ESPN NFL

	Scott Boehm/Getty Images
	Bears quarterback Kyle Orton has thrown at least two touchdown passes in four of his last five games.

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert

The receiver rose after catching a 9-yard pass to open the game. He jogged back not to the huddle but to the line of scrimmage, where his offensive teammates were gathering. The quarterback methodically called out a play, gyrating in both directions, moving up and down the line while keeping an eye on the defense.

Eventually, the tailback took a handoff and ran 6 yards. The process repeated. An 11-yard pass. A 10-yard throw. And, swiftly, an 18-yard touchdown reception.

Sound familiar? No, this wasn't how Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning opened the Colts' game Sunday at Green Bay. It was the path Chicago and its so-called game-manager quarterback, Kyle Orton, took to tie the game at 7-7 early on in a 48-41 victory over Minnesota. Right before our very eyes, the Bears' offense has evolved into a pass-oriented scheme that places a huge responsibility on a quarterback most observers considered a temporary bridge to the team's next draft project.

The Bears pick their spots for the no-huddle, and it's not as sophisticated as the one Manning has run for years in Indianapolis, but the basics are the same. Orton often calls plays at the line and changes them based on defensive alignments. It is an effective way to keep opponents off-balance, especially early in a game, and provides a measure of how deeply the Bears have grown to trust Orton.

"It's his fourth year in the system and he's got a real good feel for it mentally," offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. "And physically he's playing the best football that I've seen him play. He's playing really well. Playing with a lot of confidence. So, yeah, if we want to do anything, there's no hesitation to call anything that we want to do."

It makes sense until you think back just a few years ago, when Turner and the Bears didn't trust Orton or their passing game to do anything more than the absolute minimum.

Starting as a rookie in 2005, Orton threw 368 passes and managed 1,869 yards in 15 games. Already in 2008, Orton has thrown 230 passes -- and his 1,669 yards leaves him exactly 200 yards short of his season total as a rookie. If Orton continues on his current pace, the Bears will cross the 3,800-yard passing mark this season for only the third time since the NFL switched to a 16-game schedule in 1978.

It's been quite an evolution from a team that has joked it "jumps off the bus running" under coach Lovie Smith. Against Philadelphia on Sept. 21, the Bears passed on 13 of their first 19 plays. In Detroit a week later, it was 27 of their first 46. Against the Vikings, it was 20 of 26.

The Bears typically even out ball distribution over the course of the game. In fact, they have more rushing attempts this season (210) than all but four NFL teams. But there is little doubt the Bears have become, yes, a pass-first team.

Sunday, Smith described the Bears as a "running team," but one that "if we have to pass the ball, hopefully we can."

That might be as close as the traditionalist coach will come to admitting his offense has taken a turn, even if it's for the better and out of necessity. The Bears have a solid tailback in rookie Matt Forte but don't utilize his backups. Their offensive line, meanwhile, has done a better job protecting Orton than it has opening holes for the running game.

And in reality, not even the Bears could have predicted their passing game would work so smoothly. Orton won the starting job in training camp because he made fewer mistakes than Rex Grossman -- not because coaches envisioned a pass-first offense with the quarterback directing traffic at the line of scrimmage.

As it played out, Turner implemented the no-huddle to take the edge off Philadelphia's pass rush last month. The move worked, so the Bears have stayed with it and slowly added to Orton's plate.

"He's very smart football-wise," Turner said. "He has a great football IQ and it's his fourth year in the system. Every year we can do more and more, do more no-huddle, do more at the line because they've been in the system and have a great feel for it."

Still, it takes a certain amount of faith to entrust a quarterback like Orton -- who entered the season with 12 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions in his career -- to carry it out.

"When you name a guy your starting quarterback you're expecting big things from him," Smith said. "We were and we always will expect big things from him and he's producing. It seems like each week he takes another step, and that's what you like to see."

How much responsibility does Orton have? According to Turner, the Bears enter a game with a list of plays to choose from and radio them into Orton's headset. But Orton has the leeway to change those plays at the line, choosing from the same "list," and frequently does.

"Some of it's on him," Turner said. "We're calling some of it. We have a plan of what we want to do, but you tend to throw a little more when you go no-huddle and that's kind of the way it's worked out."

It might not be unusual for a quarterback to lean on the passing game when given an option, but even a month ago it was difficult to imagine the Bears giving Orton so
much latitude. Turner and Smith deserve credit for flexibility when confronted with their realistic options, while Orton has quietly become one of the league's most efficient quarterbacks.

"I don't think a whole lot of people were expecting [aerial success] to this extent at the start of the season," Orton said. "[But] it seems like everybody is stepping up when their number is called."

And in a twist, Orton's number has been called more than any other. He wears No. 18, just like another no-huddle guru who plays with a horseshoe on his helmet.