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View Full Version : Kyle Orton's flying high, but Broncos need feet on ground



ChairmanBron
10-09-2010, 06:25 PM
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/broncos/2010-10-07-kyle-orton_N.htm



USA TODAY
Friday, Oct 8, 2010
By Gary Graves

The Denver Broncos obviously would be better off offensively if their ground game was close to what quarterback Kyle Orton has provided with his arm thus far.

That's asking a lot by any stretch, considering Orton just finished the season's first quarter with the second-most passing yardage total (1,419) after four games in league history. While all good things must come to an end — and something may have to give when the 2-2 Broncos' top-ranked passing game visits Baltimore to face the 3-1 Ravens' No. 1 pass defense on Sunday — neither the team and quarterback are surprised that this aspect is carrying the load.

"I thought we'd have a good pass offense," Orton said. "I really like my receivers; we've got a good group, guys that can do a lot of things and everyone, when their numbers are called, they're making big plays."

But much of the credit goes to Orton, who threw for 307 yards and two scores in a win against the Seattle Seahawks; a career-high 476 in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts; and 341 yards and two TDs in Sunday's victory at Tennessee.

Unlike last year's 6-0 start that fizzled into an 8-8 finish, Orton's second year with the Broncos has provided a better grasp of the West Coast offense, and he has thrived with play-action. His favorite targets have been wideouts Brandon Lloyd, whose 454 receiving yards are just two behind league-leading Reggie Wayne of the Colts, and Eddie Royal (299 yards, two TDs).

Indianapolis had the final word against Denver with a 27-14 road victory in Week 3 (Peyton Manning threw for 325 yards and three TD passes), but Lloyd finished with six receptions for 169 yards and a touchdown. That game was also big for Jabar Gaffney, who had 12 catches for 140 yards.

Though this fuels the public perception that the Broncos are one-dimensional, coach Josh McDaniels notes that his team is averaging 25 rushes a game with 111 yards from Knowshon Moreno (whom McDaniels called "questionable" for Sunday because of a hamstring injury) leading the way. But that remains a work in progress and the passing game has simply been more effective, mainly because Orton is growing as a quarterback.

"We don't really stay with the same thing from one week to the next, and that's not an easy thing, to transition," McDaniels said. "If you're a quarterback that likes to do the same thing over and over again, then our system's probably not great. But Kyle's worked really hard this offseason, training camp and this season to make sure he's as prepared as he could possibly be.

"He has great command of what we're doing. I feel very comfortable with his ability to execute our entire offense, and he's been very effective for us so far."

At least enough that Baltimore is taking Denver even more seriously than in last year's 30-7 victory that started the Broncos' slide. Besides praising Orton, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis noted his receivers' success after the catch and said that's what needs to be shut down.

"There are a lot of missed tackles," Lewis said. "Eddie Royal and those guys, they're making people miss and you don't see the pursuit as well as you would want it to be. Our emphasis this week (is), they may catch some balls, but the bottom line is you have to hit them and stop them where they catch it."

Baltimore would also like to get at Orton, who has been sacked 11 times so far. Trouble is, that hasn't seemed to stop him either, as he just gets up and continues throwing the ball — 107 times in the past two games alone, completing 72.

None of this should be surprising, considering Orton threw for a career-high 3,802 yards last year. While he and the Broncos would like to see a smaller workload eventually, his results so far have made it OK to stay the course as they seek balance.

"I feel really confident and comfortable, just having command of the offense," said the sixth-year veteran, comparing things to last year. "You can't expect it to be great in the first year; it's certainly getting better this year."

broncobryce
10-09-2010, 08:33 PM
There's the west coast thing again. Funny, I've never heard it called the west coast system until the last few days? What the hell?!

Canmore
10-10-2010, 12:00 AM
There's the west coast thing again. Funny, I've never heard it called the west coast system until the last few days? What the hell?!

I don't care what they call it as long as we win!

rcsodak
10-10-2010, 06:57 AM
There's the west coast thing again. Funny, I've never heard it called the west coast system until the last few days? What the hell?!
same writer?
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