BOILER BASH
Purdue alums Kyle Orton of the Bears and Drew Brees of the Saints have combined to throw for 6514 yards and 41 touchdowns this season. In college, Orton finished 3rd on the school’s all-time passing lists with 9,337 yards and 63 touchdowns in three years, while Brees set a Big Ten career record throwing for 11, 792 yards and 90 touchdowns in four years.
“He was a great quarterback in college and he is certainly an outstanding quarterback in the NFL, “Orton said. “He is a good person to watch and try to model yourself after. It was a big reason why I went there. I wanted to throw for all of those yards and put up the numbers that he did. I can’t wait to play him.”
During Orton’s freshman season at Purdue he said he ever needed to find out how to run a play or deal with a certain defensive look; he would simply watch tape of Brees running the Boilermaker offense.
Brees is a league MVP candidate with 4100 yards passing and a league tying 26 touchdown passes. Against the Bears the last two seasons, Brees has thrown five touchdowns, three interceptions and has been sacked six times attempting 109 throws.
GOULD IS GOOD
With four points Thursday, Bears kicker Robbie Gould will become the first player in team history to record three consecutive 100-plus point seasons.
“It means a lot to me,” said Gould. It obviously means we are getting a lot of production from our offense getting in range and kicking field goals or kicking extra points.”
In the 2006 Super Bowl season, Gould scored 143 points followed by 126 last season. He is also shooting to become one of the few kickers in league history to make at least 30 field goals in three successive seasons. He has 21 with three games to go, after making 32 and 31 field goals the last two seasons.
Gould is fourth in career field goal accuracy in the NFL at 85 percent..
500 CLUB
Drew Brees of the Saints has thrown 503 passes this season, two shy of NFL leader Kurt Warner of the Arizona Cardinals. The Bears defense has faced an NFL high 504 passes this season.
ONE AND DONE PRACTICE
Tonight's practice is the only one the Bears will have before meeting the Saints Thursday night. Receiver Marty Booker (cracked rib), tight end Desmond Clark (hamstring), defensive tackle Tommie Harris (knee) were the only players to miss the no-pad session.
NEW RECEIVER
The Bears placed defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek (ruptured biceps) on injured reserve and replaced him with former Auburn and Miami Dolphin draft pick Devin Aromashodu.
The wide receiver joins the Bears active roster after being plucked off the Washington Redskins practice squad. In 2006, he was the seventh round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins. He played in six games with one start with the Indianapolis Colts catching seven passes from Peyton Manning last season. Aromashodu is listed at 6-2, 201.
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