I got chills reading this one.

What is scary is that our Defense is on the verge of being something just as special. We could be looking at a team that is complete- as much as any in our past. Still a long ways to go, but I look at it in a glass-half-full kind of way.

Great post sir!

love the walsh insight. hope we see this development happen… could be on the beginning edge of something great!

You had me at Hello.

Sorry for being ignorant.. what is the Walsh connection? Was he someone that Belicheck learned under?

How did he influence Josh?

Thx :-)

I watched all of Orton’s games this summer from his last year in Chicago. I’ve always liked the guy (a lot), but I still wasn’t sold on his ability. I trusted, though, that you have a better eye than me and it looks like you indeed do. Well done and thanks!

I have really enjoyed watching Orton play with the help of MHR. After reading here I’ve learned not to look for the flash, but the consistant and level headed play of Orton.
Btw.. MHR, Cutler, and Orton have taught me to love one of the most boring plays in the game, the throwaway pass. After so many INTs, and a MHR education, watching Orton toss it to the sidelines makes me think ‘smart play’ and reflect on how much better our team is and will be over the next few years.

I keep hearing QB names thrown around regarding next year’s draft, and I just don’t get that one either. They say KO can’t do this, or he is only a manager, etc. Someone on a fansite wrote that maybe if we won the Super Bowl, he would be ok with KO resigning. Unbelievable.

I’m with you on this one. If Orton can finish the season anywhere close to as well as he has started it, both he and Coach will have no desire to have anyone else under center for the Broncos next year. I agree that once he actually has the system down, and playing within it becomes second nature, we will be seeing even better results.

Great job as always, and thanks for taking the time.

Neither is going to let this one get away.

Pure poetry Bear!

The Broncos will give him the check and he’ll take a little less than he could get elsewhere, too

A humble team-first player who’s getting a great opportuinty to realize his potential. He recognizes McDaniels is part of his success, and that staying here will be in his best interest. I think he will also see that taking a bit less will help his long term success by maintaining the talent around him.

You’re a pro.

I say pay Orton the $$$…and let’s win some games.

I hope you get the glove on your throwing hand off soon, though you’re performing superbly.

One little quibble, though. In the big box on the Walsh system, I think you mean Jeff Kemp, not Jack.

I can’t wait until the next one. Thanks.

I wish I could give you a few more recs than just one.

As did you, I researched Kyle deeply after the trade. Having started with somewhat of a negative opinion of him (mostly from what I had heard on the grapevine, admittedly), I studied several games and 64 different clips of Orton. I also read everything I could get my hands on.

I came away impressed from that research. I tried to convey what I had found on a couple message boards, only to be roundly scoffed at and ridiculed by people who had not bothered to look into him as I had, nor were they interested in doing it. They were convinced—-from the grapevine, apparently—-that Orton was a noodle-armed, inaccurate, mentally deficient bust.

Well, I now have one thing with which I would like those people:

Enjoy, my friends. I’ll just have coffee, thanks.

Oh, that’s perfect, AZ. Like yourself, I caught a little grief here and there about my absurdly positivist and homeric (although not in the poetry sense, sadly) tendencies. This team has surprised even the most supportive among us. As I said – it’s really satisfying to see such a nice guy finishing first.

DocEmSmith = Bear. Yes, it gets confusing…

Even though you’re not a bear anymore, can we still give you salmon for a job well done?

The best thing I can say about Orton is that statistically he’s gotten better each week, but as I watch the games nothing seems to be different. He’s just so workmanlike and calm in his approach; his stark improvement through the course of the season barely even registers. It’s this quality of effortlessness. Brady has it in spades, but I’m starting to see moments like that in Orton as well. We have a QB who approaches each drive with the same calmness—be it an opening drive or a game winning 98-yarder.

Do you see and scenarios, Emmett, where we don’t extend him?

I guess anything is possible, but Kyle has made it clear in several statements that he doesn’t want top tier money – he’s looking for a well-paying professional home with stability. The facts that the Broncos are winning, he’s getting everything that he wants out of the circumstance and that he can be a part of that kind of success long-term says to me that he’ll sign. Xanders hasn’t been shy about paying well – just not exorbitantly.

But every NFL team bears the cost of paying the QB – it’s just part of the system. If there was to be a situation in which they didn’t want to pay him ‘normal’ wages, there would have to be a reason why. There can be many – bad fit, personality issues, work ethic problems, etc. I don’t see any of those. The Broncos aren’t blind to this. They want a long-term, stable answer at QB and they want a backup who can play well enough to let them be successful if #1 goes down. Simms should be safe for next year, but may (almost certainly will) have to fight for a job the following season against Brandstater. From what we saw this year, it looks as if McDaniels likes a third QB, as many teams do. Brandstater will get his chance, but he may have to be impressive to have it in Denver in the near run.

That’s a different year’s challenge. The Shanahan question – what about that 7 million per year? – has nothing to do with the salary cap, We will have some space moving into next year (I’m no expert on how much). Xanders was being regarded very highly in that specific area when he came on from Atlanta and he was immediately important when McD came on. I’m sure that they are treating this as they do all the player’s contracts – they have a plan, a price range and specific ideas where they can and cannot be flexible. As I said – I’m not at all worried. Thanks for the question, though – good one.

I’ll always take a salmon!

Are you also an author? If not, and it interests you, I highly suggest it. I would buy a book you wrote.

This writeup is excellent in every way. Whatever we pay him will be worth it. I’m so confident we’ll sign him that I splurged and bought an authentic AFL yellow and brown Orton jersey earlier this week. Can’t wait for it to get here.

so well done…I think that McD would have done very well with Cutler. I’m not as convinced that Cutler would have done well with McD, but that’s unimportant. Orton, as Mr. Tiki says, is Win.

Elway and Walsh? I never thought of that, but it’s a moderately terrifying thought. Many of John’s early issues would have been resolved much sooner if they could have gotten along. It’s not possible to go back and figure out how certain personality types would have meshed, but as far as an early resolution of mechanical issues, an increased understanding of the game and a game-plan that would have made use of all of his skills, Elway might have been even better. Like I say – that’s a pretty terrifying thought.

There are a lot of those kinds of stories, though. There are a lot of QBs in our league who would benefit greatly from a better level of instruction. When I listen to some of the coaches, they seem to be saying, “This QB? His problems are because of him – but what he does right is because of me…I just want a QB who is exactly what I dream of and all will be well.” Player development in the NFL can be surprisingly hit and miss.

This same pattern that exists with McD and Kyle is there on our defense – players who were second rate, washed up or never-were players are looking like monsters. I think that I’d argue that Nolan, with his excellent crew of coaches such as Nunnely and players with leadership like Dawkins and Davis (and Haggan and Peterson and…) is doing the same that mcD is doing – teaching constantly, teaching well and preparing players at the highest level. That will make us tough to beat, week in and week out.