By MIKE NADEL
GateHouse News Service
Posted Nov 06, 2008 @ 12:06 AM
LAKE FOREST — You almost can hear Chicago Bears play-by-play man Jeff Joniak now: “And the Bears take the . . . what the? . . . there’s Kyle Orton, crawling into the huddle on his hands and knees . . . and . . . is that? . . . yes, his right ankle’s in a cast! What courage! Kyle Orton, you are ridiculous!”
And you almost can hear the fans at Soldier Field cheering until they’re hoarse.
Or maybe this is Joniak’s call: “The Bears go on offense and . . . wait a second . . . what an incredible surprise . . . it’s No. 12, Caleb Hanie, running the show!”
And the crowd goes wild.
Most likely, a low-key Joniak tells his radio audience this: “With Kyle Orton injured, it’s Rex Grossman, as expected, at quarterback.”
And here comes the familiar greeting for the savior-turned-pariah: “Boooo!”
Asked Wednesday if he thought fans would be behind him were he to start Sunday against the undefeated Tennessee Titans, Grossman smiled and said: “I’m not sure. They haven’t been. But, you know, I love the fans.”
Weirdly, he attempted a lame Sammy Sosa imitation before adding: “They definitely cheer when good things happen, so I’m going to try to make good things happen.”
If he gets the chance.
Less than 72 hours after being carted off the field during last Sunday’s victory over Detroit, Orton walked into the media room Wednesday.
That’s right: walked. No bloody stump, no plaster cast, no crutches, no cane, barely even a limp.
Lovie Smith was so thrilled with Orton’s progress that the coach was giddy with evasiveness.
“We’re optimistic we will have him back out soon. Soon can mean a lot of things,” Smith said. “I have my definition. Of course, I’m not going to give you mine.
“Soon could be tomorrow or the next day or three weeks. Maybe at the end of the year. Kyle is a tough guy. We want to get him out there as soon as we can.”
That wacky Lovie. Such a tease.
Orton’s sprained ankle was stable enough for him to stand in front of the media for six-plus minutes. He sounded so happy, you’d think he had been elected mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.
“If I keep making improvement, I certainly can’t rule out this week,” Orton said. “I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while. We’ve been playing good on offense, and to be able to test it against what everybody’s calling the best defense in the league would be fun.
“This is crunch time in our season and this is what I’ve been preparing for: to be playing these types of games against these types of defenses.
“If I can take the pain and . . . not hold the team back, I’m going to try to get out there and play.”
Quick healer? Or Oscar-worthy actor?
He might be a bit of both, but Bears’ fans probably shouldn’t count on the latest Great QB Savior for another week or two. Instead, expect Grossman, who scored the winning touchdown against Detroit but otherwise was pretty unimpressive. (Boooo!)
Just three years ago, fans couldn’t wait to replace then-rookie Orton and with then-injured Grossman. The anti-Rex movement began midway through the Super Bowl campaign of 2006 and grew 1,000-fold last season. Orton outplayed Grossman this past preseason to win the job, and now Rex, a free agent come February, is fighting for his football life.
“Every time you step out there, people watch it and make judgments about it,” he said. “So this is important because . . . this might be one of the only chances I get to play this season.”
Hanie, an undrafted rookie who became a fan favorite for his exhibition-game mop-up performances, noticed last Sunday that fans weren’t yelling “Groooosman!”
“It sucks, but fans are fans,” he said. “They’re going to be your best friends whenever you do well and they’ll get on you . . . when you have a bad series.”
Fair enough. But before you even have a series?
Grossman’s play since Week 6 of 2006 often has been boo-worthy. Still, ripping him simply for pulling on his helmet seems counterproductive.
Shouldn’t fans be propping him up with cheers to help his confidence — at least until he actually messes up?
Fat chance. We’re more likely to see Kyle Orton directing the offense from a hospital bed.
Mike Nadel (mikenadel@sbcglobal.net) is the Chicago sports columnist for GateHouse News Service. Read his blog at TheBaldestTruth.com.
