This is non-Titans article but it’s something that’s been bothering me. Most media outlets have been reporting the supposed quarterback battle in Denver and it normally starts with an attention grabbing headline that starts with something like “Tim Tebow may win starting job” or “Tim Tebow’s battle to become starter” and sometimes you get something like “Kyle Orton still capable starter, but Tim Tebow likely candidate”. You’ll notice that I sarcastically placed Tebow’s name in this title as well, but this post is neither pro or anti-Tebow. This is about Orton.
I don’t understand this. Kyle Orton was a sure-fire Pro Bowler until he was injured last season. It’s now like he is a runningback who tore his ACL, come on people. Think!
Orton is 6’4″ and 225 lbs and only 28 years old. What’s wrong with this?
New Head Coach John Fox, formerly of the Carolina Panthers, recently found himself the talk of the town in football news when he said he has “an idea who will start”. Yeah, me too. Kyle Orton will start, if he is on the team. Most outlets are predicting that Orton will be traded for the rumored second-round draft pick to a team that loses out on Eagles backup QB Kevin Kolb. Orton will be the better QB this year and possibly for years to come. So, I wouldn’t call it “losing out”.
The 2010 Season
In 2010, Orton was in the second year of Head Coach Josh McDaniels offense. He knew the system and he had a great WR in Brandon Marshall to throw to. Scratch that, Marshall was traded and Orton was left with scrubs from other teams and Eddie Royal. Royal has had early highs and recent lows while playing in the league. I wouldn’t consider him reliable at this stage but he does represent the possibility of a game-changer. Then, there’s Brandon Lloyd. Lloyd had topped 500 yards receiving in a season twice in his career and not since 2005. Lloyd was entering his 8th season and with Orton as his QB, Lloyd would go on to catch 77 balls for 1,448 yards receiving and 11 TD’s. That’s an 18.8 yards-per-catch average. Lloyd made the Pro Bowl.
In 2010, Orton threw for 3,653 yards, 20 touchdowns and a mere 9 interceptions. That’s great! Do you wanna know the crazy part? He only started 13 games. Orton topped 290 yards passing 8 times. His last game was against the Cardinals and he threw 0 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. It was terrible, but he also got knocked in the side and played with bruised ribs. If you’ve ever had bruised ribs, you would appreciate how hard that was to play football, much less at an NFL level.
In 3 games, Tebow showed promise. He proved that he can play capable. My problem with this whole media craze over Tebow is that Orton played great and is being automatically overlooked due to Tebow being more of a household name and people only thinking with the “what have you done for me lately?” mindset. Why not play Orton another year when he was so good last season? The only answer I know is for trade value. It’s high now and they might get good pick(s) due to that. However, if Orton is on the team, why start Tebow? Orton is still young.
What do yo think?