Hear This: Keep Starting Orton

Keep Kyle Orton at quarterback. Let me say it a second time, in case I didn’t make myself clear: Keep Kyle Orton at quarterback. Oh, and by the way: Keep Kyle Orton at quarterback.

I never dreamed a day would come when anybody would need to defend a Bears’ quarterback whose team has just won eight games in a row. Not two in a row ... not four in a row ... eight in a row.

Bears’ coaches and players must think the world has gone nuts. For them to go out and beat the Green Bay Packers, run their record to 9-3 and wake up Monday morning to a lively debate on TV and radio, on web sites and in print about what they should do with their quarterback, well, I think athletes ought to insist that media and fans be the ones who undergo drug tests.

To change quarterbacks now would be like having Secretariat’s jockey win the Belmont by 31 lengths but replacing him in the saddle because the horse should have won by 50.

I can’t believe we are having this discussion.

Kyle Orton already has won nine games. All of last season the Bears won five. He is doing it with practically the same team. Top draft picks Cedric Benson and Mark Bradley are hurt and of no help to their rookie quarterback. If the NFL’s top defense hadn’t blown the Cleveland game in the fourth quarter, Orton’s NFL record would be a cool 10-2.

Yeah, by all means, bench him! What has this kid ever done for this team? Oh, except win, I mean. And win. And win. And win. And win.

I can see it now: This weekend the Bears go to Pittsburgh and lose, ending their winning streak at eight and sinking their record to a we-stink 9-4. And the wail will go up once more: Orton’s not all that good! Rex Grossman is ready! What’s that darn Lovie Smith waiting for, Christmas?!

I think back to something HBO’s Cris Collinsworth recently said: “Bears fans and the city of Chicago have finally found a quarterback who will not embarrass this proud franchise.”

Amen. That’s what I thought.

So you want to dump on him? Demote him? Why, because his statistics aren’t so hot? Because he passed for only 68 yards in a game that his team won by 12 points? Because his passer rating -- whatever that is -- isn’t very high? Because what the Bears really need if they want to be a good team is a new quarterback who hasn’t played a down all year?

Lovie, I don’t care if the Bears lose to the Steelers something to nothing, you keep K.O. out there, OK?

A couple of weeks ago, a San Francisco reporter asked Orton in a phone interview if folks were willing to cut him some slack for having been such a low draft pick. Orton laughed and replied, “You must not be from around Chicago.”

I knew people would kid the kid about his bangs or his beard. (I personally envy them both.) I knew people would want Grossman to get his job back, even though for all of his obvious physical gifts, the only thing I have seen Grossman do is get seriously hurt every third game he plays. (I haven’t seen Orton miss a down.)

But I never imagined the Bears would go 9-3 and have people believe Grossman automatically should take over as first-string QB, even though he hasn’t even been elevated yet to second-string QB. I like Grossman, too, but exactly what did he do in those six appearances that was so wonderful?

Therefore, if defend Orton I must, let me take a whack at it. Because I think this guy is doing a heck of a good job. Because the only statistic of his I give a rat’s tail about is 9-3.

To stat freaks, I say this:

Orton is No. 25 in the NFL in passing yards, you’re right. No. 24 is Ben Roethlisberger. No. 23 is Michael Vick.

We had better bench them too.

Orton has been sacked 23 times, yes. He’s not very fast. Oh, by the way, Tom Brady has been sacked 21 times, Vick 25, Drew Bledsoe 28, Daunte Culpepper 31 (in seven games), Kerry Collins 32, but you’re right: Orton is slow. Let’s bench him.

Thirteen of Orton’s passes have been intercepted. He must be more accurate. You know, like Brady (10 interceptions), Eli Manning (12), Jake Delhomme (13), Brett Favre (21) and other QBs who never throw a bad ball.

Orton’s longest completion is 54 yards. He can’t go deep. As opposed to say, Drew Brees, whose longest pass is 43 yards, or Byron Leftwich (45) or Matt Hasselbeck (52) or Favre (53) or Vick (58).

Quite clearly, Jerry Angelo, Ron Turner, Smith and the rest of the brains behind the Bears have a lot of nerve sticking with Orton at quarterback when if they would only try Grossman at quarterback, they could beat teams by scores like 26-7 instead of 19-7.

It was said the Bears hadn’t beaten a top team. So they beat the Carolina Panthers. It was said they hadn’t beaten a top team on the road. So they went to Tampa Bay and beat the Buccaneers. It was said they hadn’t been able to beat the Green Bay Packers for years at Soldier Field. So they did.

Boy, you hate to see a young quarterback embarrass the organization this way, don’t you?

I think the Bears had better hurry up and kick Kyle Orton off the squad before he goes out and wins another game.