Fox Names Orton Broncos Starter

[Goldfield]

Orton is not a top notch "A" QB. But he is a solid proven "B" at the most important position of need.

Orton, Kolb, or Newton. It HAS to be one of them or we will suck again.

 

[splitsecond]

Kyle Orton is at least five times better than Jeff Blake. He doesn't turn 29 until November. He's probably a more conservative, consistent Jake Plummer. He's a guy that you can win 8-10 games with if you have a solid defense. Peyton Manning is not walking through that door. Tom Brady isn't walking through that door.

You have to be competitive before you can contend for the Super Bowl. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the playoffs two out of four seasons and only had 1 losing season with Trent Dilfer under center and Dungy at HC. From 1996 until 2002, Tampa averaged more than 9 wins per season and made 5 trips to the postseason with Dilfer, Brad Johnson, and Shaun King playing quarterback.

Kyle Orton is better than all of those guys. And you could still develop a high-round quarterback behind him.

yup.

 

[kerouac9]

Just how much sway tdo you have over there on Hardy? What will you do if the Cardinals settle for a terrible QB?

Check out the grammar of the sentence; I won't enjoy having a terrible QB. But IMO Orton was the best QB who was reasonably available for a reasonable price.

 

[DoTheDew]

Sure, but I don't see the pool drying up as much as you do.

There are lots of options still out there. Like I said, maybe Skelton will be the starter week 1 next year, but if he is it's not for lack of options.

Consider how many teams are in the market for a QB though. Carolina, Buffalo, maybe Cincy, us, SF, Tennessee, Washington, Minnesota, Miami, and Seattle might all be looking at QBs. The draft is probably only going to satisfy 2 of those teams immediate desires. We have to compete with all these teams for the pool of FA QBs/guys on the trade block if and when FA rolls around. If history is any indicator, we're more likely to get outbid or snubbed by our targets than to get our #1 target.

 

[Southpaw]

Given Fox's experience with QBs in Carolina, this should not be earth shattering news.

Rodney Peete
Jake Del Homme
Chris Weinke
Matt Moore
Jimmy Claussen


Fox wouldn't know a QB if one bit him on the lip.

 

[Big Deal]

Every Bronco fan I know turned on Orton faster than any fan base I have ever seen at the end of last year. This is a huge deal for Denver to announce unless it is a ploy to raise his value.

If it is a ploy, it hardly seems worth it since after the first call is made, word will be out and it will be a useless move. Couple that with the fact that he has a 9m contract next year, I believe that John Fox either has serious concerns about Tebow, or believes that Orton is an above average QB. Enough to risk his job on it at least.

 

[Southpaw]

The only team that won fewer games than the Broncos last year, was Fox's old team the Panthers. Real brain trust out there in Denver.

 

[TJ]

This could also be an attempt to

a) Up the ante on a trade. Or....

b) Motivate Tebow even more. He seems to thrive off the underdog role and enjoys overcoming the odds i.e. being told his mechanics were not meant for the NFL or that he wasn't going to be a first round pick

 

[Krangodnzr]

The only team that won fewer games than the Broncos last year, was Fox's old team the Panthers. Real brain trust out there in Denver.

I wouldn't blame Fox for their precipitous decline.

Last season falls squarely on owner, Jerry Richardson. If you listen to sports radio in the Carolinas right now, Richardson is the devil.

He let Peppers and other pretty good veterans walk with no replacements on the roster. If Peppers had stayed with the Panthers, they wouldn't be drafting #1 overall.

 

[Krangodnzr]

This could also be an attempt to

a) Up the ante on a trade. Or....

b) Motivate Tebow even more. He seems to thrive off the underdog role and enjoys overcoming the odds i.e. being told his mechanics were not meant for the NFL or that he wasn't going to be a first round pick

I think it's a).

I'd trade a 3rd rounder this year and a future conditional pick for Orton. IMO he'd instantly be the best QB in the division since Bradford likely will still struggle at times.

 

[lobo]

If we had Orton last season, we would have won the division, no doubt. He may be mediocre, but that wins the NFC West. It's looking more and more every day like Skelton will be our starter next year for better or worse.

Orton is not top shelf but is certainly better than mediocre...Skelton as starter...UGH!!!! Perish the thought.

 

[Pariah]

I wouldn't blame Fox for their precipitous decline.

Agreed. I think Fox is a terrific coach and the Broncos are lucky to have him.

You should have heard the talk around here when he was hired, though. Bronco fans are largely Bronco fans and not football fans -- you'd think they'd have just hired a kid out of college for the job the way these people talked.

 

[lobo]

By my count he's a .500 QB (38-38)...and I'm in his corner; I'd love to see him in a Cardinals uni.

I demand a recount!!!!
Seriously I saw all his games here in Chicago and he did a good job as a starter. He had one real bad year (last year) as the Denver defense was as putrid as "you know who's"

Bottom line...I hold out little hope for him to be a Cardinal...Fox ain't playin' no games and I do believe he means it when he says he is the starter right now. No one in their right mind starts Tebow unless play one is a wildcat type of play. Fox knows what he has in Orton and he is not going to compromise any picks for someone who "might" be as good.

I am a big Kolb guy but I would be very happy with Orton. The rest of the bunch including Skelton are all "yes but" guys including Bulger who has had a 4 year hiatus for all practical purposes.