I think the question, “Did anybody think that Orton….” was meant as “Did you think….” or “Did anyone present in our studio think …” At least that’s how it came across to me.

But your larger point is right. Plenty of us knew that Orton was better than Cutler in many respects. I’ll give Cutler the yards and the mobility factor. But I’ll give Orton the lack of INTs, more TDs, more wins, and better leadership.

In fact, MHR led the way supporting McDaniels and Orton when they came to Denver. Unless you read the DP, which took one member comment (and a tiny minority opinion at that) and called it an MHR review or analysis or something. But Williamson and his readership at ESPN (and writers and message boarders at the DP) were too focused on bashing McDaniels and Orton to listen to MHR.

I’m satisfied that we were right and they were wrong, and that they have to dig for rare comments by members to justify themselves. I’m even more happy that our team is 5-0.

Frankly, I’m tired of the media bashing our team, and tired of us bashing the media. We were right, and we won. Let’s talk football!

“Did anyone, experts or non-experts, forsee at all Orton being successful with the Broncos.”

We had plenty of people on here point out that prior to his ankle injury, Kyle Orton was better than Jay Cutler last year. It’s not that much of a stretch to put Orton around better offensive players and perform well.

That you’re tilting at windmills, in asking the “real” media (Hastings, Porkchop, Clayton, Dukes, whoever) to give the “fake” media (websites such as these) and it’s participants (we members and posters) credit for properly predicting that they were idiots and didn’t know what they were talking about.

Sure, we were right, and they were wrong. But, we’re just bloggers and fans- whadda WE know anyway? ;)

The “real” media will never, ever give any credit or credence to a Fan site such as this one, BECAUSE it’s a Fan site. Fans never know what they’re talking about, they have no objectivity like the “real” experts and media.

Right?? :D

Porkchop: No one foresaw that Orton would be successful.
Porkchop: McD said he could make anyone a successful QB.
It would follow that McD foresaw Orton being a successful QB.

Also, If McD said he could make anyone a successful NFL QB, why trade for Orton? Just make Simms into a successful QB.

HT, I’ll focus on football and less on venting.

But I write with a group of members and staff who are and I’ve learned a little on the way. So, Tales from the SunnySide: Who is Kyle Orton? was produced, and would later be republished by the Chicago Sun-Times. Here is a set of excerpts that should establish what I saw:

By the way, watching Orton run the no-huddle gave me a lot of respect for the man. Whoever McDaniels chooses to run the offense in Denver will have to have skill at making reads and audible adjustments. Orton definitely has those skills.

Watching him carve up Philadelphia like a Thanksgiving turkey in Week 4 was enlightening. He threw 3 TD passes in the 1st half against a pretty good Philly defense. He really does excel in that red zone – he also used the no-huddle very effectively to control the blitz.. Orton was sacked 4 times, hit 4 times more, knocked down 3 times and had 2 batted balls. That was in just the 1st half plus 10 minutes of the Philadelphia game. He still came up with 3 TD passes in that time. That was pretty good, considering how he was pummeled:. During that same time he was 16/29, for 178 and 3 TD with 2 interceptions.

That Philly defense had handed the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger his head the week before, so they were no slouches. It’s fair to say that Orton needs a better ‘clock’ in his head to get rid of the ball – that’s a coaching issue – but it’s also true that he was not getting much help. Let the guy roll out, let’s see how he does on bootlegs and let him get into the full role of a QB. From everything that I saw, we’re going to like what we get.

I was but one in a long line of staff and members who had strong convictions, evidence-based, concluding that Orton is an excellent fit who would do very well in Denver. What you’re really hearing can be translated as follows:

“Well, I didn’t see this coming. did you? No? Ok – obviously, no one did…”