LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The suspense about who would line up under center Sept. 7 in the season opener in Indianapolis ended Monday when Kyle Orton was anointed the Bears’ starting quarterback.

Coach Lovie Smith cited several factors in choosing Orton over Rex Grossman, concluding a widely publicized competition that began in the spring and continued into the summer.

Kyle Orton has compiled a 12-6 record as a starting quarterback in three seasons.

“To come to a decision like that, we’ve taken a lot of things into consideration—last year, how we finished the season, OTAs, training camp, preseason games,” Smith said. “In the end it comes down to a gut feeling that you have, and I feel good about Kyle leading our team.”

Smith informed Orton of the decision during a meeting Monday.

“Obviously I’m excited,” said the 2005 fourth-round pick from Purdue. “I want to try to make the most of it and win football games. This was one of my goals going into the season. As a team, we’ve got a lot of goals to accomplish and this is just the start of it.”

Orton conceded that he’s happy a decision was made and it will allow him to better prepare for the season, especially because Bears starters are expected to play into the third quarter in Thursday night's preseason game against the 49ers at Soldier Field.

“It’s a relief and now it’s just all about the unit and knowing what everybody’s going to do and just kind of tailoring things to the way that we like it,” Orton said.

“I think I’ve continued to get better in the preseason, so this will be another step to take. We’ll get a lot more playing time this week and just try to get ready for Indianapolis.”

Entering training camp on equal footing, Orton slightly outperformed Grossman in two preseason games, compiling a better completion percentage (63.2-56.5), yards per attempt average (5.21-5.13) and passer rating (76.4-66.9) while connecting on 12 of 19 passes for 99 yards. Grossman has completed 13 of 23 passes for 118 yards.

Starting against the Chiefs and coming in off the bench versus the Seahawks, Orton won the competition without directing the offense to a touchdown or completing a pass of more than 17 yards. His five preseason possessions resulted in two field goals and three punts.

Orton closed with a flourish Saturday night in Seattle, operating a two-minute drill with efficiency. He engineered a 10-play, 51-yard drive in just 1:34, completing 5 of 7 passes for 43 yards to set up Robbie Gould’s 39-yard field goal with :21 remaining in the first half.

Under constant pressure from a fierce Seahawks pass rush, Grossman failed to lead the Bears offense past midfield on five possessions. His only turnover in two preseason games came when he was drilled in the back by Seattle defensive end Darryl Tapp, leading to an interception.

Asked to expand on the variables involved in making the decision, Smith said: “There were a lot of things from completions to turnovers to just the feeling we have on who can manage the game the best for us. The good thing about evaluating both Rex and Kyle is that we’ve had a long time to do it. It’s been quite a few years we’ve had a chance to see both guys played.”

Orton first staked his claim to the starting position late last season when he completed 43 of 80 passes for 478 yards with 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and a 73.9 passer rating as the Bears lost to the Vikings before closing 2007 with back-to-back wins over the Packers and Saints.

Prior to playing in Minnesota, Orton hadn’t stepped on the field since compiling a 10-5 record as a surprise starter as a rookie in 2005 when he was elevated from the third string after Grossman broke his ankle and Chad Hutchinson was released.

“[Orton] is so far ahead of where he was then,” said offensive coordinator Ron Turner. “His knowledge of the system, his physical condition, the way he is throwing the ball; everything.”

“People make such a big deal about that, my rookie year,” Orton said. “But I think everybody on this team has gotten better since they were a rookie, not just me. That stuff’s in the past. I’m just focused on playing good football right now.”

Orton’s .667 winning percentage (12-6) as a starter ranks second among Bears quarterbacks since 1992, trailing only Steve Walsh (8-3, .727) and just ahead of Grossman (19-11, .633).

“That’s what it’s all about in the end—our quarterback leading our team to a victory,” Smith said. “We’ll ask him to do certain things. Some games we may ask him to pass more, other games we may not. There are a lot of things that we’ll ask him to do and you have to feel good about that guy being able to do that, and we feel that way about Kyle.”