Orton the clear choice

After four preseason games, the Bears' quarterbacking situation has become crystal clear to even the most casual observers. Rookie Kyle Orton has to be the starter.

We'll see if the coaches come to the same conclusion. Chad Hutchinson failed as a fill-in starter last year and, though we thought it impossible, looks even worse after going through a training camp.

I'm not a big fan of throwing rookie QBs to the wolves, even - and maybe especially - a guy I like in Orton. But the other option is Jeff Blake, who has had one good year out of 14 in the NFL, and that was a long time ago.

It comes down to this. If they throw Orton out there and he struggles at times, you can chalk that up to a rookie getting experience. If you throw Blake or Hutchinson out there, and they stink, then they just stink. There's no upside.

If Orton always struggles and doesn't seem to learn from his mistakes, that's a different thing, but we haven't seen any sign of that in camp.

Hutchinson should not be demoted though. He should be cut. On Tuesday. He's had his chance. There should never be a situation where he could find his way onto the field in a Bear uniform again.