Originally Posted by forgop

Orton limited because he can't throw the long ball? I disagree. He didn't do it particularly well in Chicago because his targets were pretty bad for starters as they don't have the ability to get open. His OL certainly was less than spectacular in blocking 5 on 4, let alone when they brought a blitz. Outside of Hester (who's not a very good route runner), who could get open in Chicago? Defenses obviously played up on the short routes and for good reason as most of the time, WR's couldn't get open. Orton has a strong arm and can throw it as demonstrated before his senior year in high school by throwing it 70 yards in a QB camp (which surpassed an NFL QB at the camp-I'm thinking it was John Kitna for some reason).

I watched Orton play every game at Purdue and I'm sure I carry some bias. I know what he's capable of doing. He's not a pro bowl caliber QB, but he's not a bottom tier guy either. In a QB-friendly SYSTEM (which the Bears don't have), Orton will have a more open air attack and much more control. He ran a much more sophisticated offense at Purdue that he was very good in all elements of his game. Obviously, he's slow, but he's no worse than Peyton Manning in that regard.