Bears' quarterback Kyle Orton was back at practice Wednesday, but is still considered day-to-day.
Orton missed the last Bears' game, a 21-14 loss to Tennessee, due to a high ankle sprain. Rex Grossman, the Bears' manic back-up quarterback, had a hard time connecting with his receivers during the loss.
This Sunday's game, against the Packers at Lambeau Field, is important in the NFC North race, not to mention that it's the Packers. We need to beat them. Maybe Kyle Orton, at less than 100%, is better than having Grossman at his best.
Before his injury, Orton had a quarterback rating of 90.8, with a 61.9 completion percentage. This puts him in the top 10 for the league. He has given up four interceptions, but that was in just two games. The other six games he played in were without an interception. He wasn't flashy, but the neckbeard got it done.
Grossman is only completing 50% of his passes. Last week, most of those were short tosses to Matt Forte. Any efforts to throw the ball long just sailed over the Bears' heads, literally and figuratively.
Marty Booker didn't make a single catch on Sunday, and this was not all his fault.
Grossman overthrew Devin Hester on a potentially game-changing pass when Hester had beat his defender downfield.
Grossman has two interceptions in a game and a half of play. The one bright spot, if Grossman is to start, is that he has played well at Lambeau Field in the past, with an unbeaten record in Green Bay.
The injury will undoubtedly hamper Orton, but he was hardly the most mobile quarterback in the first place. He threw from the pocket, and handed off the ball. If he can do those two things on a sore ankle, he will serve the Bears much more effectively than Grossman has.
