Former Bears QB Kyle Orton In An Unfortunate Situation
by Dane Noble on May 10, 2010 3:30 PM CDT
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The poor guy just can't catch a break. In his time in Chicago, Kyle Orton posted a 15-2 record as a starter at Soldier Field, and got shipped out of town after the 2008 season.
In Denver, Orton was at the helm for their 6-game winning streak to start the 2009 season, but was also on the field for the 8 losses in the final 10 games of the season. Now, it looks like he might be the odd man out in Denver, with the acquisition of Brady Quinn and the drafting of Tim Tebow.
Some tough quotes from the media:
As Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla wrote Sunday, "Kyle Orton would have rocks for brains to start another game as quarterback of the Broncos. He would be playing the fool for Denver coach Josh McDaniels. If Orton owns a penny's worth of common sense, he has already quietly, politely and firmly asked for a trade to grant his freedom."
Fellow Post columnist Woody Paige takes a harsher stance, saying Orton would be "a clown in the Tim Tebow circus" and lacks the skills to be a top NFL quarterback."He's not a true leader," Paige writes. "The Broncos had Champ Bailey, D.J. Williams and Brian Dawkins in leadership roles on defense, but nobody on offense. The leadership has to come from the QB, and Orton's soft attitude didn't motivate his teammates."
Paige says Orton's "quirky offseason work ethic has been questioned in Chicago and Denver" and is "an average quarterback who couldn't start for 21 other teams in the league."
Bottom line? For Kizla, it's that, "So long as Orton is the quarterback, Denver has no future." Paige concurs, saying, "For the good of all, Orton has to be passed along."
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He's a journeyman QB
And that’s not a bad thing. His career will keep going, and going, and going…
"When I played pro football, I never set out to hurt anyone deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." ~ Dick Butkus
by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on May 10, 2010 3:37 PM CDT reply actions
Orton is not a good quarterback.
Does anyone disagree?
Of course, being a bad quarterback has never prevented someone from playing in the NFL
------ TheRiot Squad ------
by RightFieldSucks on May 10, 2010 3:46 PM CDT reply actions
I wouldn't say he is not good
I think he is very serviceable. Not great, but not bad…
"He is remarkably bright", a "terrific talent", the sky is the limit for Cutler"
-Mike Martz-
I don't think anyone can know for sure unless he's in a system that fits him
and the coaching staff/management has faith in him. He has the necessary physical tools to be good but never had the commitment or the tools from the teams he’s been on. I think he can get a team to the post season if the system and players around him are decent. He’s not Peyton Manning but he’s not Cade McNown either. I’d take him as a backup to Cutler without any hesitation at all.
he is too a good quarterback..
you can’t compare him against a jay cutler, manning(s), or tom brady..he’s a field manager who is great in the short game…his only catch is he doesn’t have a huge arm. If anything he needs a run heavy system like we used to have in Chicago, since he’s good with the playbook and at execution..just don’t expect the long ball out of him lol.
Well, Why would you Put Jay Cutler in the presence of Tom Brady and Manning? I do recall with the Bears Defense in 2004 he helped the Bears get to the Playoffs… He didn’t dismantle the chances that the Defense gave them! I know he didn’t put up Numbers, but think of how many games we would have Won last Year with our Defense being Mediocre if it was not for Cutler’s ill advised throws to the opposite team… A QB, RB are only as good as there team… Cutler has a strong Arm, he can move, he has what it takes, but can he? I hope so for the Chicago Fans and his Team… I wonder what the Bears Record would have been with Orton at the Helm and a first round pick in 2009… I know for sure we would have been 9-7…
I like your post, but
you knew there had to be a but.
I know for sure we would have been 9-7
Can I get the powerball numbers for the next drawing please?
If you can't laugh at yourself you must not be very funny.
nobody the bears could have taken with those first round picks...
Will have the kind of impact that Cutler will have in these upcoming seasons. I bet he breaks the franchise TD record this year. He can improve. On the amount of picks. Orton cannot improve his arm strength, athletism, leadership, toughness or his facial hair. He proved last year why he is not a good qb but a backup. They fell apart last year worse than they did the year before with Cutler. Cutler will be the best QB the Bears have ever had.
by Ryan21 on May 11, 2010 8:34 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Some of these Bronco's fans have been chugging their teams kool-aid
We could get at least a third for Orton, maybe better. I don’t know that he’s the level of Matt Schaub trade potential, but he’s 27, coming off of his best season ever, and is a solid player. I think we could get a third or better.
A third rounder for Orton!!!
(Asshole Sr) "If you learn one thing here, NEVER pass out in Ohio."
by ThorCo on May 10, 2010 4:23 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
I hate to say it because I respect Orton, but I can’t help but experience just the teeniest bit of schadenfreude when I hear the Broncos might be shipping him out… if only for the reason that their idiotic fans can then shut their stupid faces.
"44 years of football history and nothing to show for it. I wish I wasn’t banned at the Norseman.." - tfrabotta
Same here, I love watching Orton do good
But I love to see the Bronco’s do terrible.
(Asshole Sr) "If you learn one thing here, NEVER pass out in Ohio."
Kyle should just take all these critics with a grain of salt.
When it’s all said and done he’s still being paid millions so whether he starts or is a backup or whatever from here on out he still is living his dream of playing in the NFL. Screw the critics.
And Tebow..yeah the circus has definetly come to town, that tebow left, tebow right, tebow middle garbage isn’t gonna work in the NFL.
uh
no he’s not. He just got his first salary over a million 1.035. Not that that’s anything to sneeze at but he hasn’t got a “big” contract yet.
i didn't say big
But he’s making over a million with roster bonus/workouts etc etc. More than most people will ever see. Just saying, he’s getting paid as long as he’s the first, second or third option so screw the critics.
by Chitownproduct on May 11, 2010 9:01 AM CDT up reply actions
"Journeyman QB"
Even if that’s the case, his future is still brighter than that other former Bears quarterback.
Can you question that statement?
Who of our former quarterbacks is going to do better? Rex? Griese? Basanez or Hanie once they get cut?
Easy Choice - Slash
The guys been on Deal or No Deal for Pete’s sake.
-------
"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
by David Taylor on May 11, 2010 7:00 AM CDT up reply actions
If he is released, which seems like a good possibility, we should consider bringing him back in a back-up role again. It couldn’t be worse than our current back-up situation and it provides us with a guy with familiarity of the players and organizaton.
I can't think of a worse situation
…than to have Orton back in Chicago. Talk about an un necessary distraction.
"Do or do not... there is no try." - Yoda
I don't think he'd have much familiarity with the players
DA, Knox, and Taylor are new, Bennett never saw the field while Orton was here. Both Cutler and Orton have had one season with Forte. The only players he could claim more familiarity with would be Olsen, Hester, and Rashied. Olsen and Cutler hit it off, Hester may be moved down the WR ladder, and Rashied doesn’t matter.
you have got to be kidding
1) there is no way he would ever think about re-signing with the Bears
2) he wouldn’t sign with a team in a backup role
3) what in the world logic points to the Bears ever ever ever re-signing him
Orton is a good QB
Orton is a solid QB. He’s not great, he’s certainly not a bad QB, he’s probably somewhere between the 10th and 15th best QB in the league.
He was hands-down better than Cutler last season.
Orton is very underrated by the casual fan.
Yeah but overrated by some knowlegeable fans
Like anyone who actually believes he had anything to do with the 2005 winning record. Orton is who he is and is being treated as such. He’s a decent QB that you can win some games with if other things go according to plan. But if those other things fall apart then…Oh Boy.
D. Brees, M. Ryan, A. Rodgers, B. Favre, J. Cutler, T. Romo, D. McNabb,Mike Vick, K. Kolb,E. Manning, K. Warner, T. Brady, P. Manning, M. Schaub, V. Young, P. Rivers,...
Maybe maybe maybe # 15.
by Ryan21 on May 11, 2010 8:44 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
faulty list
Warner is retired, Vick can’t throw (I think he was 3rd string last year), V. Young is perhaps top 20, Kolb has played 2 games, and M. Ryan is overrated.
You did forget Rothlisburger though.
That would leave Orton at #13
Plus, if you’re just looking at last year, Orton played much better than Cutler. Heck, take the last 2 years comined and Orton has been better than Cutler.
by MakeHalasProud on May 11, 2010 10:30 AM CDT up reply actions
The Last 2 years?
Cutler was a Pro Bowler his last year in Denver with over 4,500 yards!
"When I played pro football, I never set out to hurt anyone deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." ~ Dick Butkus
by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on May 11, 2010 10:46 AM CDT up reply actions
44 picks
Cutler has thrown 44 INTs in the last 2 seasons.
We all know he lead the entire league in picks last season, and he had 18 the year before. I suspect he leads the league in INTs over the past 2 seasons.
I don’t care how many yards you throw for if league the league in interceptions.
Hopefully Martz can teach Cutler how to protect the ball. I think he can help, and I expect Cutler to have a great year. However, if Cutler throws another 22 picks (his 2 year average), then I will continue to be disappointed, and we’ll miss the playoffs again.
by MakeHalasProud on May 11, 2010 11:26 AM CDT up reply actions
Hate to say it
But Martz isn’t exactly known for his QBs protecting the ball.
However
Martz and protecting the ball don’t exactly go hand in hand. Martz is on record as not minding turnovers as long as the offense is scoring.
If you can't laugh at yourself you must not be very funny.
picks vs. TDs
well if you’re gonna throw 22 picks, you better throw at least 35 TDs
by MakeHalasProud on May 11, 2010 11:43 AM CDT up reply actions
Yes
Cutler does have a higher interception percentage than Orton.
"When I played pro football, I never set out to hurt anyone deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." ~ Dick Butkus
by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on May 11, 2010 11:57 AM CDT up reply actions
i think all 3 of the eagles qb's were better than Orton...
I did forget Ben Bangin in the Bathroom Rothlisburger. I don’t think any of the Qb’s I listed above would get traded straight up by their teams. Cutler was a pick machine lasst year but he had many times where he looked better than Orton ever had or ever will. Orton is a qb with very little upside and very little downside. If Cutler puts it together he will be great. If not, I’m glad we at least went out and the the best guy avaliable and took a shot at greatness.
by Ryan21 on May 11, 2010 2:21 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
Cutler does have upside
Cutler has about as much upside as any QB in the league.
Lets hope that Martz can help Cutler live up to it!
Note: 6 of the QBs on that list have been traded (Favre, Cutler, McNabb, Eli, P. Rivers, and Schaub). Granted, 2 of them had not yet thrown an NFL pass at the time.
by MakeHalasProud on May 11, 2010 3:46 PM CDT up reply actions
Damned straight.
If not, I’m glad we at least went out and the the best guy avaliable and took a shot at greatness.
No guts, no glory.
"44 years of football history and nothing to show for it. I wish I wasn’t banned at the Norseman.." - tfrabotta
Viva la neckbeard!
-------
"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox
orton = journeyman
He was that here in Chicago, and may not last much longer in Denver. For various reason, both physical and personality wise also. He just does not have “it”.
"Do or do not... there is no try." - Yoda
I'll always say one thing specifically...
Orton was always better than Grossman, and is better than all the QB currently on Denver’s staff.
Orton is never going to be the sexiest QB, except for perhaps the neckbeard, because he doesn’t have that cannon that can throw a frozen rope from the 50 yard line to the end zone, but he generally excels at the short to intermediate routes, makes good decisions, is intelligent and does very good things with the playbook, but is only going to connect on those long bombs where you have a WR that can catch a jump ball as he tends to need to get a bit too much air underneath them.
There are tons of teams in this league that would be lucky to have Orton starting for them.
Associate Writer - WindyCityGridiron.com
Yeah, he would be an upgrade on so many rosters, but...
I have the feeling that any team that has him won’t be satisfied with their QB position. I can see him shuttling from team to team his entire career. He’ll catch on somewhere, be serviceable+, then the team will draft a successor with better “upside” and Kyle will be forced to move on 1-2 years after arriving. Kinda sad, but there are worse ways to be a millionaire.
heck
bring him back home and have him back up cutler..get rid of the clowns we have now. so what if his arm isnt the best. he has gotten better every year he has started. I will always like him as a player..couldnt ask for a nicer guy. benched- no whining, traded- no whining, bad mouthed-no whining…he is a heck of a guy. not a premadonna or after a ton of cash
Bear down Chicago
Orton in a Martz offense would be bad
His release is too slow and he has a tendency to stare down receivers. Hard to run timing routes when the ball takes a little long to get out and he’s been looking at his target.
"When I played pro football, I never set out to hurt anyone deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." ~ Dick Butkus
by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on May 11, 2010 8:49 AM CDT up reply actions
Again?
Orton’s problem is that he’s just not impressive. Even if he’s starting and you’re winning games the QB position is going to be looked at and coaches and management are going to say “We can do better.” And they’ll be right. Orton’s alright, he’s solid, he’s uninspired, he’s not special. He won’t lose games for you but you have to build the other 21 positions to win the game. IMO most people want more than that from their QB.
I’d say “poor guy” again but the reality is he’s not poor. He’s already made more than most and he’s good enough to get paid to be on a roster at the most well paid position for the next decade. He’s fine.
Can someone clue me in on this?
Paige says Orton’s “quirky offseason work ethic has been questioned in Chicago and Denver”
by NorthSideBearsFan on May 10, 2010 11:27 PM CDT reply actions
I'm guessing
by comparison to others at his position, he’s not known as a huge offseason gym guy or tape guy, which a lot of qbs have a rep for. Or Woody may just be judging by appearances (Orton doesn’t exactly look the part of a pro football player)
http://amog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Kyle-Orton.jpg
That isn’t to say, of course, that he doesn’t actually work during the offseason.
by PrincetonCubs on May 11, 2010 12:08 AM CDT up reply actions
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan.
I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad.
Orton must have got his training regimen from Grossman
New Years Eve 2006 – y’all know what I’m talking about!
by NorthSideBearsFan on May 11, 2010 5:23 PM CDT up reply actions
ok let me get this straight
We are now listening to Woody Paige? I mean he writes cute little quotes on his ATH chalkboard and all but what’s next taking Skip Bayless seriously.
drinky drinky?
"When I played pro football, I never set out to hurt anyone deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." ~ Dick Butkus
by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on May 11, 2010 8:50 AM CDT up reply actions
Orton is much better than what they have in Denver now.
Along with him, they have a bust from Notre Dame who spends all his time looking at his muscles in the mirror, and a nice kid who ram a gimmicky offense at Florida that doesn’t translate to NFL success [see Alex Smith, another Urban Meyer QB]. Orton isn’t a top 10 QB, but he is good enough, and he played well last year. After how McDaniels stripped all the offensive talent from that team this offseason they should leave him in because the other two won’t be much better.
Although I will say that Orton would have been a lot worse with the Bears this year than Cutler was. I think Orton would have been on IR halfway through the season from being pounded by that sieve the O-Line was.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan.
I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad.
I have a sneaky feeling
if Favre doesn’t work out, the Vikes may be on the phone to Denver in the next couple months re: Orton
He would definitely be an upgrade over anyone on that roster if Favre doesn't sign.
I also think he’d make them a pretty good bet to win the division again if their defense holds up and AP has another big year. He’s done well when he has a supporting cast around him and the Vikings would give him that.
that would suck
to have a possibility of orton kickin bears ass twice a year. he would do well up there, i agree
by reefermadness3 on May 11, 2010 8:42 AM CDT up reply actions
Don't even get me thinking about this
If that happens that would be a sad day indeed.
by Chitownproduct on May 11, 2010 9:06 AM CDT up reply actions
I do not fear NeckBeard!
Orton doesn’t move well in the pocket and he’s not a long ball threat. Dink & dunk throws is what he does. With an adjustment on defense (fingers crossed) those can be taken away. I believe Lovie knows Orton >>> Orton knows Lovie.
Not to mention Peppers would eat him up, with Orton’s lack of mobility in the pocket!
I do agree that Orton is better than what they have now (minus Favre). But me thinks, not by much. Rosenfels is more accurate with the deep ones and is a little more mobile. Sage just tends to turn it over more.
is he a .500 quarterback overall yet?
probably still a couple games above, but the great “all he does is win” argument has been eroding since 05.
these same columnist i’m sure were spouting that line when they traded away cutler, and for the national guys i’d be willing to bet they were using it when they were slamming grossman too.
Destinations
Buffalo = instant upgrade over anyone currently there
Seattle good backup for Hassleback
Jacksonville much better than Girrard, has running game and defense + small market that cares more about college.
GeterdoneKyle
Orton blows
All I hear here is that Orton is great at short passes and not so good at long, then why is he a 50% completion rate average if he’s not even throwing long bombs…he’s a QB that will take you to the couch when playoffs start. 05’ was all defense, don’t get that twisted. Throwing 180 yards a game and 1 int average is not “taking the team to the playoffs” numbers. Especially when we were consistantly scoring defensivly.
by Sonicbob on May 11, 2010 9:30 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
and Orton's play for most of 2008 kept us in the playoff hunt until the defense let us down
so things even out. If he hadn’t hurt his ankle, we probably would have been in the playoffs that year since we only missed by one game. The defense was the real reason we ended up short, though.
No one is saying he’s the best QB ever, but give him credit for what he did accomplish.
Before his ankle injury he was playing good football
"When I played pro football, I never set out to hurt anyone deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." ~ Dick Butkus
by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on May 11, 2010 10:47 AM CDT up reply actions
Wow you guys are harsh
Kyle Orton is not the greatest quarterback in the league, far from it. But he is not the worst quarterback either. He is solid. He will get the job done but he is not a game-changer. If your team is having a bad game Orton will not be able to rescue it, but if your team is playing well Orton will not make the mistakes that can cost you a game you deserve to win. He has a few minor issues here and there, and he doesn’t have the flashy talent of other QBs, but he works damn hard to compensate and that’s why he’s probably in the top half of starting QBs in the league.
It seems his fate post-Chicago could very well be as an under-appreciated journeyman. That isn’t a bad fate as paychecks go but it would be nice for the guy to have a stable career. He’s better than Josh McCown, Jon Kitna, Brian Griese, and other journeymen out there, and deserves to start for a team for 4-5 years, not hang around for 1-2 years and then get shuffled away for a flashy 60-yard-range scrambler.
At the same time, Orton is going to get lost in the Tim Tebow circus, and it is probably best for him to get out ASAP. The Denver coach is frankly egotistical and arguably insane. His first act as coach was to secretly try and trade his rising star quarterback, and then he alienated his star wide receiver and for all practical purposes kicked him off the team. Jay Cutler’s response was somewhat immature (and Marshall’s was prima donna-bad), but McDaniels’ conduct as a coach is questionable at best and facepalm-worthy at worst. He is trying to turn the Broncos into the Patriots Mark II. Only the Patriots can be the Patriots. Any attempt to imitate the Patriots’ model will result in a poor imitation of the Patriots.
I hope Kyle Orton will find some stability in his career, and not be a journeyman. However, he’d be better off elsewhere than with the Broncos. He will not be pulling a Chris Harris and return to Chicago, but he could wind up in the NFC with a team that needs him (Seahawks? Vikings?) to hold the line for a couple of years.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA
You have to be kidding me with the McDaniels hate! First act as coach = secretly try to trade his rising star QB? What planet are you from? It has been well documented that all he did was listen to an offer, which prompted the very mature Cutler to suck his thumb as he picked up his ball to go to another playground.
But I digress…some people’s kids I tell you…
"Precipitation, which side are you on?
Are you on the rise? Are you falling down?
Let me know, Come on let's go, yeah
Got some if you need it!" -EV
Oh boy...
It has been well documented that all he did was listen to an offer,
more like
It has been well documented speculated that all he did was listen to an offer
Oy vey. I don’t hate McDaniels, I think he’s misguided as a coach (and I for one am glad that the Marshall rumors didn’t pan out for us because frankly he sucked his thumb far more than Cutler did) But my post wasn’t about McDaniels, Cutler, or Marshall, it was about the hope of Kyle Orton getting a better situation soon. You can’t argue with me on that sentiment.
by themacattack on May 11, 2010 2:09 PM CDT up reply actions
just like
how you tried to say that orton was equal to cutler before? good call sunshine
but i digress….
by reefermadness3 on May 12, 2010 8:33 AM CDT up reply actions
aww hell, get this Bronco crap off this site
I smell trolls coming
"That's racist."
by BearNecessities on May 11, 2010 11:48 AM CDT reply actions
He is not a bad guy at all..
"He is remarkably bright", a "terrific talent", the sky is the limit for Cutler"
-Mike Martz-
Orton is a good 'don't shave month' partner
Although he doesn’t stop at the end of the month
by Sonicbob on May 11, 2010 5:24 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
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