Looks like Bears fans can say goodbye to the Rex Grossman era. How was it for you? I count one NFC Championship, a myriad of injuries, and several thousand over-reactions both negative and positive by fans and media alike while riding the Rex roller-coaster. I also count him becoming overly stigmatized to the point that his confidence has been shattered privately, though publicly he's still rarely accountable for mistakes.
Enter the jack-drinking 10 yard-out-throwing weird-bearded kid from Purdue. Yes, Kyle Orton is a starting NFL QB. The offense is officially stagnant again, as Orton can't throw the deep ball. The defense can crowd the box to take away the run, and Devin Hester as a deep threat is nothing more than window dressing.
The front office's failure to address the QB situation in addition to not doing enough to improve the offensive line has put a serious cloud over the potential for the Bears to challenge the Packers, Vikings, and even Lions in the NFC North this season.
Of course, the defense and special teams can win a few games on their own. Maybe.
Fantasy Spin: This murders the value of Hester as a potential sleeper towards the end of your draft. He's still worth taking in the last round with hopes that he busts out, but you won't see many deep balls connecting to number 23. Matt Forte should be nothing better than a RB4, because -- as I said above -- you can expect the box to be crowded. Orton is a starting QB, yes, but if you look at his stats from '05 -- then realize his supporting cast was much better -- you should be scared immediately. Don't draft him.
The one guy who should benefit here is Greg Olsen. Orton is a check-down master (again, scared to/can't throw it deep) and Olsen will garner many catches over the short middle and in the flats. In PPR leagues especially he can be a beast.
