Broncos Preseason Game #1

I asked a friend to club me over the head after Kyle Orton threw his 3rd pick, and I’m now just getting to my computer after waking up. I’ve tried reminding myself that it was the first preseason game in hopes that I’ll convince myself that Orton is just getting his INTs out of the way for the season.  I’ve also told myself that Orton had first game jitters; that he’s still trying to develop a relationship with his receivers; that he’s still unfamiliar with the play book; that he threw more passes than Chris Simms; that he doesn’t have to be the starting QB; and that he’s not Jay Cutler. It’s true – he’s not Cutler, doesn’t have the skills Cutler has,  and most likely will never be as good as Cutler. I’m not living in the dark somewhere, you know. However, I can’t think of too many QBs that would throw 3 INTs as a rebound performance to their 2 INTs in an intrasquad scrimmage the week before. Come on, Kyle – it’s time for you to impress comfort the fans. Help me help you become a fan of your football abilities.

Looking at the team’s overall performance, I wasn’t too down in the dumps. Despite a few large gains on 3rd downs (which has been their problem the past few seasons), the Broncos defense did pretty well in the new 3-4. It was nice to see Elvis Dumervil sacking the QB so early in the game (3rd play). In fact, the Broncos had 3 sacks in the first two series. The first string defense even kept the 49ers out of the endzone in the first quarter, and gave up a TD pass in the 2nd quarter only after the offense turned the ball over at the 3 yard line. Not much you can expect the defense to do there. Defensively, Mike Nolan has done a fine job with his squad, and right now, I’m more comfortable with them out there on the field than our offense.

I do like watching the Broncos in their new offensive sets. You never know if there are going to be 3 or 4 receivers, or 2 tightends in the lineup. When things were clicking, it looked as easy as a game of catch at a backyard BBQ. However, it’s all fun and games until something goes drastically wrong. (insert interceptions, Knowshon Moreno leaves game because of injury, etc.) Where did Dre Bly come from anyway? He didn’t do much for the Broncos last season. I digress. People are hoping that the offense will click into gear soon. We don’t want to have to hear what a mistake it was to let Jay Cutler pack his bags. We want to hear about a new QB who embodies that spirit of that old Broncos QB (#7) or at least his winning ways. 

With that, raise the proverbial glass to next week when the team goes to Seattle for a 2nd chance.