KO (Kyle Orton) KO’d by Broncos
By Craig Hurst
Kyle Orton’s Bronco career unofficially ended on October 9, 2011 when he was benched at half time during the San Diego game and replaced by Tim Tebow. Since then the Broncos have won four times and have lost only once. Those better-than-expected results possibly prompted the Bronco leadership to officially mark the end of Orton’s time in Denver by waiving him today.
What does this mean for the Broncos? Probably nothing but when you look at the remaining games left on the Bronco schedule and the teams that are in need of quarterback help, the interest level is turned up a notch.
The Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs will visit Denver before the end of the season and both teams have recently lost their starting quarterbacks. Jay Cutler injured his thumb last Sunday and Matt Cassel suffered a hand injury when the Broncos visited Arrowhead two weeks ago. Despite Tyler Palko’s strong start in New England, it remains to be seen if the Chiefs will stick with Palko considering he lacks NFL experience as a starting quarterback. How ironic would it be if Kyle Orton was starting quarterback for Chicago or Kansas City when they visit Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium this season? If you recall the early months of the Josh McDaniel’s era in Denver, he initiated the trade that sent Cutler packing and forcing Orton to relocate to the Rocky Mountains. Chicago Bear fans may not be very receptive to the thought of Orton returning to the Chicago area. If Orton does become a starter for either of the aforementioned teams, I would expect the boos Orton heard as starting quarterback for the Broncos earlier this season from the orange and blue faithful will be nothing compared to the greeting he receives as a visiting quarterback
Players will tell you they understand when changes like this occur because professional football is a business. That being said, I would imagine that if Kyle Orton does become a member of the Bears or Chiefs, he would love nothing more than to leave Denver with a victory and in a sense, get the last laugh. As a fan, I hope the Broncos prevent this and the Broncos defense gives Mr. Orton a warm, heartfelt greeting to Denver!
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