CHICAGO - When Kyle Orton threw the ball right to Tampa Bay's Gaines Adams on Sunday at Soldier Field - right to him - you couldn't help but think that Buccaneers' quarterback Brian Griese may have been the right man for the Bears job this year.
Orton, who struggled with the deep ball in a heartbreaking loss to Carolina last week, could not have made it any easier for Adams to catch the ball from inside five yards. In return, Adams made it not so easy for Orton to catch him during a 45-yard dash to the end zone.
Instead of completing a screen up the middle to tight end Desmond Clark on that play - Clark was right behind Adams - the Bucs took an early 14-6 lead, lost it for awhile, and then forced overtime before spoiling the Bears home opener with a 27-24 win.
And they couldn't have done it without Griese, who ignored three interceptions to complete 38 of 67 passes for 407 yards and two touchdowns against his old team.
"I was traded," said Griese, when asked if he expected to return to the Bears this season. "So obviously, they didn't need me."
Even with the dust still circling around Griese's near record-setting performance against the Bears, it's clear to me that Orton's still the better choice for Chicago.
Starting ahead of Luke McCown, Jeff Garcia and Josh Johnson, Griese was the better quarterback during the first half Sunday. By the break, his quarterback rating was nearly triple that of Orton's. Griese had half as many interceptions, the only passing touchdown and no sacks compared to Orton's three. But things didn't end that way.
Griese and Orton flip-flopped. Griese came back down to Earth, and Orton elevated to shooting-star status. Midway through the third quarter, Griese missed his mark and threw the first of two second-half interceptions while knocking on the Bears doorstep.
On the ensuing possession, Orton picked the perfect time to throw his first touchdown pass of the season. He orchestrated an 86-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown pass to rookie running back Matt Forte and a two-point conversion to first-year Bears wideout Brandon Lloyd.
Orton's first scoring pass took 11 quarters to happen, but it translated into the 17-14 lead the Bears needed to regain momentum. With the game in the hands of the defense and still 17 minutes to play, the unit held tight and let the offense get going.
With just under seven minutes to play in the fourth, Orton hung a fade-like pass to Lloyd in the back of the end zone. Lloyd hauled it in, and the Bears led 24-14. Kevin Payne's interception set up the drive, and the Bears were rolling.
"The theme every week is to finish, that is how you win football games," Orton said. "We haven't done it the past couple of weeks and we have to go back to practice to find a way to do it."
Orton couldn't have know that Griese would finish just three pass attempts shy of a league-record 70. He couldn't have known the defense wouldn't have an answer for the guy they watched in practice for the last two years. He couldn't have known Griese would execute a game-tying drive in the fourth quarter and take care of business in overtime.
Orton's performance should be celebrated to some degree. He completed 22 of 34 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns but also threw two interceptions. His 83.9 quarterback rating tops Griese's mark of 66.0, but amazingly, Griese never got sacked.
In the end, it's simply Orton's turn in Chicago. Griese's performance was refreshing for many who watched it, but it was not without flaws, which would certainly get as old as Orton's in due time. The Bears have the right guy.
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