Denver Native (Carol)
10-20-2009, 01:06 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_13598678
SAN DIEGO — There might be only one thing you can say more shocking about this NFL season than the Broncos are 6-0.
Kyle Orton: Pro Bowl quarterback.
Try that unlikely statement on for size. Did your tongue go numb? See? The Earth did not stop spinning on its axis.
And if you haven't already forgotten Jay Cutler, maybe it's time to burn that old No. 6 Broncos jersey at the bottom of your closet.
Because after Denver destroyed the myth of the San Diego Chargers as Super Bowl contenders with a resounding 34-23 victory for the entire football nation to see Monday night, the NFL quarterbacks whom Orton must be mentioned with right now are Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger.
It might be too early for Orton to make airplane reservations for the Pro Bowl, but it's not too early to ask:In addition to the draft picks Chicago gave up to acquire Cutler in trade, did the Broncos also get the better quarterback in the deal?
Orton completed 20-of-29 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns, including an improvised 5-yard strike to Brandon Stokley with 2 minutes, 55 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to seal the win and probably ensure there's a pink slip in the near future for Chargers coach Norv Turner.
Orton also did something that Cutler never achieved during his time as the Denver quarterback: He left San Diego with a win.
"Thank goodness we have him. He has been just superb. He has stepped up to the plate when we needed him. None of these games have been easy, and he has made the plays we had to have," Stokley said.
Anybody remember what happened last time the Broncos were in this town? I can still see franchise owner Pat Bowlen giving a 1,000- yard stare in the locker room after a 52-21 debacle, while Mike Shanahan stood a few feet away trying to find the words to describe one of the worst season-ending meltdowns in league history.
"I wasn't here last year, obviously. But I know the past. We know the past as a team. It has kind of been a one-sided deal for the last few years," Orton said. "Divisional games are at a premium. You've got to play your best ball, especially on the road and 'Monday Night Football.' We pulled one out."
At halftime, the scoring could be broken down like this: Chargers 17, Broncos 5, Eddie Royal 12. Royal kept Denver in contention with touchdown returns on a San Diego kickoff and a punt, becoming the first man in franchise history to pull off both amazing feats in the same game.
With Denver clinging to a four- point lead in the fourth quarter, however, it was Orton who took over and marched the visitors, allowing Broncomaniacs who had invaded California to taunt disgruntled San Diego fans with a chant of "6-0!"
The best QB in the stadium on this autumn night? It wasn't Philip Rivers of the Chargers. There's a new sheriff in the AFC West, pardner.
The crucial 62-yard drive by Denver ended with a TD pass that shocked the man who caught it even more than the hapless San Diego defenders trying to stop it.
"It's a play we've probably run 100 times. And (Orton) never throws me the ball on the play. He never throws it to me. For some reason on that play, he did. And it was nice. I'm glad he did. I wasn't expecting it, that's for sure," said Stokley, who caught the football and rolled into the end zone underneath Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie.
This Orton guy is full of surprises.
"And he throws the ball a lot harder than people give him credit for," Stokley said.
See? Even his own teammates tend to give compliments that Brett Favre might consider an insult.
Orton will never be so arrogant as to compare his arm strength to John Elway's.
He's not always pretty, but Orton is taking the Broncos someplace Cutler never took the team:
The playoffs.
SAN DIEGO — There might be only one thing you can say more shocking about this NFL season than the Broncos are 6-0.
Kyle Orton: Pro Bowl quarterback.
Try that unlikely statement on for size. Did your tongue go numb? See? The Earth did not stop spinning on its axis.
And if you haven't already forgotten Jay Cutler, maybe it's time to burn that old No. 6 Broncos jersey at the bottom of your closet.
Because after Denver destroyed the myth of the San Diego Chargers as Super Bowl contenders with a resounding 34-23 victory for the entire football nation to see Monday night, the NFL quarterbacks whom Orton must be mentioned with right now are Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger.
It might be too early for Orton to make airplane reservations for the Pro Bowl, but it's not too early to ask:In addition to the draft picks Chicago gave up to acquire Cutler in trade, did the Broncos also get the better quarterback in the deal?
Orton completed 20-of-29 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns, including an improvised 5-yard strike to Brandon Stokley with 2 minutes, 55 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to seal the win and probably ensure there's a pink slip in the near future for Chargers coach Norv Turner.
Orton also did something that Cutler never achieved during his time as the Denver quarterback: He left San Diego with a win.
"Thank goodness we have him. He has been just superb. He has stepped up to the plate when we needed him. None of these games have been easy, and he has made the plays we had to have," Stokley said.
Anybody remember what happened last time the Broncos were in this town? I can still see franchise owner Pat Bowlen giving a 1,000- yard stare in the locker room after a 52-21 debacle, while Mike Shanahan stood a few feet away trying to find the words to describe one of the worst season-ending meltdowns in league history.
"I wasn't here last year, obviously. But I know the past. We know the past as a team. It has kind of been a one-sided deal for the last few years," Orton said. "Divisional games are at a premium. You've got to play your best ball, especially on the road and 'Monday Night Football.' We pulled one out."
At halftime, the scoring could be broken down like this: Chargers 17, Broncos 5, Eddie Royal 12. Royal kept Denver in contention with touchdown returns on a San Diego kickoff and a punt, becoming the first man in franchise history to pull off both amazing feats in the same game.
With Denver clinging to a four- point lead in the fourth quarter, however, it was Orton who took over and marched the visitors, allowing Broncomaniacs who had invaded California to taunt disgruntled San Diego fans with a chant of "6-0!"
The best QB in the stadium on this autumn night? It wasn't Philip Rivers of the Chargers. There's a new sheriff in the AFC West, pardner.
The crucial 62-yard drive by Denver ended with a TD pass that shocked the man who caught it even more than the hapless San Diego defenders trying to stop it.
"It's a play we've probably run 100 times. And (Orton) never throws me the ball on the play. He never throws it to me. For some reason on that play, he did. And it was nice. I'm glad he did. I wasn't expecting it, that's for sure," said Stokley, who caught the football and rolled into the end zone underneath Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie.
This Orton guy is full of surprises.
"And he throws the ball a lot harder than people give him credit for," Stokley said.
See? Even his own teammates tend to give compliments that Brett Favre might consider an insult.
Orton will never be so arrogant as to compare his arm strength to John Elway's.
He's not always pretty, but Orton is taking the Broncos someplace Cutler never took the team:
The playoffs.