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."