Will He Stay or Will He Go?

Is Kyle Orton somehow playing for his job the next two weeks? While the Bears playoff hopes may be dwindling, it appears the great Neckbeard has something more to play for. Word around the City this week has been that the Bears may not extend Orton as next year's starter. Just a month ago this kind of talk would be blasphemy, but now it seems to be pretty serious. He has been less than stellar the last few weeks, but I think Orton is our best option.

In years past, this kind of talk would have been ludicrous. With our usual stifling defense, Orton's performance this year would have netted us 11, 12, maybe even 13 wins and a definite playoff berth. Look at what happened with the Sex Cannon a couple years ago? If anything, the Bears defense is costing Orton his job. Orton should definitely be renewed. He is young, talented and poised.

But what are the other options? Matt Cassel? Donovan McNabb? Cassel is just as unproven as Orton and McNabb is old. Both of those guys are fine, but is either really a better option than Neckbeard? I don't think so. Either way Neckbeard can help his own cause by playing well the next two weeks. A win against the Packers can put all the doubts to rest.

Late Thoughts on McNabb

I was MIA Monday and Tuesday, so I missed the boat a little on this McNabb story. Even though ESPN & Co. have dragged the thing through the streets to the point where they're still blabbering about it today, I feel a little weird bringing this up so late. However, I think the story is so strange that it merits a quick post.

In case you somehow missed it, McNabb admitted to not knowing that an NFL game could end in a tie after the Eagles and Bengals tied Sunday. He then said he would hate to see what would happen in the playoffs or Super Bowl. Obviously, extra overtimes are allowed in those situations.

Plenty of players, notably Big Ben, have defended McNabb saying you'd be shocked at the number of NFL players that don't know the rule. Am I surprised? Yes. Shocked? Not really. I've assumed for quite a while that at least half of the players in the NFL are complete idiots and have no trouble believing them to be ignorant of significant rules.

Watching players catch kickoffs as the ball is about to fly out of bounds at the two or witnessing punt coverage teams get fooled by the same fair catch trick 164 times per season takes a bit of the shock away from the situation.

Really, the reason this is shocking is because it is Donovan McNabb. He has a good head on his shoulders, seems like a bright guy, and charmed the nation with his Chunky Soup commercials. In fairness to McNabb, he did grow up in Chicago during the 1980s, so he probably didn't see too many overtimes on account of the Bears rolling over just about everyone they played.

Of course, this is the last straw for Philly fans with McNabb, and somehow Andy Reid's son is to blame. Give the guy a break, just admit you're pissed because you tied the Bengals.

Today's Links--Sleeping With Dusty's Daughter Edition

• Is Dusty Baker's daughter sleeping with Corey Patterson? Why else would Dusty have a guy that can't bat his weight leading off? Oh right, because he is an idiot.
• "Air" McNabb will be throwing all night next Sunday against the Bears, especially with Westbrook on the shelf.
• Is this Lou's last year managing? Whether he wins or loses he may be considering retirement.
• Some good Ozzie quotes. Also, is "Big-Game" Floyd ready to pitch the most important game of the season? Also Orlando Cabrera rips his team.
• Top ten Millen disasters. There were so many candidates for this list, it must have been difficult to pare it down to 10.
• I should not even be posting these, and you would never see them on NQTC until the Cubs actually make it, but here's what Cubs World Series tickets look like.
• Benny the Bull takes out one of the Sausages in the infamous Sausage Race...on ice.
• Cubs win to help Brewers move into a tie for the Wild Card. Personally I would rather play the tired Brewers than the Mets, but that's just me. Unfortunately Z did not perform that well.