After upsetting franchise quarterback Jay Cutler, Denver and the star quarterback went their separate ways, leaving McDaniels and co. without a true gamer at the position, albeit with several knew, young pieces to work with on defense, as well as a stud rookie running back in Knowshon Moreno.

But aside from that, there hasn’t been much done since the Cutler drama or in pre-season to have fans and experts lean one way or another on McDaniels and the Broncos’ future.

Here’s five things to think about for the 2009 season:

5. How Will Peyton Hillis Be Used?

In many different ways, and much more often than Knowshon Moreno-lovers would like to see.

The fact is, Hillis is an outstanding blocker, but it would be an absolute monstrosity to keep him at fullback full-time.

He has elite receiving skills combined with great power rushing ability, making him a great, three-dimensional weapon all over the field.

He’ll be listed as a fullback, but should garner a lot of offensive attention from Josh McDaniels, as he’ll line up as a receiver, tight end, running back, and fullback.

McDaniels has been very vocal about his immense and underrated talent, and he’ll be sure to expose his attributes to the rest of the league, even moreso than Mike Shanahan did last year.

After Orton started his Denver career with three first-half interceptions in a pre-season game, you could see fans calling for McDaniels’ head, and it got even worse when his back-up, Chris Simms, posted much better numbers in the same game.

Still, Orton has good experiene, knows how to win, and is still learning the system.

If Brandon Marshall jumps ship, it could get more difficult for all parties involved, but with Eddie Royal, Tony Scheffler, and a sound rush attack, Orton should be able to thrive in a very pass-happy New England-style offense.

Whether that translates into wins or not will ultimately be on the defense.

It’s sad, but also a very possible truth, considering the new head coach has only elite offensive credentials to his name, and while he’s attempted to address the defense through the draft, he simply many not have the players to make it happen in year one.

Denver fans, prepare for a full-blown rebuilding year with some progress near the end of the season.

However, with two disgrunted super stars in one off-season, McDaniels is either very bad at comunicating and managing elite talent, or he’s simply ridding of prima-dona athletes.

For now, call it a combination of the two. After all, most great coaches (he’s not great yet) have to be both smart and crazy sometimes.

Marshall has all but given up on Denver after rehab and contractual issues, while also citing a downgrade at quarterback as a reason for his “wanting out”.

After all, the guy is in a contract year.

The Denver regime continues to claim Marshall won’t be traded, but if the Jets bite on the current offer on the table (Marshall for David Harris and a first round pick), it’s something that could definitely happen.

While it’s unlikely the Jets give up both the player and the pick, it’s becoming almost even more unlikely that Brandon Marshall is in a Denver uniform come week one.

]]> http://nflgalore.com/2009/09/05/2009-denver-broncos-five-things-to-watch-for/feed/ 0 http://nflgalore.com/2009/08/01/jay-cutler-vs-kyle-orton-why-do-either-have-to-be-bad/ http://nflgalore.com/2009/08/01/jay-cutler-vs-kyle-orton-why-do-either-have-to-be-bad/#comments Sat, 01 Aug 2009 20:33:56 +0000 Kevin Roberts http://nflgalore.com/?p=139

Jay Cutler is overrated, and Kyle Orton is a system quarterback. Or is it, Cutler is a wimpy cry baby, and Orton is a simple-minded game-manager?

How about none of those?

Why do either of these guys have to be regarded as fantasy (or real world) busts for 2009, just because they are switching teams?

Yes, they both have new offenses, new coaches, new cities, and new weapons.

But that doesn’t mean they aren’t good or can’t play at an elite level.

Since both of these players have a hate-wagon following them to every city they go to, I beg of you to relax, sit back, and read an unbiased approach to both of their new situations.

Life is about change, people. Remember the song? Change, change…will do you good. No?

Well, still, both of these guys are talented enough to make things happen in their first year in new colors, and I have evidence as to why I believe so.

Jay Cutler

Cutler took over for Jake Plummer mid-way through the season three years ago, and showed enough to Mike Shanahan and co. that they knew they had done the right thing.

Trouble is, they stopped at the quarterback, and never built a new defense.

John Lynch, anyone?

Cutler went on to form a bitter and exciting rivalry with Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers, routinely dominate the Oakland Raiders, and finally turned himself into a sure- fire Pro Bowler in 2008.

You don’t pass for 25 touchdowns and over 4,500 yards on a whim. The guy is talented.

He’s got a Brett Favre-moxie that you can’t teach, a rocket arm, and excellent mobility.

To anyone who doubts his ability to win, or his fading at times in clutch situations, I have some news for you.

The guy is 25 years old.

He just started coming into his own last year, and while a change in scenery could potentially affect that growth, I believe he’s already reached a confidence and talent level too high to be knocked back down to where he was as a rookie.

In Chicago he will find no Brandon Marshall’s, no Eddie Royal’s, and no Mike Shanahan.

But he still has weapons.

Devin Hester’s speed and explosiveness could make both players look like magicians in 2008, and Greg Olsen’s size and speed could make Tony Scheffler look like a baby Mark Chmura.

The point is, Cutler may not be quite as “great” as his Denver weapons and numbers made him out to be, but he also isn’t anywhere close to the wimpy, cry baby, drama king that the trade to Chicago made him out to be, either.

He still knows how to play football, and he’s talented enough to make things happen with the few weapons that Chicago does have.

Oh, and this time around, he’ll actually have a supportive defense.

Kyle Orton

Orton is entering into a system that gave Matt Cassel the quickest quarterback make-over we’ve ever seen.

Cassel had no experience to speak of at any level, and hadn’t started a football game since high school. We may find out fairly soon in Kansas City that, while the guy is talented, he is nowhere near as good as this system (and Randy Moss and Wes Welker) made him out to be.

Do you see the common theme, here? Nothing is what you think it is. At least, not when you’re discussing Cutler and Orton.

Orton tossed over 2,900 yards and 18 touchdowns with those average weapons everyone keeps talking about, and is now walking into Jay Cutler-territory, where he has the luxury of having Marshall, Royal, and Scheffler at his disposal.

So, really, which is it?

Did those talented receivers make Cutler, or did Orton’s lack of talent make him? Or is it both?

I say neither.

Orton proved (on a bum ankle for the final four weeks) that he can manage games, and is talented enough to put up solid numbers, despite not having polished weapons around him.

With a new cast of friends sharing the load on offense, Orton’s numbers could get half-way to where Cutler was last year.

And as far as that whole “system quarterback” label is concerned-so what?

If he is indeed a system quarterback, then that’s all the more reason to pull the trade that Josh McDaniels orchestrated, and nab Orton, a guy who can clearly do what he’s told, when he’s told it, and do it well.

Denver won’t have the defensive support Orton had last year, at least not immediately, but if McDaniels system is anything like Bill Belichick’s in New England, there should be some good results.

Fantasy Summary

If you’re looking to draft either of these guys as sleepers, good luck.

It’s becoming more and more obvious that both quarterbacks are getting very comfortable in their new environment, and with all of their respective offensive weapons healthy, there’s no reason to think they both can’t succeed.

Cutler has his defense backing him, as well as a fantastic weapon in Matt Forte (who people tend to overlook when talking about Cutler’s supporting cast), and whether you like it or not, the guy is actually good.

Orton, on the other hand, is only going to play as bad as Brandon Marshall allows him to, and Eddie Royal is set-up to have huge numbers as the Wes Welker-clone, as well.

If those two receivers are putting up elite numbers, don’t you think Orton will reap some of those benefits?

Real World Summary

If we’re being realistic, it’s as simple as this:

Orton is good enough to help make the Denver offense go, but their offensive line is still aging, and their entire defense is, well, incomplete.

They are probably still a .500 team, but Orton is too smart and safe to have them lose more than nine games.

Cutler, on the other hand, has a good defense and special teams, and while some of his weapons aren’t necessarily elite or proven yet, they have the athleticism and explosive needed to make that jump.

With Cutler’s arm guiding the way, the Bears could enter into the top ten in the league, offensively.

Even if they don’t, Cutler is still better than Orton, and Chicago won’t finish any worse than they did last year, which could equate to Cutler’s first “winning” season.