Silence is Orange; Denver nips Bengals

The Denver Broncos came into the game against the Cincinnati Bengals in midseason form. One game into the season and fans were already frustrated on more than one platform; the running game was inept, the quarterback’s job should be in question and the defense aloof and looking for answers.

But as we see in all sports; winning silences all critics.

“This is one of the best wins that I’ve ever been a part of,” quarterback Kyle Orton said following the 24-22 Denver win. The 3-year Broncos starter has received much of the blame for much for the obvious offensive struggles in the opening week against the Oakland Raiders.

Orton threw for 195 yards and 2 touchdowns on the sunny Sunday afternoon, and buys himself at least another week as the starter.

The running game can also be attributed to this offensive success. “I was happy with the way our guys handled themselves offensively just because we were going to have to run the ball," said Fox, "and we did."

Willis McGahee was the leading rusher for the Broncos a week after Denver accumulated 38 total yards on the ground. McGahee ran for over a hundred yards and kept the Bengals defense guessing the whole game.

“We stuck with it. The line did a great job. Willis making yards, making downhill yards, making tough yards." Orton appreciates this change of pace, and he needs this to be consistent part of the Broncos offensive schemes.

But this two-point victory isn’t only moral, but its promising figuring the amount of injuries the Broncos were facing. Champ Baily, Knowshon Moreno, Brandon Lloyd and many others were forced to sit out put the onus on some back ups.

“The mentality we have here is next man up. The guys that are after those guys came in and performed great." said Miller

It was philosophy that carried swiftly inside the Broncos locker room. And breeding this idea, along with the first win of the year will give the confidence and a key learning point. Coming at the right time, after several years of disappointment, and moving in the right direction.

“You have to learn to win in this league, and,” said Fox, “not saying anything about the past, but when you have that culture these types of wins give you confidence."

The first tally in the win column for the Broncos came in an exciting 2 point win against a team they should beat. But it also comes with a good, quick, librarian like ‘shhhhh’.

Second String is Best For Tim Tebow

To some, the orange jersey Tim Tebow dons is awfully reminiscent of a jailbird. He’s stuck behind steel bars and a sole bearded man. His fans, ‘The Tebots’, thinks the starter in front of him is the 8th Deadly Sin; he’s undeniably and infinitively in the way of one man’s destiny.

 
But this could be the best thing that happened to Tebow, and his chorus of followers.

In two weeks of camp he looks shaky, at best, in throwing drills. He appears wary in 7-on-7. And in simulated game situations he’s Mr. Magoo.

Tebow lives for games. When the lights turn on, in the heat of the moment, he turns into a different person. A man willing his team in every aspect he can control

John Fox told the media earlier this week that the starters will play the first 12-15 snaps against the Cowboy. They’ll put on their NFL stipulated hats quicker than a bald man at the beach. Tebow won’t have time to finish his clipboard word search (“Ugh, I can’t find Tarkenton”), and he’ll be in the game before the end of the opening quarter.

An NFL game averages 130 snaps for both teams; that means 60-70 plays apiece. So the starter, Kyle Orton, is only going to play the first few and John Fox has probably seen enough of inept quarterbacks all of last year in Carolina so Brady Quinn won’t get many throws.

So it’s Tim Tebow’s time to shine. He’s going to play the majority of the game, and the more he’s on the field the better he is going to get.

It may not be the door he was originally hoping for in 2011, but it IS a door and it’s definitely AJAR.

Is it Tebow Time yet?

This is Tim Tebow's team, but is it Tim Tebow's time?

There was only one bright orange jersey at the center of the team huddle at the first day of Broncos training camp. Denver's #15 accepts this role, not as a sign of professional football egotism or everyday quarterback burden, but as the innate self-characteristic of his being on a team.


But the Broncos apparent starting quarterback, the one that is taking the first-team snaps, and is also rumor to be on his way out, is Kyle Orton. 

Tim Tebow is a veteran of the league. He's been apart of the Broncos for 462 whole days and this is undoubtedly his team. And he's now the Napoleon Bonaparte of Broncos Country. 


Tim heard cheers when he connected with Eric Decker on a 5 yard slant pattern. People clapped when he tossed the ball to Lance Ball on a checked down. Broncos fans even were smiling when Tebow spelled his name correctly in the autograph session after camp. 


Kyle Orton, on the other hand, can't buy a vowel other than 'O'. People were unhappy with him over anything he did. Perfect spiral, "B**!" Precise and fundamental 7-step drop, "B**!"

In his first year as head coach John Fox he may have to make the toughest decision of his, what hopes to be, long tenure here in Denver. Kyle Orton is far and away the better choice (this fact is not debatable, no matter how hard you want to fight it) to start for the Broncos and give them a legitimate chance to win. Tim Tebow is far and away the fan favorite, and the Broncos quarterback for many years to come. 


As Napoleon once spoke, "Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide." 
If you're Coach Fox who do you choose. Tim Tebow or Kyle Orton? 

BRONCOS 11 MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS FOR 2011

1.       Is Von Miller the right choice?

This may be the furthest thing from the minds of most of in Broncos Country. Von Miller was an unstoppable force for Texas A&M in 2009, but that doesn’t guarantee it will translate to the next level. He’s the prototypical outside linebacker; he has size and most importantly speed off the corner. And a more crucial query than if he can play, is he can play alongside Elvis.

2.       Will Elvis Dumervil be his usual self?

Losing Elvis on the first day of training camp sent the Broncos in a downward spiral that never stopped in 2010. Luckily, that can’t happen again. (Training camp is delayed by the lockout.)

3.       Defensive tackle still a problem spot?

Jamal Williams was supposed to fill the hole in the middle of the defense last year. The only thing he did do was fill the #76 jersey to the brim. Now Williams is no longer in Denver and the staple of the 3-4 defense is up for grabs.

4.       Could John Fox solve the problem?

He came from the only team in the NFL that was worse. He has more issues to fix than Ron Artest’s psychiatrist. But his pedigree is great and he could be just the right guy to turn the franchise back into what it once was.

5.       Can John Elway be a good executive?

We all know Elway cannot throw any touchdowns for the Owners box, but his influence on the team could go either way. He could play puppetmaster, and get away with it, or he could smile and make the occasional move and get the team back on track.

6.       Will Demaryius Thomas rebound?

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea doesn’t know the pressure that Thomas felt getting drafted before ‘The Chosen One’. He was injured a year ago and Denver never really saw his true potential.

7.       Who’s [THE QUARTERBACK] going to throw it to?

Brandon Lloyd snuck up on everyone even though he was leading the league in receiving for much of the year. Don’t expect this to be the case in 2011. And with the departure of Daniel Graham there will need to be more than one player that step ups in the passing game.

8.       Who is going to carry the ball at RB?

Once upon a time the Broncos running backs were as ripe and plentiful as a southern Georgia peach farm.  Now Knowshon Moreno is #1 on the depth charts, but it feels the confidence that Denver fans have in him are as tall as a bonsai bush.

9.       Ryan Clady back is his usual self?

Along with many other Broncos, Clady battled off some nagging injuries last year. He is more than capable of being an All-Pro tackle, but he is now a senior leader on a young Broncos front-five. And a possible change of position could be in store depending on the quarterback leading the team.

10.    Tim Tebow or Kyle Orton?

The ever-present question for a team; Play for the ‘Now’ or the ‘Future’? Kyle Orton was having, statistically, an above par season before his injury. But people are not going to be happy to see #15 in a visor while playing Sudoku on a clipboard. Will cooler heads prevail or is the pressure to play Tebow too much?

11.    Are the fans excited?

McDaniels SHOULDN'T Have Been Fired

Something like 80% of people think that firing Josh McDaniels was a good idea.

I’m not one of them.

He went 8-8 in his first year as the 6^th youngest head coach ever. He goes 3-9 in his second year, after losing the #1 WR (Brandon Marshall) AND the #1 DE (Elvis Dumervil) from a year ago. And you give the man less than 2 years to state his case as a head man in the league?

Okay, we can’t change anything now… let’s look where it all went wrong.

The Jay Cutler fiasco ultimately got every die-hard orange-blooded Broncos fan on his bad side. I think Cutler was on his way out already; just as much as Shanahan was blindsided by his firing, I don’t think it would have been much longer before Cutler joined him outside the organization.

The 2009 season started with Pat Bowlen giving Brian Xanders the GM position. He and McDaniels have been heavily criticized for some of these moves.

In the 2009 offseason… GAINED; Kyle Orton, Brandon Lloyd, Brian Dawkins, Jabbar Gaffney, Renaldo Hill and Andre Goodman. DRAFTED; Knowshon Moreno, Robert Ayers, Alphonso Smith and Darcel McBath. LOST; Jay Cutler, Jamie Winborn and Dre Bly. Solid moves.

An 8-8 season that was extremely weird. But were still a game from going to the playoffs.

In the 2010 offseason… GAINED; Jamal Williams and Justin Bannan. DRAFTED; Demaryius Thomas, Tim Tebow, Zane Beadles, JD Walton, Eric Decker and Perrish Cox. LOST; Peyton Hillis and Brandon Marshall. Again, solid.

These were all good moves that improved the team as a whole. McDaniels was putting his mark on the team by enforcing rules, picking and playing good-character guys and changing the entire mentality of the team.

And then the 2010 year started out with a buzz, but that soon faded. And it was to be expected. ESPN and Sports Illustrated both projected them to be in the cellar of an odd and somewhat weak division. And they underachieved some.

Are the Broncos gonna be any better next year, without something drastic happening? No.

So is the solution to fire Josh McDaniels? NO!