I am convinced that Kyle Orton has the arm to succeed in the NFL.  Some of you agree with me, many of you don't.  I can respect that.  So, I thought I would show you some proof. 

Highlight Reel #1 (try it in HQ for better quality)

• 29 seconds to 35 seconds: Orton heaves a perfect in-stride strike to a wide-open Greg Olson.  42 yards in the air.
• 55 seconds to 1:04: Orton lobs a great touch ball to Hester in traffic.  53 yards in the air.
• 1:11 to 1:17: Orton puts zip on a bomb dropped perfectly into a diving Greg Olson.  35 yards in the air.
• 1:25 to 1:34: Orton sails a sweet one into Hester's hands in just the right spot along the sideline.  25 yards in the air.

Highlight Reel #2 (Orton as a rookie)

• 57 seconds to 1:07: Orton leads Mark Bradley just right (and gets clocked .08 seconds later), causing great YAC.  27 yards in the air.
• 2:38 to 2:51: Orton steps up in a collapsing pocket and fires a line drive to Muhsin Muhammed for the TD.  29 yards in the air.

Highlight Reel #3

• 1:11 to 1:44:  Orton drops a fly ball where only Mark Bradley can get it in the back of the end zone.  35 yards in the air.
• 1:45 to 2:13: Orton slips a beautiful bullet in to Greg Olson, who is covered by no less than THREE defenders.  27 yards in the air.
• 2:29 to 2:37:  Not a pass, but still a usual point of critique: Orton makes something happen with his feet and takes it in himself.

IHATEORTON6:  Oh yeah?  BFD.  YouTube lets you pick all the good stuff you want to prove any point you want.

Sharpe: Sorry, that's irrelevant.  Your contention, and the contention of (virtually) everyone else who complains that Orton has a weak arm/no mobility/etc. is that Orton cannot throw the deep ball-- that he is physically incapable of making touch throws or line drives.  All I need to prove that claim wrong is one counterexample.  I've come up with nine unique ones.  I'm quite sure I could come up with more.

IHATEORTON6: So what?  If he throws 9 good ones, he throws 20 lame ducks.

Sharpe:  Then that makes him inconsistent, which is something I've said all along.  That absolutely does not make him incapable, which is what you have said all along.

IHATEORTON6:  C'mon!!!!!!  You know that I didn't mean that he NEVER does them good.

Sharpe:  Then you really should be more careful with what you say, because the word "cannot" means that either through intrinsic inadequacy or through situational restriction, the person in question lacks the ability in question.  Therefore, the sentence "Orton cannot throw the deep ball"-- with no further qualifications-- means that Orton is in a perpetual state of either intrinsic or situational inability to throw the ball more than 20 yards down the field with any degree of accuracy.  I have just shown you that this claim is false.

IHATEORTON6:  So what about Friday night and pick #3?  Dude wobbled it pitifully short!  BOOM!!!!!!  You just got served, son.

Sharpe:  Again, we're talking about consistency.  My claim is not, nor never has been, that Orton always tosses a beautiful deep/touch/line drive ball.  My claim is that he has the arm, he has the feet, and he has the brains.  He just often puts them together poorly and as a result is (at best) inconsistent but with promise, or (at worst) is unreliable.

IHATEORTON6:  Whatever, man.  He still has terrible mechanics.  Check out his feet dancing all over the place, or watch him staring a guy down whenever they're not dancing!

Sharpe:  It seems that now we have a point of agreement.  I agree that Orton needs to curb his happy feet and go through his progressions without telegraphing them, or else he will see a lot of what happened Friday night.  Further, if you will look closely at the clips I presented, he still has those poor mechanics on several throws.  Apparently, while they contribute to some poorly thrown balls, they do not in and of themselves prevent him from throwing good ones.

IHATEORTON6:  Stop drinking the Kool-Aid, yo.  McDissapointment and his McEgo will McSuck this year and the Donkey Boys will finish 0-14.  F it.  I'm going to the DP message boards where they really know what's up.

Sharpe:  See that you do.