Denver Broncos

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Denver Broncos Tickets - Broncos To Stick With Orton - For Now

Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels ostensibly squashed the possibility of starting newly acquired quarterback Brady Quinn to begin the 2010 season, declaring that Kyle Orton will remain the Broncos' starting signal caller moving forward. Though McDaniels admitted that Quinn will get a shot to at least compete for the job, it looks like the organization is settled on keeping Orton as their main quarterback - at least for this season.

The declaration is a bit puzzling, however, as the Broncos seemed to have high hopes for Quinn after trading for him earlier this offseason. While Kyle Orton is a serviceable quarterback that can win if he's surrounded by good players and a solid defense, he certainly isn't the type that is going to turn many heads with his throwing ability. Quinn, on the other hand, is a former first-rounder with a cannon for an arm and the ambition to start. Almost immediately after landing in Denver, Quinn made the declaration that he hopes to be able to start in the near future, which is exactly what you would like to hear from a young player trying to make a splash in the league. For now, it seems that his wishes are to be put on hold as the Broncos stick with Orton.

This would be more than understandable if Quinn was still in his first couple of years in the league, when quarterbacks are not only likely to fail but are flat out expected to, but Quinn is no longer really a young quarterback. Quinn now enters his fourth season in the NFL, which is about the time that quarterbacks are expected to start living up to the hype before whispers of being a bust start fluttering about their every maneuver. No matter what happens, though, the quarterback situation in Denver could even make <a href="http://www.stubhub.com/denver-broncos-tickets/">Denver Broncos tickets</a> a more intriguing entity as we move closer to the draft and the upcoming regular season.

Just because Quinn has more talent, however, doesn't mean that he is ready for the starting job; plenty of talented players fall by the wayside in favor of more cerebral players who can better read complex defenses. But Quinn also hasn't had much time to play with the talent level that the Broncos have and it would be unwise to not at least give him a legitimate chance at starting. With wide receivers like Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal, it seems possible that Quinn could help the Broncos reach their offensive potential, as Quinn's big arm should eventually expand the playbook and open up routes downfield.

Though Orton may be better for the extreme short-term, as Quinn adjusts to a new scheme and struggles with inexperience, it's difficult to imagine that Orton will be able to put the Broncos in position to challenge the top teams in the conference like Indianapolis, San Diego and New England. Without an overwhelming talent advantage in positions outside of quarterback, Orton simply doesn't have the ability to play with guys like Peyton Manning, Phillip Rivers and Tom Brady. Quinn does potentially have that kind of upside, though, which is likely why the Broncos were willing to trade for him in the first place.

McDaniels is certainly a bright young coach who is trying to command some loyalty from veteran players by backing Orton. Still, the Broncos don't seem to have the pieces in place that will work with Orton's limited talent, making it a potentially risky play to blindly stick with Orton if he isn't willing to give a highly-touted player like Quinn a legitimate chance.

After taking the league by storm in 2009 by starting 6-0 in McDaniels' first six games as a head coach, the Broncos faded quickly down the stretch and Orton was largely exposed. McDaniels also took significant heat for benching their best player, Marshall, in the last game of the season with a potential playoff spot on the line. Moving forward, McDaniels' job could be in a precarious position and it might be best to keep all of his options at quarterback open moving into the new season.

About the Author

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