Denver Broncos News: Horse Tracks - 8/23/11

I really believe that the Broncos need one more Big Man in the Dline middle even after Thomas comes back. Also, Irving needs to develop fast…..

Can anyone provide instructions on how to change your screen name? I got one too many ‘t’ :-)

I don’t know why it is not painfully obvious to people how Tebow has the potential to improve more than Orton. Tebow has more holes in his game and the holes Orton has he can’t really improve. Orton knows the system. Orton is an accurate passer. Orton has good timing and rhythm with is receivers. Orton does a good job of reading defenses. All of these are why Orton is the starting QB. What Orton does not do well; he can not extend the play and he does not move well in the pocket. Does this mean Orton can never extend a play or never moves well in the pocket, of course not. It does mean he can not be counted on to do these things regularly. This is why he will never be as good as Ben or Brees, who can extend the play, and Brady and Manning who move really well in the pocket. If he could do these things, teams would have been lining up to give up a first round draft choice and pay Orton QB money. Not to mention, we would not have been trying to trade him. Orton’s shortcomings do not show in training camp or exhibition games where teams mostly play vanilla. Orton’s shortcomings show up against good defenses who pressure the offense into making plays which puts more pressure on the QB. This is not an indictment of Orton, few QBs are able to shoulder that kind of burden.

Tebow needs to learn the system. He needs way better timing with his recievers. He needs to be more accurate. Some claim a QB can not become more accurate, it this is true, you can chalk another wasted 1st round draft pick up to McD as Tebow will bust. Tebow needs to learn to read defenses better. He needs more work on his footwork in the pocket. What he did show in three games last year is he can be a playmaker in the NFL. He can put pressure on a defense in ways Orton never will. He does a nice job of throwing accurately when receivers are matched one-on-one with defenders. This should not be surprising as it was a staple in the Florida offense. He does bring a fire to an offense and a team. People forgot how low the Broncos were when Tebow went in for those last three games and how much he did fire people up with his play and leadership. Critics are right, however, if he does not get more accurate from the pocket, that fire will not continue to be effective.

All in all, Tebow has more holes in his game and more things to improve on than Orton. If he can improve on those areas, he will be a better QB than Orton, but that is still a potential future. Many believe it will never happen. Orton does not have the athleticism nor the pocket sense to get much better in the only areas he lacks. This is why he will never be an elite QB. But,hey, we could do a hell of a lot worse.

the Moore hit was clean. If you watch the slowmo he turns his body to make sure he hits shoulder first, hits with his head up and never leaves his feet. If the NFL bans a hit like that then I don’t know what they expect safeties to do…