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Lonestar
08-22-2009, 02:51 AM
The quarterback is facing the latest crush of criticism with the Broncos.
By Jeff Legwold
The Denver Post
Posted: 08/22/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT


There's up. There's down. Cold. Hot. Fast. Slow.

And for a Broncos quarterback in the post-Elway era there are these contrasts:

Great. The worst.

There is no middle ground, no place to hide, and for Kyle Orton it is a fact of football life he accepted long before he became the Guy Who Was Traded For Jay Cutler.

"I always think about something my college coach just harped on," Orton said, referring to former Purdue coach Joe Tiller. "He used to always say, and I totally believed it then and totally believe it now, that when things are going good, quarterbacks get way too much of the credit, and when things aren't going good they get way too much of the blame.

"I certainly agree with that. Really, when somebody's writing something good or saying something good about me, that doesn't necessarily mean they know what they're talking about, and if they write something bad about me it doesn't necessarily mean they know what they're talking about as well."

So, there you have it. Still standing in the pocket, Orton will take his next spin in the Broncos' offense tonight at Seattle.

His first two appearances haven't exactly been all he or the Broncos had hoped for when Josh McDaniels named him the team's starter. Orton threw two interceptions in a scrimmage at Invesco Field at Mile High, then threw three interceptions in his half of work last week in the team's preseason opener at San Francisco.

The boos followed, as have tweets, calls, e-mails and plenty of words on the street about whether Orton really is the guy to run the team's offense. The hills are already alive with the sound of grumbling.

None of it, however, is coming from McDaniels, who crisply critiqued Orton's work in San Francisco this week: "He didn't have a tough game, he made a couple bad decisions. . . . Neither one of (the quarterbacks) is where I want them to be."

Orton has lived the quarterback life. At Purdue,

Chris Simms, above, has been supportive of starting quarterback Kyle Orton this week in preparation for tonight's preseason game against the Seahawks. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)he followed Drew Brees, with fans almost constantly voicing their frustrations that he was not the same guy as Brees in the Boilermakers' offense.

In Chicago, many fans consistently expressed their desire for someone else behind center, no matter how many games Orton won. And now, in Denver, he suddenly finds himself as the guy who replaces Cutler and the guy who will determine if the trade worked. He is not coming off the kind of preseason start he needed.

"But the situation was tougher in college because I was young and I was following Drew, and they expected me to play like Drew did his senior year right away," Orton said. "It was impossible to do. That was tough because I didn't know how to handle it. I think I've gotten better as I've gotten older."

It was business as usual for the most part this past week for Orton. He took the vast majority of snaps with the first-team offense — Chris Simms had a smattering of work with the starters — and figures to play at least a half tonight in Seattle unless McDaniels changes the play order unexpectedly.

"I've had games where I haven't thought I played the best game in the world, and some great things have been written about me," Orton said. "And I've had games where I thought I played pretty good, and they thought I was a bum out there playing."

Simms, who missed most of the 2006 season and all of '07 after surgery to remove a ruptured spleen, had a few of his own turns on the

Post Poll - Broncos QBs

Who should be the Broncos' No. 1 quarterback?

Kyle Orton: Relax, it was one meaningless exhibition game. Despite his poor showing, he deserves to remain the starter.
Chris Simms: Sure, it was done against second- and third-teamers, but he showed he's the best Broncos quarterback and should move to the top of the depth chart.


quarterback merry-go-round at Texas as well as with the Buccaneers. He said this week competition is part of the job, but it doesn't impact how he and Orton interact.

"I think you get better at the criticism that comes with the job as you get older," Simms said.

"When you're in college, it really affects you, you're a kid. As I've gotten older, I definitely have gotten better at it. I've told a few people I've always loved football and maybe I've loved it too much, maybe put too much pressure on myself at times and dwelled on things that I've done wrong too long. I got injured and went through that phase where I didn't know if I was ever going to play again. Now I'm just so happy and grateful, it's easier to deal with the rest of it."

Five goals
Broncos reporter Jeff Legwold suggests five goals for the team in its preseason game tonight at Seattle:

1. Orton redux: Quarterback Kyle Orton needs a good night's work, especially with the circus coming to town next week.

2. Make room: The Broncos won't have rookie Knowshon Moreno in the lineup, but the guys up front have to make some running lanes to keep the heat off Orton.

3. Keep it: Turnovers trump most anything else. And after an '08 season and last week's game full of them, the Broncos need to keep the ball to themselves.

4. Get to the ball: The 49ers' offense won't be confused with the Saints' at any point, and it still ran for 136 yards on the Broncos' defense. The Broncos need a better effort in this one.

5. Show, don't tell: The Broncos keep telling everybody things will be fine. They can offer at least a little preseason proof with a solid effort in this one.



http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13181884?source=rss

dogfish
08-22-2009, 03:06 AM
great!


now if he can learn to turn it over less and make throws beyond ten yards, we'll be set. . . .



:elefant:

Hobe
08-22-2009, 01:16 PM
Dear Jeff,

Are bear pelts thicker then horse hides? If Orton didn't develop thick skin in Chicago he would have bleed to death by now.

Oh ya, even if you can't think of anything new to write about, don't bring up the "Elway shadow" to try and make what you do write sound knowledgeable.

Yours truely,
A tied fan

Simple Jaded
08-22-2009, 01:36 PM
Thick skin; One of the few required skills to being a legitimate starting QB that Kyle Orton actually has.......Championship.......

Reidman
08-22-2009, 01:42 PM
Dear Jeff,

Are bear pelts thicker then horse hides? If Orton didn't develop thick skin in Chicago he would have bleed to death by now.

Oh ya, even if you can't think of anything new to write about, don't bring up the "Elway shadow" to try and make what you do write sound knowledgeable.

Yours truely,
A tied fan
Very first thing that came to mind when I read the thread title...

Overtime
08-22-2009, 03:06 PM
Orton learns to "develop" thick skin?

what is this? a science laboratory experiment or something?

Ravage!!!
08-22-2009, 08:45 PM
But but... I'm confused.

I thought everyone was saying that Cutler would have to develop 'thick skin' if he was going to Chicago??? If Chicago is so much tougher than Denver, wouldn't Orton already have thick enough skin to handle our 'soft' Denver media???? :confused:

Watchthemiddle
08-22-2009, 08:48 PM
But but... I'm confused.

I thought everyone was saying that Cutler would have to develop 'thick skin' if he was going to Chicago??? If Chicago is so much tougher than Denver, wouldn't Orton already have thick enough skin to handle our 'soft' Denver media???? :confused:

I don't think Orton is concerned about the media here in Denver as much as the media WANTS him to be concerned. Our media is soft. He lived through it in CHicago and servived...lets see what he can accomplish here.

Sorry, no response to your Cutler take..thus its a Orton thread.

dogfish
08-22-2009, 09:04 PM
honestly, i could care less how he handles the media, barring a ryan leaf-style meltdown. . . but i'm hoping to see him show something more tonight than he did last game-- and not turning the ball over would be a great place to start. . . .

Day1BroncoFan
08-23-2009, 01:00 AM
Orton needs to develop more than thick skin. Orton will need to develop some QB skills.

Lonestar
08-23-2009, 02:11 AM
thought he had a hell of a game tonight overall.. a fighter that does not give up..

this offense just might be something very special..

Now if Marshall will get his head on straight it could be incredible..

Northman
08-23-2009, 02:14 AM
honestly, i could care less how he handles the media, barring a ryan leaf-style meltdown. . . but i'm hoping to see him show something more tonight than he did last game-- and not turning the ball over would be a great place to start. . . .


He almost made it. Between the 20's we are a championship team. In the redzone we are the Bad News Bears.

Watchthemiddle
08-23-2009, 02:15 AM
thought he had a hell of a game tonight overall.. a fighter that does not give up..

this offense just might be something very special..

Now if Marshall will get his head on straight it could be incredible..

But but but JR...we didn't have any pass plays down the field...

but but but..how ever can we be successful if we don't do that?

Watchthemiddle
08-23-2009, 02:15 AM
He almost made it. Between the 20's we are a championship team. In the redzone we are the Bad News Bears.

Sounds familiar doesn't it?

Northman
08-23-2009, 02:16 AM
Sounds familiar doesn't it?

Unfortuantely.

dogfish
08-23-2009, 03:37 AM
He almost made it. Between the 20's we are a championship team. In the redzone we are the Bad News Bears.


pretty much. . . i said i wanted to see him show something more than he did last week, and i'm actually pretty satisfied that he did that. . . he's never going to get confused with drew brees or dan marino, but he did show some flashes of looking like a legit NFL QB out there tonight. . . i really think it's the superb pass blocking and array of weapons more than anything, but the truth is we really don't need him to be elway and carry the team on his back with all the talent we've put around him (especially if we keep marshall). . .

he really has fallen apart in the red zone to this point, though. . . that's something that HAS to change if we're going to be competitive. . . of course, it wouldn't hurt if we had a playcaller that was amenable to pounding it between the tackles with our 250 pound horse of a RB when we get down there, either, instead of trying to be cute lining up in the ****ing shotgun. . . a lot of the most ardent mcdaniels defenders have been telling us how he's going to put a team on the field that's so much more physical, and if that's honestly the case i'd like to see it reflected by some power running in the red zone instead of finesse and the spread offense. . . let's put dan graham next to clady and punch 'em in the mouth-- let's impose our will. . . . orton can't throw left-handed interceptions if he doesn't have the ball!

:lol:

LordTrychon
08-23-2009, 03:49 AM
orton can't throw left-handed interceptions if he doesn't have the ball!

:lol:

You're just begging for a lefty hand-off...