First, thank you to one and all for sounding off about the current state of our Chicago Bears. Since I asked you guys to chime in, I figured I should share my thoughts as well:

I think the Bears should stick with Orton, but keep him on a short leash. If his QB rating looks like a score from a diving judge at halftime again, it’s time to see what Rex can do. The Bears have done a lot of damage this season with smoke and mirrors, and to close the deal (not to mention making some noise in the playoffs) we are going to have to find some offense anyway we can. If that means motivating better play out of Orton, fine; if it means taking a look a Rex, I’m OK with that too. In the NFL, the player who gives you the best chance to win should play, period.

Percentage of votes for Sunday’s starting QB against the Steelers:

Kyle Orton – 76%

Rex Grossman – 24%

Jeff Blake – 0% (no love for Jeff Blake, a man who played his college ball with Gayle Sayers)

Candidates receiving write in votes…

Sid Luckman – 2 votes

Cade McNown – 1 vote

Here are some of my favorite quips from my knowledgeable and sharp witted readers…

Sean McGivern of Rogers Park:

I'd say, at the moment you gotta stick with what got you here. But, if a

change is made, at least things can't get any worse. This Sunday, I'd like to see

Orton start, but if the Bears are trailing by a couple touchdowns in the second half, send in Grossman and see what happens.

Michael F. Maguire of Dallas, TX:

You dance with who "brung ya" to the party! If that fails - How about Sid Luckman?

Joe Maguire of Evanston:

If he is available I say we go after Sid Luckman.

I say we have to stay with KO until he loses. After that, I vote for REX.

Matt Kelly of Highland Park:

Orton should probably be moved to the bench but the problem is that you really don't know what you have in Grossman. He has only played a handful of NFL games and none this year. If a switch is made and then Grossman gets hurt again, what is Orton's mind set going to be?

Kacy Neal of Hyde Park:

Keep Kyle Orton as the quarterback until midway through the third quarter and the Bears are down by at least 10 points. Kyle hasn't proven he can consistently hit an open receiver without any pressure so why not give Grossman a shot?

With that said, Grossman will be hurt midway through the fourth quarter and we'll be right back where we started.

Lee Greenberg of River West:

You can’t kick the guy out who got you there....he's done well enough not to lose games. However... I would keep him on quite a short leash.

Also...I can’t blame the whole problem on Orton. Yes, he hasn’t been great, but I don’t feel like the coaches are giving him enough shots down the field.....from 10 to 20 yards.

Michael Wade of Buck Town:

I think the Bears should track down Cade McNown and see what he's up to....

Kevin Kelly of Evanston:

While the defense is carrying the Bears this year, the TEAM is winning. Rookie QB Kyle Orton may not be leading the team to victory but more importantly he is not dragging them down in defeat. Save Rex for when they really need him. Three years in the league, six appearances. Ouch! Let’s not be hasty in returning Rex to the field. His time will come.

Gerard Garnett of South Shore:

I wish we could put Rex's arms on Kyle and make the perfect QB for a second Super Bowl to come to Chicago. We have the D we need a QB.

Sarah Chanthakeo of Rogers Park:

He has not made any major mistakes. Why change something that so far is working?

Malik Hubbard of Englewood:

I say HELL NO... keep the same offense that has been producing (maybe even if it is just a good luck charm called Orton), so they can see that same offense prance right to the playoffs. And GOD FORBID he doesn't produce a win...THEN & ONLY THEN we look @ another quarterback. Until then...lets ride this horse as far as he'll take us!

Asher Kaufman of Ravenswood:

My vote goes to REX. He (Orton) has had all year to prove he should replace Rex and I just don't think that he has done that. Ok he has not screwed the whole thing up but I want a QB that is leading the way or at least making a big contribution.

Kelly Maguire of Skokie:

My vote is for Orton. I think we should stick with the squad that has gotten us this far. Our offense has not been the strongest, but this team, as we know it, has gotten the job done and made Chicago believe in the Bears again.

Alice Koproske of Willowbrook:

Keep Kyle Orton on the job. He's a rookie and has won 8 in a row. Every game he plays he's learning. Grossman has played 6 games and got injured enough in 2 to end his season. I think the team seems to be behind Orton, Faults and all. Unless it goes to hell in a handbag (sorry old timer phrase) let's give the kid a chance.

Griff Murray of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania:

The Bears are 9-3. Orton has quarterbacked 8 straight wins. But he’s winning in spite of himself. This is an anemic offense. One-yard touchdown passes and hand-offs to Thomas Jones do not a quarterback make. Grossman may not be any better – but we owe it to the defense to find out. Let Orton play the first half on Sunday – if he fails to ignite the offense – turn it over to Grossman.

Chrissy Smith of Canaryville:

The Bears have done a great job this season but we need an Offense that is just as strong as the Defense. We are holding some of these teams just by the determination of this lineup. I give credit to Orton for trying to keep it together but if we are going to go any farther then the regular season we need a better passing game.

Meghan McGivern of Rogers Park:

I think that Kyle does deserve some credit and recognition for getting us this far, though I do believe that we shouldn't lose our chances at getting farther in the season because he can't throw a good pass to save his life.

Albert Joya of Edgewater:

Stick with dude that got us here until he gets hurt or a loss than think about a change. You can't mess with a winning streak even if they look bad doing it.

*The fact that 3 people responded named Maguire is merely a coincidence, as they are not relatives of the author of this article (as far as you know).

*The two wise asses who are asking for the return of Sid Luckman also coincidentally share the last name of Maguire.

A final thought…

This is an odd statement: Kyle Orton received a “shaky” ¾ of the vote. The majority of people around Chicago (along with one guy in Texas and a dude in Africa) don’t want to mess with a winning streak. At least for the time being, people seem to prefer the game managing skills of Orton over the untested ability of Rex Grossman. No one seems to feel that Rex is a battled hardened enough of a veteran to simply step in as the starter, however, many people mentioned some form of the term “short leash” when addressing the status of Orton. The feeling amongst Bears players and fans alike seems to be that we are all thankful for our current fortunes, but we also realize that there is a short ceiling for an NFL team that cannot score points. Everyone realizes there is a potential problem here, but only a few people are ready to make the change in the middle of our first success in years.

*Thank you again to all who participated, and go Bears!