It is a lot of fun to watch something develop when it involves a really good guy who is genuine, sincere, hard working, and who totally embraces the concept of team first.
That’s what makes the development of Kyle Orton in Denver so much fun. I have seen a lot of them come and go, and this is a class guy, a true professional who embraces what Head Coach Josh McDaniels is doing.
So, having said that all of this is happening just as it should in an ideal world, within the complete concept of team first and only, consider what Kyle Orton is creating so far this year.
Orton has joined Peyton Manning (in 2009), Kurt Warner (2000) and Steve Young (1998) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history with 295 or more yards in each of the season’s first four games. They are the only passers in the history of pro football to accomplish this feat.
He completed 35 of 50 (70.0%) passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns and one interception for a 93.8 passer rating while gaining 11 rushing yards at Tennessee, finishing with 352 yards of total offense in Denver’s 26-20 comeback win.
The Purdue grad’s 341 passing yards and 35 completions led all winning passers for Week 4 and helped the Broncos become……drum roll right now……the first team in NFL history to win a game despite totaling less than 20 rushing yards and yielding six sacks.
His effort against the Titans marked Orton’s third consecutive 300-yard passing game. That represents the longest current streak in the league.
Following his play against the Titans, Orton has totaled 1,419 passing yards, with that mark the second most in NFL history through a player’s first four games.
Trailing 20-16 with less than three minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Orton led the Broncos on a five-play, 49-yard game-winning touchdown drive that culminated in his six-yard scoring pass to running back Correll Buckhalter. It marked the sixth comeback drive of his career and the seventh fourth quarter game winning effort.
Orton threw two touchdown passes in the red zone at Tennessee, improving his career TD-to-INT ratio inside the 20-yard line to 43-3, which stands as the fourth best mark in the NFL among active players.
There is a real long shadow cast over the quarterback position in Denver, but Kyle Orton is working as a great team leader and doing a great job of stepping out from the shadow and into his own light.
Tags: 2010, Denver Broncos, Jim Saccomano, Kyle Orton
AMEN JIM!
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81b0f389/article/broncos-orton-labels-titans-defense-cheap-in-broncos-win?module=HP_headlines
Orton calling the titans defense “cheap”. I agree about finnegan.
Wow factor is something that so many Broncos fans had no idea they were getting in Orton. I remember a DP article about a year and half ago that basically said that Denver was settling for mediocrity at QB for the next 5 years +/-.
This is the result of winning effort form the coaches, Orton, the WRs and the O-line. Basically a team effort. I am just as amazed by the catches that Brandon Lloyd has been making out there. Looks like another Derrick Mason who ironically we will be watching next Sunday. Go Broncos!!!
Orton is going to have a great year. Our O-Line was very angry about some of the Titans cheap shots. Finnagan took a slug at Kuper when his helmet was off. Heck where was the flag on that play. No flags on that one.
GREAT post Jim. And this is the reason why every player on a new team should get a fair chance at proving himself. A good majority of Denver fans had Orton on the chopping block the second he got here… he’s had to work hard to show he can be a great QB in the NFL and now everyone’s on his side (give or take a few). He struggled a bit last year but with a season of McD’s system under his belt, he’s right on target. And you have to give the man credit for being able to throw as much as he’s being forced to because of our non-existent running game. I keep thinking his arm must be soooooooo tired yet he’s able to keep doing it, till we get a decent running game, we have no choice but to throw the ball all the time. I can’t wait for Moreno to come back strong & healthy.
And I agree, the Titans were awful dirty at times in the game, for awhile I thought I was watching Denver @ Oakland. Glad to see though that the 6 sacks, lack of running game & the dirty tricks by Tennessee didn’t stop our boys from fighting for the win. Definitely had me on the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to happen. And it was nice to see the defense pressure the QB for once. I think that was the most the defense did anything to put pressure on the opposing QB in these first 4 games. Next week is going to be an even tougher challenge.
Was weird seeing Thomas take punt returns but he did it well! They had the right idea putting him in to do that… a tall WR with speed makes it hard to take him down when he gets running. I’d still like to see Syd’Quan Thompson take returns. Talk about fast.
Also got to say its pretty impressive that Orton has only thrown 3 INTs on the season so far given how often we have to throw the ball. I love that he’s putting up great stats, proud of him for sticking with it and fighting for his job but we seriously need to balance out our passing game with more than just 16 rushing yards. So sad……
Keep the faith Broncos Country…
GO BRONCOS in 2010!!!!
Orton is a leader by example, he may not be the most gifted but he does everything right, he works hard, he follows all the rules, he never complains, he never comes down at teammates for not making plays, he is just that genuine and obviously pretty darn good.
Obviously our problem remains that 85% of all yards gained offensively so far have been gained in the air and only 15% on the ground!!!
If that running game doesn’t pick up one of these days, the most important player on our team, Orton, might not get up to see another day, I mean they will be coming hard at him Sunday in Baltimore and the Jets after that, etc… We are riding a very skinny safety line as far as riding all our hopes on Orton, Orton needs help, he needs the pressure to be released off his back some, without a running game odds are he won’t finish the season, just saying.
I don’t want to see Tebow or Quinn at this point, I just want to see a running game so I can enjoy Orton some more.
BTW, sndvl has been by far and away the most ardent Orton supporter ever since Kyle got here and has never waivered, always fighting bloggers here to defend his boy Orton, he is from Chicago so I guess he knew better than anyone of us did.
Thank god for your boy Orton, without him not the slightest shred of a shot at this point, simple as that, keep the guy healthy, get a running game going, ok?
That O line needs help, the kind of runners we got won’t get it done, even so McD says one man won’t make a difference, look at a guy like Larry Johnson who is available, you need to do SOMETHING, the season hopes rest on it, just my opinion.
While there were many momentum changing plays, whoever was responsible for the adjustments made by the Broncos OL after the first quarter deserves the game ball. That was what allowed the Broncos to function and eventually win the game.
Cudos to the Broncos for scoring two TDs inside 20 against best D inside the 20.
Momentum plays:
Broncos Thomas KO return FG
1)Titans miss easy FG -3 points
2) Titans fumble -3 to -7 points
3) Broncos LLoyds catch and the roughing passer penalty by Titans 7 points for Broncos
4) Titans 54 yard run 7 Points for Titans.
5) Titans KO return to 37. FG at half.
6) Broncos Royals catch FG
7) Titans KO for TD BBBBLLLLEEEEHHHH!!!
9) Broncos Orton play during final drive. TD
10) Broncos recover blown KO by Titans. Game, set and match.
Report Card
OFFENSE
QB Otron A+++ Wow doesn’t even begin to say it.
RB F- Ortoin leading runner. BBBLLLEEEHHHH!!!
OL B+ Yes they gave up 6 sacks, but the adjustments made totally changed the outcome of the game.
WR A+ What an exceptional group of talent. Thomas is rapidly becoming a beast.
ST
Prater, Colquitt, Thomas A+, the rest F- GGGGAAAHHHH!!!!
DEFENSE
DL B- Exceptional run defense, but still zip in the pass rush department.
LB C Can’t cover TEs.
SECONDARY C+ Not consistant. Even Champ looked ordinary at times. Injury keeping him from being 100% ????
Just adding to this post, and yes I know it is irrelevant but check out this article. Point 3 and page 2.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/peter_king/10/04/week4/index.html
It makes for an interesting read.
have to admit KO has made a believer out of me, he is steady, consistent, and has shown himself to be a team leader and a quality QB all around, he has been unfazed by some of the negativity, and is deserving of our respect. I still want to see TT coming along in the Bronco system but I think it is safe to say problems with the team are not a result of our QB. We do need some help running the ball, and running Moroney up the middle against a massive D-line was not productive, it would sure take some pressure off KO to enhance the running game. As usual the D needs some work, we all like Champ but where are the takeaways? anyway just REALLY glad to see another W for us, specially with the next 2 games being against some tough opponents.
GO BRONCOS
As far as our run game goes, I am not sure that bringing in another RB at this point would be an improvement. I am starting to thin that bringing in different guys at this point is part of the problem. There is no chemistry yet in the run. Moreno had very little time practicing with the O-line in the off-season and practice. The same can be said of Bucky. Now Maroney. Off-season or Pre-season was the time to bring in outside talent. at this point we need to get healthy and stay healthy.
Good posts today, maybe cause we won.
oldsouthstander…I dunno about A++ he still threw a stupid INT and picked the wrong times to try to scramble. ill say B+. He makes a fair share of questionable plays but his good ones this season definitely outweigh his bad ones.
Orton has played good but to put things in perspective, i dont expect any less numbers when all we do is pass the ball and cant run. I think Orton was our leading rusher agaisnt the Titans or something. Thats pathetic. and no thats not ortons fault. not saying that. What I am saying is that if we dont find a running Identity winning is gonna keep getting harder. And if we lose enough, chances are people will be calling for Ortons head even if it isnt his fault. Thats the nature of the league, QB gets all the praise and all the blame. Plus the more he puts it up, the more chances there are for mistakes. But no doubt Orton has played beyond many of our expectations (except sndvl like Baylin said). I still think based on how much Tebow improves this year, Orton might still be traded at the end of the year, why you ask? because McD has already decided Orton is not the future and he is our BEST trading chip especially if he has the career season we are expecting. Just saying. Hate it or love it. I just hope his arm can last cuz this year it seems we are very dependent on it. TRB out
Winning cures all.
Anyhow, I do believe we need outside help at RB, if for no other reason that Bucky and Moreno have historically not remained healthy. It’s better to do it now than after the trade deadline later this month, the 17th I think? It’s not like what we got seems to be enough to carry us through 12 more games.
hometeam007
ive often said its not the oline or the RBs. Its more the scheme. The power O. wish we could go back to zone blocking. Plus the plays usually lack imagination. Its usually a big set that just screams RUN PLAY. our best runs this season have come out of plays that look like pass. but if we did have a power RB we would be doing better. We wont be breaking off big runs but he will probably get 4 or so yards consitently and maybe break a 15 yard run once in a while. Still think a power back is needed. The O line will get there, but i dunno if anyone else noticed but stanley daniels at LG agaisnt the titans was pretty ugly. so we are STILL weak at LG. Just saying.
Credit when credit is due and big ups firstly to Orton for showing what he can really do, admitedly its only week four so hopefully we can carry on the fine form.
Secondly if you right Baylino, then a huge BIG UPS to Sndvl for showing orton the love, I shamefully admit that I have not been a big Orton fan but I have never dogged him.
The biggest issue is the running game. If I was coach, i would give Jabroni one more game to shape up and then dump his sorry @ss. He reminds me of an RB that went soft.. any one remember Shaun Alexander??
I am so glad we have a better core of WRs which help Orton out, but the running game sucks a big fat one at the moment and these guys need to step up with consistant form
Nothing short of a miracle in the Music City!
Beautifully orchestrated by “the not so ordinary” Orton. A silver lining in this otherwise chaotic season.
We had the three amigos in the 80s. Twenty years later we have the four horsemen! Lol.
If Marshall was spidermarsh, what’s that make Lloyd? Carnage? We had a slot machine in Stokely. Now we have the entire casino, Royal! The vet Jaberwocky. And the bay bay of the bunch DMT!
Too bad we have baloney for a run game. Could actually give DC’s around the league sleepless nights. If we had a run game that is. And if we did our red zones would be reminders of the superbowl years.
Kudos to our run D. They have really stepped it up. Elvis is sorely missed. Imagine. He was healthy, could give league OC’s fits as well.
Prater is the man might I add. I still hold out hope he’ll reach 200 points! Lol
Great article Jim. As always.
Baylin, thanks for pointing that out. Big ten country, got a chance to really see him early. Guess who was at Purdue before Orton?
Get Healthy, GO BRONCOS 2K10!! Brawl in Baltimore
Btw, baylin you post good, bad, ugly yet?
Common of course Orton’s getting traded and it will be big but lets say it out loud the cutler trade was the right thing to do ! McD has proven again he can make anyone a great QB give him someone with the raw talent of A Tim Tebow and u will have a legend ! Yea Orton has done great but lets not ignore what McD has done to get him there !!! As far as the running game its easy to blame the backs and cry over the fumble prone Hillis I guess it bares repeating the anchors of our line have all been hurt Claddy ,Copper and the always injured Harris not to mention our 2 starting backs got carted off in ambulances on day one of training camp its been a cut and paste O line at best and the backs are hurt ! Not to mention we have the youngest line In The NFL ! And we have played some of the most potent teams in the NFL thy have focused on stopping the run that’s why the pass has been so available HELLO!!!! dont expect a sudden fix or the run game Against the ravens either Bringing in a new G or a new back will just further the delay the cohesiveness of the offence Mcd will get it coached up and it will get fixed but fixing on the fly is hard ! Most of u believe we would be 0-4 on the way to 0-6 at this point 500 ball into legue play will win this division KC will fall apart (btw with another MCD trained QB) U want facts the pats have fallen off without josh give it time we are completely rebuilding this team and its working !lets not fall into the shanny lets add another guy trap ! As fare as a scheme change that’s not going to happen nor should it go back to the zone OOOOO pls that’s just crazy talk !!!!!
ha I guess we can put to rest the theory that Orton cant win us games The coolest thing is that all these teams, at least the colts and titans, knew we were going to throw the ball and they couldn’t stop it! Wish we had a running game, you were right again bay, Maroney is crap. maybe it was our line yesterday, but he still took all day to make up his mind and hit the hole! lets fix it, when is Moreno coming back?
GO BRONCOS!!!
Baylin, I am open to the idea of bringing in another RB as well if it helps. But if Larry Johnson didn’t make it in Washington, I can’t believe he would be a long term solution for us. Maybe Marshawn Lynch. I thought McDaniels bringing Lendale back to CO was genius. Who else, or what else can be done to help the run game?
If Stanley Daniels at LG is failing, I think we have enough depth to make a switch, or we go after Logan Mankins. I know that a deal would be difficult to make; but better to try and fail than…well you know the rest.
Little has been said about the defense in this game; they got the ball back to Orton from one of the best rushing teams in the league. Orange Crush!!!!
oldsouthstander – agree on the A +++ grade for Orton! He got us the W and that’s all that matters when the final seconds tick off the clock! I don’t think there was one Broncos fan who didn’t breath a sigh of relief when the yellow flags flew on the bomb to Gaffney. Congrats to Kyle Orton for hanging tough yesterday and pulling out the W !
Yes, the problem with the inefficient run game is a big concern. The O-line is getting blown up at point of attack on run offense. We all know it’s a pass-first philosphy around here now. All the whining about Moreno’s 2.8 avg or whatever it is… well it got worse didn’t it? It all starts up front and until they get healthy, dig in and get a big push off the snap or decide to do some trapping, it’s not going to be an easy fix. We do have pass protection to rely on, although yesterday the Titans came hard and heavy.
Kudos to the O-line who fought hard and didn’t buckle when the chips were down.
GO BRONCOS!!!
Year #1 without Bobby Turner as the Broncos RB coach. And it sure shows.
Does anyone know what has happened to Knowshown Moreno? Is he injured or did McD make a stupid call and bench him? I sure hope McD didnt bench him cause that would be detrimental to his progress. At least if he’s injured, he will still have the confidence when he comes back. Some please reply and let me know. This has been bugging me for 2 weeks now.
Nevermind on that question. I found out he’s just injured… Thank god. Well not to the injury but to the fact that McD still considers him the #1 back. haha
Sndvl, props on your very witty post. I think anyone who would give Orton less than an A didn’t see the game. 17 yards rushing and 352 yds of total offense! Ridiculous! And the way that he got smashed 6 times and still maintained his composure. That’s what the greats do. Sure he’s not very mobile and can’t extend plays very long when the pocket breaks down, but he offsets that with his heart and his intelligence.
And can we get any love for the way McD’s play design? We were facing a situation where the Tenessee knows we’re gonna throw it more often than our fiar share of times and our passing scheme still gets guys open.
But we can’t continue to force Kyle to do it all. McD wants quality depth at a lot of positions and he’s done a good job creating that in a lot of places – except the run. Baylin put it well. Bucky and Moreno are always hurt. Now we have another guy who has a history of being hurt and he’s not playing like he did when he was 100% in NE. I still won’t criticize McD for taking him. He had to do something. But it looks there are still moves to be made, and I hope he comes up with something too.
Spectacular effort by the defense! ‘Nuff said! And to think we’re doing all that without Dumervil.
Go Broncos! Let’s play a good tough game in Baltimore!
DAK27…Great point,we do miss the heck outta Turner.
Orton has made a beliver outta me,I was one of his biggest haters too,the WRs have stepped up to a totally different level.If McD does trade Orton(I think he will)we’ll prob get screwed on the deal,we have every trade so far!!!!!!!!!Hope McD don’t trade any future draft picks for RBs.
BFE
WE GOTTA GET PRESSURE ON THE QB,IF IT MEANS MORE BLITZING,SO BE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some of those sacks could of been prevented if Orton didn’t have two left feet.. Im not saying he has to be like vick or even rodgers.. I don’t think dancing with the stars would be in his agenda in the near future.. but wow!! he is a beast when it comes to work ethic, leadership, arm and knowledge of the game.. VERY IMPRESSED!! Horrible running game, only tells me that this weekend Mr. Tebows debut!! Hey, what do we have to lose?.. Maroney and Buck havent done much.. Throw them a curve ball, Break out the wildhorse!! I can also see D.T running the wildhorse considering how well he did with the kickoff returns and bubble screens, plus we have plenty of depth with the receivers….
I’m going to say it again, wait until the draft and pick up another back. I still like Daniel Thomas. Look at the talent that’s around him and compare that to the talent that’s around Ingram. I think he will be a good back for whoever drafts him.
agree with “wild horse” kudos to mc D and the staff.. Orton was crap in Chicago..he always had the tools just not the right coach(s) case and point… Brady, Cassell..now Orton..reminds me of Bobby Turner and our running game in the past.. plug anyone even shanny and made them a star.. and when all the RBs left Denver, who continue to shine? Portis? “the system” very underrated…nuff said..we had the perfect game plan with Indy, 4- 5 red zone chances?can’t get better than that..the execution wasn’t there. perfect game plan with Tennessee Defense stop Johnson, except running game decided not to hop on the plane to Tenn… Oh by the way, How did Cutler do last night?…
sndvl, yeah I did it this morning in the second half blog, the Good at 10:38, the Bad at 10:48 and the Ugly at 10:59.
Yovi, thanks for pointing out my good points, it beats the heck out of when bloggers point out my erring ways, LOL.
Broncos Born, I’m guessing that was partially aimed at me since i was the only one that gave Orton a B+. But a A or A+++ as some put it, would be a mistake free game. Which it wasnt. numbers look good but its expected from a guy that throws 50 or so times. Now im not saying Orton didnt do good. He did real good and im proud he could get us the win, im just not as surprised when all we do is pass the ball is all lol
Give some love to Orton, and our Defensive Coordinator “Winky”
Ciao
GO BRONCOS
TRB: Yes, you have a good point about Orton not having a mistake free game, and that he didn’t. I’m just looking at the gut check win we got, that’s all.
I wonder how long it will take BMarsh to start whining in Miami. Sure, he got paid, but he’s not getting the ball or making an impact so far. I have no doubt he’ll become a cancer in that locker room when their record drops below .500. I’m so glad we don’t have him on our team anymore. I absolutely love our unselfish receiving corps.
Superbowl! 3rd ring. Go Broncos!
Orton is not just doing good, but great.. He is not only leading the league in passing Yards, but doing it with out a running game. If I was a Def Cord I would play a Nickle or a Dime the whole time. Great numbers for a qb, especially when Ds are dropping at least 6-7 in to coverage (3-4 CBs 1FS 1 SS 2LB)
After watching Orton from Purdue on, he is the real deal. A real pro that everyone can learn from. Go Boilers!