Denver Native (Carol)
08-15-2010, 04:31 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_15782968
Kyle Orton could turn his pick three from his preseason debut last year into three scores this year.
Champ Bailey could steal a Carson Palmer pass intended for Terrell Owens or Chad Ochocinco.
And outside the Denver television market, chances are the newscast highlights from the Broncos' first preseason game today at Cincinnati will be little more than a clip of Tim Tebow's first professional play.
But you had better believe the national sports cable networks are paying attention to the Broncos-Bengals game at Paul Brown Stadium, because it's the all-important first look at Tebow playing NFL quarterback.
As a former Heisman Trophy winner and two-time national champion at Florida, Tebow is accustomed to playing beneath the harshest, brightest lights. But is his NFL game ready?
"Probably not," Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said. "They can make a big deal out of it, but we all know as a team, each player knows what we're trying to get done.
"We know we're going to make some mistakes. We hope to minimize them as much as we can."
Any error Tebow commits — the expectation is he will play the fourth quarter today — fumbling the ball is not likely to be one of them.
Want to feel small? Shake hands with the Broncos' third-string quarterback. At 10 inches, Tebow's hand was the largest among quarterbacks in his 2010 rookie draft class. When it's time for Tebow to buy his first pair of gloves for the Colorado winter, oven mitts would be a practical option.
Among the NFL quarterbacks who took snaps last season, only Brett Favre (10 3/8 inches) and Drew Brees (10 1/4 inches) are known to have larger hands, as measured from thumb to pinkie.
"I guess it means I can have a pretty good grip on the football," said Tebow, who turned 23 on Saturday. "I've never been coached on something like that. It's just something where coaches have noticed I have a pretty strong grip."
Conversely, Tebow's arm length of 30 3/4 inches is a tad short by quarterback standards, as measured at the NFL scouting combine. Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen have 32-inch arms. The 6-foot-7 Joe Flacco has a right arm that extends to 32 7/8 inches.
Tebow's arm could have recorded a longer length if he didn't throw left-handed. That's not a joke.
"From what I remember, my left arm is shorter than my right," Tebow said. "It was something weird like that."
What does hand size mean? There are easier objects to grip than the NFL-regulation, sphere-shaped football with its slick surface, so a big hand would seem to have a passing advantage on the smaller hand.
"I wish we could work them in a little bit more," Broncos quarterback Brady Quinn said of the NFL's game-day footballs. "I think every quarterback would tell you that."
Yet, besides Favre and Brees, more recent large-handed NFL quarterbacks include the undistinguished likes of Jim Druckenmiller, Heath Shuler, Pat Ramsey and Brad Johnson.
The Broncos' depth chart indicates hand size works in reverse proportion to quarterback play. Orton, the starter, has the smallest hands of the three quarterbacks at 9 inches. Quinn, whose 9 5/8-inch hands were the largest in his 2007 rookie class at the combine, is the backup.
"It's not something we talk about," Quinn said. "If we talk about anything, we talk about how we hold the football. Every quarterback is going to hold it a little bit differently depending on what feels comfortable."
Gripping and firing the ball are two parts of quarterback play. Thinking about where to throw the ball is another.
For the preseason opener, McDaniels said he's going to keep the offense simple. Execute the basic stuff before moving to the more complicated chapters of the playbook.
McDaniels brought up Orton's preseason debut with the Broncos last season. Three possessions into the exhibition game at San Francisco, Orton had three interceptions.
Seven games into the regular season, Orton had just one interception — and that was on a final-play-of-the-half Hail Mary.
"Those of us who were here, there was an awful lot of panic after last year's first preseason game," McDaniels said. "Not in our locker room, but we were kind of surrounded with what happened. I think too much can be made of preseason games in that regard.
"We certainly take the game seriously. It's an opportunity for us to go out and get better. But whatever people make of Tim's performance, or any other rookie for that matter, all we've got to know is we've got to get better from there."
Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com
Kyle Orton could turn his pick three from his preseason debut last year into three scores this year.
Champ Bailey could steal a Carson Palmer pass intended for Terrell Owens or Chad Ochocinco.
And outside the Denver television market, chances are the newscast highlights from the Broncos' first preseason game today at Cincinnati will be little more than a clip of Tim Tebow's first professional play.
But you had better believe the national sports cable networks are paying attention to the Broncos-Bengals game at Paul Brown Stadium, because it's the all-important first look at Tebow playing NFL quarterback.
As a former Heisman Trophy winner and two-time national champion at Florida, Tebow is accustomed to playing beneath the harshest, brightest lights. But is his NFL game ready?
"Probably not," Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said. "They can make a big deal out of it, but we all know as a team, each player knows what we're trying to get done.
"We know we're going to make some mistakes. We hope to minimize them as much as we can."
Any error Tebow commits — the expectation is he will play the fourth quarter today — fumbling the ball is not likely to be one of them.
Want to feel small? Shake hands with the Broncos' third-string quarterback. At 10 inches, Tebow's hand was the largest among quarterbacks in his 2010 rookie draft class. When it's time for Tebow to buy his first pair of gloves for the Colorado winter, oven mitts would be a practical option.
Among the NFL quarterbacks who took snaps last season, only Brett Favre (10 3/8 inches) and Drew Brees (10 1/4 inches) are known to have larger hands, as measured from thumb to pinkie.
"I guess it means I can have a pretty good grip on the football," said Tebow, who turned 23 on Saturday. "I've never been coached on something like that. It's just something where coaches have noticed I have a pretty strong grip."
Conversely, Tebow's arm length of 30 3/4 inches is a tad short by quarterback standards, as measured at the NFL scouting combine. Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen have 32-inch arms. The 6-foot-7 Joe Flacco has a right arm that extends to 32 7/8 inches.
Tebow's arm could have recorded a longer length if he didn't throw left-handed. That's not a joke.
"From what I remember, my left arm is shorter than my right," Tebow said. "It was something weird like that."
What does hand size mean? There are easier objects to grip than the NFL-regulation, sphere-shaped football with its slick surface, so a big hand would seem to have a passing advantage on the smaller hand.
"I wish we could work them in a little bit more," Broncos quarterback Brady Quinn said of the NFL's game-day footballs. "I think every quarterback would tell you that."
Yet, besides Favre and Brees, more recent large-handed NFL quarterbacks include the undistinguished likes of Jim Druckenmiller, Heath Shuler, Pat Ramsey and Brad Johnson.
The Broncos' depth chart indicates hand size works in reverse proportion to quarterback play. Orton, the starter, has the smallest hands of the three quarterbacks at 9 inches. Quinn, whose 9 5/8-inch hands were the largest in his 2007 rookie class at the combine, is the backup.
"It's not something we talk about," Quinn said. "If we talk about anything, we talk about how we hold the football. Every quarterback is going to hold it a little bit differently depending on what feels comfortable."
Gripping and firing the ball are two parts of quarterback play. Thinking about where to throw the ball is another.
For the preseason opener, McDaniels said he's going to keep the offense simple. Execute the basic stuff before moving to the more complicated chapters of the playbook.
McDaniels brought up Orton's preseason debut with the Broncos last season. Three possessions into the exhibition game at San Francisco, Orton had three interceptions.
Seven games into the regular season, Orton had just one interception — and that was on a final-play-of-the-half Hail Mary.
"Those of us who were here, there was an awful lot of panic after last year's first preseason game," McDaniels said. "Not in our locker room, but we were kind of surrounded with what happened. I think too much can be made of preseason games in that regard.
"We certainly take the game seriously. It's an opportunity for us to go out and get better. But whatever people make of Tim's performance, or any other rookie for that matter, all we've got to know is we've got to get better from there."
Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com