http://www.chicagobears.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=9995

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Chad Hutchinson concedes that losing Rex Grossman to a serious injury for the second straight year deflated the entire Bears locker room last Friday night in St. Louis.
But the air is officially back in the balloon and there are no leaks in sight.

"Everybody was down, myself included," Hutchinson said. "I was a big fan of Rex. When you see a guy like that come back from an injury and get injured again, it was tough.

"But I feel like we've kind of snapped out of it and we're moving on. Unfortunately, that's the way it goes. We're still going to go out and play hard and I think we've got good morale now."

Teammates have expressed their confidence and faith in Hutchinson throughout the week, predicting that the four-year veteran will excel as the team's starting quarterback.

Hutchinson's first chance to prove them right will come in Saturday night's preseason game against the Colts in Indianapolis. The 6-4, 225-pounder will direct the Bears' first team offense in a game for the first time since starting the final five contests last season.

"I'm anxious and I'm looking forward to it," said first-year offensive coordinator Ron Turner. "I'm confident. There's no doubt he's going to go out and play well."

Hutchinson appears to be ready for the opportunity. He looked sharp throughout the week in practice, throwing the ball with accuracy and authority while displaying poise under pressure.

"I felt good throwing the ball," he said. "I've done the best I could out here. I think I've been consistent and made some strides in getting better every day."

Hutchinson signed with the Bears last Sept. 28, two days after Grossman sustained a season-ending knee injury in a Week 3 loss at Minnesota.

Finally making his debut 10 weeks later, Hutchinson passed for 213 yards and 3 TDs in a 24-14 win over the Vikings, He finished the season having completed 92 of 161 passes for 903 yards with 4 TDs, 3 interceptions and a 73.6 quarterback rating.

As he assumes the starting role a year later, Hutchinson has the luxury of three preseason games to hone his skills and figures to benefit from a much stronger supporting cast.

"This is great for Chad," said receiver Bobby Wade. "He came in last year and picked us up. For him to have a whole training camp and the way he's performing this training camp, there's no doubt in my mind that he's going to be a guy who's able to get the job done."

Bears players and coaches are all but guaranteeing that Grossman's injury won't cripple the offense like it did in 2004 when the unit finished last in the NFL in scoring and passing yards.

"This year is so much different than last year," Turner said. "(Hutchinson) has been in the system at least through the offseason and all through camp and he's got a real good feel for it. So when he's starting out this time he's much more prepared."

In two preseason games, Hutchinson has completed 12 of 20 passes for 138 yards. After Grossman broke his left ankle against the Rams, Hutchinson entered the contest in the middle of a drive and connected on 2 of 2 passes for 14 yards in leading the Bears to their only touchdown of the game.

"Chad has done a nice job," Turner said. "He got rid of the ball quickly and threw very accurately. So I don't think the offense has taken much of a step back."

While the Bears had two backup quarterbacks who failed to jump-start the offense last season in Jonathan Quinn and Craig Krenzel, they just may have two who are capable of reviving the unit this year in Hutchinson and rookie fourth-round pick Kyle Orton.

The 6-4, 223-pounder from Purdue has performed exceptionally well in two preseason appearances. He rallied the Bears to a 27-24 win over Miami by directing two late touchdown drives in the Hall of Fame Game and put Nick Novak in position to kick field goals on back-to-back possessions in the second half of last Friday night's 17-13 loss to the Rams.

"He's just got that quality about him," Turner said. "He's very poised and very confident. It's not a confidence that's an annoying confidence but it's a great self-confidence that he has in himself and a belief.

"It's hard for somebody that young to have that poise, but he does. He comes in and throws an interception for a touchdown (against Miami) and he bounces back from that and the next game throws another interception and nothing fazes him. He just stays in the pocket. He's a tough kid and has got a lot of talent."

Veteran Jeff Blake, the favorite to earn the third-string position after joining the Bears Sunday, is still familiarizing himself with the offense and may not play against the Colts.

"We have our first- and second-string quarterbacks that we're going to give the majority of the reps to," said coach Lovie Smith, "and then from there we'll see how the game goes and decide who else plays."