Denver Native (Carol)
09-17-2009, 08:37 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_13288566
Go ahead, call Kyle Orton a game manager. He relishes, even loves, the somewhat dubious title.
Tell him he doesn't have a strong arm. He'll laugh it off, and tell you he can make any throw that's needed.
Boo him when he throws an interception in a training camp scrimmage. Orton won't flinch, because he's heard worse — much worse — in Chicago, where he went from starter to third-string clipboard holder, and back again.
No matter how bad things may be, or how good they might get in this, Orton's first season as the Broncos quarterback, it's a safe bet the screams that came out of Orton's mouth on Aug. 30, as he waved a bloody, dislocated index finger, will be the only ones heard from him this season
Flash back and contrast that to the recent ghost of Broncos quarterbacks past. The high profile change at the team's most visible position is emblematic of transition throughout the Broncos organization.
The last time Jay Cutler wore a Broncos jersey — Dec. 28, 2008 — NBC cameras caught him screaming profanities at rookie receiver Eddie Royal in the Broncos' 52-21 season-ending loss at San Diego.
"I'm not a yeller, I'm not a screamer. I always try to use positive reinforcement when I can," Orton said. "I try to be a leader by example, make sure I'm doing all my things right, putting in all the work I need to do my job, because until you do that, it's hard to get people to follow you."
Orton is plenty of things that Cutler wasn't, yet because of the epic meltdown that occurred last March between Cutler and new Broncos coach Josh McDaniels, Orton finds his career tied directly to Cutler.
Who will throw for more yards? More touchdowns? More interceptions? Who will win more games? Who takes his team to the playoffs first?
The answers to those questions ultimately will determine whether McDaniels was right in trading Cutler to the Bears.
Those questions and comparisons are all understandable for Cutler, because he was the one who asked to be traded in the first place; and for McDaniels, the rookie head coach who shook up the NFL by trading a young Pro Bowl quarterback.
Orton has tried to distance himself from the Cutler fallout as much as possible. While April 2 officially marked the end of the Cutler Era in Denver, it marked a new beginning for Orton, who admits he became disgruntled at times in Chicago.
"It's great to finally have the support of the organization," Orton said. "I feel like they want me here and that feels great."
McDaniels could have named Orton the team's starter as soon as Orton got off the plane at Denver International Airport on April 3. Instead, McDaniels said there would be open competition between Orton and Chris Simms, signed earlier in the offseason to be Cutler's backup. By mid-June, McDaniels had named Orton his starter.
For the first time in his career, Orton was heading to training camp knowing his role, with the confidence of his coach and the chance to win over his teammates.
Adversity nothing new
Orton and his wife of a year and a half, Bridgett, bought a house in Cherry Creek and spent their summer here. Orton spent most of his days at Dove Valley or on the golf course playing against current and former teammates such as Brandon Stokley and Brian Griese, the former Broncos quarterback who has made his permanent home here.
With the summer waning, Orton packed up his camping gear and headed to Rocky Mountain National Park. He hiked about 7 miles to set up camp at Pear Lake, and spent a couple days enjoying the quiet and clearing his head while fishing and hiking.
Things have hardly been serene since training camp started. First, he was booed, loudly, by Broncos fans when he threw two interceptions in a scrimmage at Invesco Field at Mile High less than a week into training camp. Eight days later he threw interceptions on three consecutive drives in the preseason opener at San Francisco.
"After San Francisco, I never saw him get down. He always had that confidence in himself and the offense," Stokley said.
Orton played well against Seattle — save for a head-scratching left-handed interception in the end zone, then sputtered early in the preseason showcase game against the Bears and Cutler. With just more than five minutes remaining in the first half, Orton slammed his right hand into the hand of a Chicago defender, and a joint on his index finger was dislocated so violently it broke the skin.
Whether his finger will recover in time for the season opener Sunday remains to be seen.
"I'm not worried about struggles in the preseason," Orton said. "I came into the preseason knowing there would be struggles."
Injuries and adversity are nothing new for Orton, who sprained an ankle midway through last season and was ineffective down the stretch as the Bears limped home 9-7, missing the playoffs.
When it became clear Cutler was available via trade, the Bears shipped Orton to Denver along with two first-round draft picks and one third-rounder.
Though Orton won 21 games as a starter in Chicago, his up-and-down tenure made his stay disappointing. Nationally, he became more well-known for growing a thick beard, or for pictures that showed up on the Internet of him partying, than for his play.
So, a few preseason interceptions? A bloody finger? That's nothing, Orton said.
"I learned early on in my career that you can't take anything for granted in this league," said Orton, a fourth-round draft pick out of Purdue in 2005. "I had gone from my true freshman year in college starting all four years to starting my first year in the league, and I thought, this was easy, this is how it's going to be for 15 years. You go from that to not even having the chance to compete for the job. It was a frustrating couple of years.
"It took me a while to get back to work and to really appreciate the game. I was disgruntled. I was very upset about it. But I worked my way back, I got the job again and tried to make the most of it."
Orton a "game-winner"
Orton knows that throughout his career in Chicago he earned the reputation of being a "game manager" — a guy who won't make many mistakes, but isn't going to make game-changing plays, either.
"He's a real solid quarterback," Chicago linebacker Brian Urlacher said. "He does what he needs to do to win the game. You look at his career record as a starter — he wins games. It doesn't matter how you do it, as long as you win."
Orton said he has no problem with the "manager" label, although McDaniels is quick to dismiss it.
McDaniels watched plenty of film from Orton's time in Chicago, and said he saw a cerebral quarterback whose skills translate well into his spread-style offense.
"The quarterbacks that I've had the privilege to coach have never been game managers, they've been game-winners. That's what we expect Kyle to be," McDaniels said. "I mean, people tag people as 'game manager' because, what, they complete a high percentage of passes? I don't even know how to define that. He does what we ask him to do, based on who we're playing each week, and that's what I want from our quarterbacks."
The other perception that has followed Orton to Denver is that he doesn't have the strength to throw deep. While no one is going to confuse Orton with Cutler when it comes to sheer power, Orton, McDaniels and several Broncos receivers insist there is not a throw that Orton isn't strong enough to make.
"Perception is everything in this league, and a lot of times, unless you're a self-promoter, it can become negative," Orton said.
Still, the fact that Orton's longest completion of the preseason was 26 yards hasn't helped diminish the perception.
Orton's high school coach from Southeast Polk High in Runnels, Iowa, knows the deep-ball threat is there, and always has been. Kent Horstmann recalled taking Orton to a quarterback camp at Purdue in 2000, the summer before Orton's senior year of high school.
At age 17, Orton won the long-ball competition with a heave of 78 yards, beating all other high school boys — and one NFL quarterback, Jon Kitna, then with the Seahawks, who happened to be visiting camp.
"He could really throw the football," Horstmann said. "Certainly he had the best arm I've ever seen at this level."
Big arm or not, Orton doesn't lack for confidence heading into a season in which a rookie coach put himself on the hot seat for putting a new quarterback in control.
"I'm going to play great and we're going to win a lot of football games," Orton said.
Then and now
Jay Cutler: He is the stereotypical franchise quarterback: big arm, lots of swagger and the production to back it up. He threw for 4,526 yards, 25 touchdowns and 18 interceptions last season for the Broncos, but had a falling out with new coach Josh McDaniels before the first offseason workout.
Kyle Orton: He was traded after four years with Chicago in which he had a record of 21-12 as a starter. McDaniels praises Orton's command of the offense and knowledge of the new system. Orton is confident in his arm strength but he certainly won't be comparing himself to John Elway.
Go ahead, call Kyle Orton a game manager. He relishes, even loves, the somewhat dubious title.
Tell him he doesn't have a strong arm. He'll laugh it off, and tell you he can make any throw that's needed.
Boo him when he throws an interception in a training camp scrimmage. Orton won't flinch, because he's heard worse — much worse — in Chicago, where he went from starter to third-string clipboard holder, and back again.
No matter how bad things may be, or how good they might get in this, Orton's first season as the Broncos quarterback, it's a safe bet the screams that came out of Orton's mouth on Aug. 30, as he waved a bloody, dislocated index finger, will be the only ones heard from him this season
Flash back and contrast that to the recent ghost of Broncos quarterbacks past. The high profile change at the team's most visible position is emblematic of transition throughout the Broncos organization.
The last time Jay Cutler wore a Broncos jersey — Dec. 28, 2008 — NBC cameras caught him screaming profanities at rookie receiver Eddie Royal in the Broncos' 52-21 season-ending loss at San Diego.
"I'm not a yeller, I'm not a screamer. I always try to use positive reinforcement when I can," Orton said. "I try to be a leader by example, make sure I'm doing all my things right, putting in all the work I need to do my job, because until you do that, it's hard to get people to follow you."
Orton is plenty of things that Cutler wasn't, yet because of the epic meltdown that occurred last March between Cutler and new Broncos coach Josh McDaniels, Orton finds his career tied directly to Cutler.
Who will throw for more yards? More touchdowns? More interceptions? Who will win more games? Who takes his team to the playoffs first?
The answers to those questions ultimately will determine whether McDaniels was right in trading Cutler to the Bears.
Those questions and comparisons are all understandable for Cutler, because he was the one who asked to be traded in the first place; and for McDaniels, the rookie head coach who shook up the NFL by trading a young Pro Bowl quarterback.
Orton has tried to distance himself from the Cutler fallout as much as possible. While April 2 officially marked the end of the Cutler Era in Denver, it marked a new beginning for Orton, who admits he became disgruntled at times in Chicago.
"It's great to finally have the support of the organization," Orton said. "I feel like they want me here and that feels great."
McDaniels could have named Orton the team's starter as soon as Orton got off the plane at Denver International Airport on April 3. Instead, McDaniels said there would be open competition between Orton and Chris Simms, signed earlier in the offseason to be Cutler's backup. By mid-June, McDaniels had named Orton his starter.
For the first time in his career, Orton was heading to training camp knowing his role, with the confidence of his coach and the chance to win over his teammates.
Adversity nothing new
Orton and his wife of a year and a half, Bridgett, bought a house in Cherry Creek and spent their summer here. Orton spent most of his days at Dove Valley or on the golf course playing against current and former teammates such as Brandon Stokley and Brian Griese, the former Broncos quarterback who has made his permanent home here.
With the summer waning, Orton packed up his camping gear and headed to Rocky Mountain National Park. He hiked about 7 miles to set up camp at Pear Lake, and spent a couple days enjoying the quiet and clearing his head while fishing and hiking.
Things have hardly been serene since training camp started. First, he was booed, loudly, by Broncos fans when he threw two interceptions in a scrimmage at Invesco Field at Mile High less than a week into training camp. Eight days later he threw interceptions on three consecutive drives in the preseason opener at San Francisco.
"After San Francisco, I never saw him get down. He always had that confidence in himself and the offense," Stokley said.
Orton played well against Seattle — save for a head-scratching left-handed interception in the end zone, then sputtered early in the preseason showcase game against the Bears and Cutler. With just more than five minutes remaining in the first half, Orton slammed his right hand into the hand of a Chicago defender, and a joint on his index finger was dislocated so violently it broke the skin.
Whether his finger will recover in time for the season opener Sunday remains to be seen.
"I'm not worried about struggles in the preseason," Orton said. "I came into the preseason knowing there would be struggles."
Injuries and adversity are nothing new for Orton, who sprained an ankle midway through last season and was ineffective down the stretch as the Bears limped home 9-7, missing the playoffs.
When it became clear Cutler was available via trade, the Bears shipped Orton to Denver along with two first-round draft picks and one third-rounder.
Though Orton won 21 games as a starter in Chicago, his up-and-down tenure made his stay disappointing. Nationally, he became more well-known for growing a thick beard, or for pictures that showed up on the Internet of him partying, than for his play.
So, a few preseason interceptions? A bloody finger? That's nothing, Orton said.
"I learned early on in my career that you can't take anything for granted in this league," said Orton, a fourth-round draft pick out of Purdue in 2005. "I had gone from my true freshman year in college starting all four years to starting my first year in the league, and I thought, this was easy, this is how it's going to be for 15 years. You go from that to not even having the chance to compete for the job. It was a frustrating couple of years.
"It took me a while to get back to work and to really appreciate the game. I was disgruntled. I was very upset about it. But I worked my way back, I got the job again and tried to make the most of it."
Orton a "game-winner"
Orton knows that throughout his career in Chicago he earned the reputation of being a "game manager" — a guy who won't make many mistakes, but isn't going to make game-changing plays, either.
"He's a real solid quarterback," Chicago linebacker Brian Urlacher said. "He does what he needs to do to win the game. You look at his career record as a starter — he wins games. It doesn't matter how you do it, as long as you win."
Orton said he has no problem with the "manager" label, although McDaniels is quick to dismiss it.
McDaniels watched plenty of film from Orton's time in Chicago, and said he saw a cerebral quarterback whose skills translate well into his spread-style offense.
"The quarterbacks that I've had the privilege to coach have never been game managers, they've been game-winners. That's what we expect Kyle to be," McDaniels said. "I mean, people tag people as 'game manager' because, what, they complete a high percentage of passes? I don't even know how to define that. He does what we ask him to do, based on who we're playing each week, and that's what I want from our quarterbacks."
The other perception that has followed Orton to Denver is that he doesn't have the strength to throw deep. While no one is going to confuse Orton with Cutler when it comes to sheer power, Orton, McDaniels and several Broncos receivers insist there is not a throw that Orton isn't strong enough to make.
"Perception is everything in this league, and a lot of times, unless you're a self-promoter, it can become negative," Orton said.
Still, the fact that Orton's longest completion of the preseason was 26 yards hasn't helped diminish the perception.
Orton's high school coach from Southeast Polk High in Runnels, Iowa, knows the deep-ball threat is there, and always has been. Kent Horstmann recalled taking Orton to a quarterback camp at Purdue in 2000, the summer before Orton's senior year of high school.
At age 17, Orton won the long-ball competition with a heave of 78 yards, beating all other high school boys — and one NFL quarterback, Jon Kitna, then with the Seahawks, who happened to be visiting camp.
"He could really throw the football," Horstmann said. "Certainly he had the best arm I've ever seen at this level."
Big arm or not, Orton doesn't lack for confidence heading into a season in which a rookie coach put himself on the hot seat for putting a new quarterback in control.
"I'm going to play great and we're going to win a lot of football games," Orton said.
Then and now
Jay Cutler: He is the stereotypical franchise quarterback: big arm, lots of swagger and the production to back it up. He threw for 4,526 yards, 25 touchdowns and 18 interceptions last season for the Broncos, but had a falling out with new coach Josh McDaniels before the first offseason workout.
Kyle Orton: He was traded after four years with Chicago in which he had a record of 21-12 as a starter. McDaniels praises Orton's command of the offense and knowledge of the new system. Orton is confident in his arm strength but he certainly won't be comparing himself to John Elway.