope you are THAT bad (4-12 or 5-11) and finish in the top 5 of the draft. TRADE UP and get Matt Leinart. (1st and 2nd round in 2007 draft at least, and much more probably…) Because if San Francisco is really that bad, they aren't going to draft Leinart to replace Alex Smith. And Cleveland wouldn't seem too keen on QBs with their recent history. Miami is your main competition for Leinart in my opinion. And Matt Leinart is probably the closest 'can't miss' prospect you got since he would have been the #1 pick in two college drafts.
7) Bears then have to find a way to stretch defenses. Going against THEIR history. With Minnesota and Detroit having great (or potentially great) passing offenses, you got to compete. Either by finding 1-2 corners that cover outstandingly and Blitzing the breaks off them -and pray- OR getting the OFFENSE to work well by getting wideouts to compliment a young QB.
That's my uneducated, non-NFL experience-having butt's opinion. This a transition season solely, nothing more. You will not win the Super bowl, so figure out what works and fix the rest. Proud franchises have the HARDEST time in patience and working out the kinks.
