Garishwolf
09-08-2008, 03:10 PM
www.chicagobears.com
September 8, 2008
Bears quarterback Orton steals the show
By: Larry Mayer | Last Updated: 9/8/2008 3:20 PM
LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Everyone expected No. 18 to perform with poise and confidence Sunday night in Indianapolis, calling plays at the line of scrimmage and then executing them with precision.
But to the surprise of some—particularly the partisan Colts crowd—it was Bears quarterback Kyle Orton and not Colts counterpart Peyton Manning who played like a seasoned veteran.
Kyle Orton passed for 150 yards and led an offense that did not commit a turnover in a 29-13 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
“He did a hell of a job, especially with all the crowd noise,” said center Olin Kreutz. “We were going out there with a lot of check-with-me plays and he was making a lot of good decisions.”
The check-with-me plays involve calling a play based on how the defense is aligned, something that Orton did with efficiency in the Bears’ inspiring 29-13 victory over the favored Colts.
“Kyle Orton did a great job of making plays and directing our offense,” said coach Lovie Smith.
Orton completed 13 of 21 passes for 150 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and an 83.4 passer rating. He guided the Bears to a TD and two field goals on their final four possessions of the first half to help turn a 3-0 deficit into a 15-6 lead.
Orton’s three longest completions of the game all went to Bears tight ends and converted third downs into first downs on possessions that resulted in points.
In the second quarter, the former Purdue star connected with Desmond Clark for a 20-yard gain on third-and-six to set up Robbie Gould’s 41-yard field goal and later completed a 29-yard pass to Greg Olsen on third-and-15 to set up Gould’s 25-yard field goal on the final play of the half.
Early in the fourth quarter, Orton lofted a 26-yard completion to Clark on third-and-one, setting up Jason McKie’s 1-yard TD plunge, which gave the Bears a 29-13 lead.
“We were sticking with the run game, and then when we had to make key third down plays, we threw the ball,” Orton said. “The guys up front did a great job protecting and the receivers did a great job catching the ball.”
On Clark’s 20-yard reception, both Clark and Olsen split out wide on opposite sides of the field.
“That’s the way we’re going to have to do it in the passing game,” Orton said. “That’s one of our strengths with two tight ends, being able to spread them out and use multiple formations to get the match-ups we want and hopefully connect.”
Orton directed back-to-back 10-play drives that resulted in field goals and a 12-play possession that didn’t lead to any points but burned 7:12 off the clock immediately after the Colts had cut the deficit to 15-13 with 9:18 left in the third quarter.
“There were a couple times when we thought we were close to maybe pulling ahead and putting the game away and they did a great job of fighting back,” Orton said. “But it seemed whenever we needed a big drive, we ran the football at them and made key throws. That was big. We really came up with a couple huge drives in the second half.”
While most experts didn’t expect the Bears to defeat the Colts, Orton wasn’t surprised.
“We’re a confident football team,” he said. “I don’t think a lot of people outside of us are confident. We have two tough games to start off on the road and to get the first one is huge. But we’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ve got a lot of room to get better.”
Slow start but no INTs,,,,lookin better, hope to keep it a goin:clapper:clapper
September 8, 2008
Bears quarterback Orton steals the show
By: Larry Mayer | Last Updated: 9/8/2008 3:20 PM
LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Everyone expected No. 18 to perform with poise and confidence Sunday night in Indianapolis, calling plays at the line of scrimmage and then executing them with precision.
But to the surprise of some—particularly the partisan Colts crowd—it was Bears quarterback Kyle Orton and not Colts counterpart Peyton Manning who played like a seasoned veteran.
Kyle Orton passed for 150 yards and led an offense that did not commit a turnover in a 29-13 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
“He did a hell of a job, especially with all the crowd noise,” said center Olin Kreutz. “We were going out there with a lot of check-with-me plays and he was making a lot of good decisions.”
The check-with-me plays involve calling a play based on how the defense is aligned, something that Orton did with efficiency in the Bears’ inspiring 29-13 victory over the favored Colts.
“Kyle Orton did a great job of making plays and directing our offense,” said coach Lovie Smith.
Orton completed 13 of 21 passes for 150 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and an 83.4 passer rating. He guided the Bears to a TD and two field goals on their final four possessions of the first half to help turn a 3-0 deficit into a 15-6 lead.
Orton’s three longest completions of the game all went to Bears tight ends and converted third downs into first downs on possessions that resulted in points.
In the second quarter, the former Purdue star connected with Desmond Clark for a 20-yard gain on third-and-six to set up Robbie Gould’s 41-yard field goal and later completed a 29-yard pass to Greg Olsen on third-and-15 to set up Gould’s 25-yard field goal on the final play of the half.
Early in the fourth quarter, Orton lofted a 26-yard completion to Clark on third-and-one, setting up Jason McKie’s 1-yard TD plunge, which gave the Bears a 29-13 lead.
“We were sticking with the run game, and then when we had to make key third down plays, we threw the ball,” Orton said. “The guys up front did a great job protecting and the receivers did a great job catching the ball.”
On Clark’s 20-yard reception, both Clark and Olsen split out wide on opposite sides of the field.
“That’s the way we’re going to have to do it in the passing game,” Orton said. “That’s one of our strengths with two tight ends, being able to spread them out and use multiple formations to get the match-ups we want and hopefully connect.”
Orton directed back-to-back 10-play drives that resulted in field goals and a 12-play possession that didn’t lead to any points but burned 7:12 off the clock immediately after the Colts had cut the deficit to 15-13 with 9:18 left in the third quarter.
“There were a couple times when we thought we were close to maybe pulling ahead and putting the game away and they did a great job of fighting back,” Orton said. “But it seemed whenever we needed a big drive, we ran the football at them and made key throws. That was big. We really came up with a couple huge drives in the second half.”
While most experts didn’t expect the Bears to defeat the Colts, Orton wasn’t surprised.
“We’re a confident football team,” he said. “I don’t think a lot of people outside of us are confident. We have two tough games to start off on the road and to get the first one is huge. But we’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ve got a lot of room to get better.”
Slow start but no INTs,,,,lookin better, hope to keep it a goin:clapper:clapper