Kyle Orton is no Jesus

Kyle Orton is no franchise quarterback. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees or Philip Rivers he falls short of. This much we do know. Another thing fans need to realize is he also isn’t is a second-year quarterback that was over-drafted on hype alone and has limited skill at what the position requires at the professional level.

However, a certain majority of Bronco fans let their wishes be heard midway through the 4th quarter in the Monday night rain versus the hated Oakland Raiders. Denver found themselves down 10-points, and after an incompletion by Orton on a first down, the audible chant of “we want Tebow” could be heard without question.

What ensued was either a display of Orton becoming motived by the chorus of displeasure, or simply a display of how insanely fickle Bronco fans have become.  Or both.

Orton proceeded to lead his team down the field on a late-game touchdown drive in the driving rain to bring his squad within 3 with 3 minutes remaining.  The Broncos ended up losing by that same 3 points due to their defense not being able to tackle when they knew the Raiders were trying to run out the clock.  The lack of defense is only part of what should be recognized here.

What should also be recognized is the fact that a veteran quarterback capable of leading his team to a late 4th quarter touchdown should not be getting “booo’ed” by his hometown faithful. I believe this had less to do with Orton’s short leash and more to do with the power of Tebow’s jersey-selling prowlace.

An example like Tebow breeds fanatics that don’t think clearly or rationally. And some of these fanatics are not just fanatics of the religion of the orange crush, but fanatics of Evangelical Christianity. They believe Tebow is a soldier of Jesus, and could lead a sermon as well as he could an NFL offense. They believe that these two things are one in the same. While this generalization doesn’t pertain to all Tebow supporters, it is none the less blatantly evident with a good number of them.

As far as on the field, Tebow’s leadership qualities are hardly what is in question. He has proven he is ideal for the role of a leader, especially at the high school and college level, where athletes can break the mold at the quarterback position. The quarterback in the amateur ranks is a hybrid of his professional counterpart. He gets by with less arm and more feet, as he fakes, jukes and deeks. He is this way because of the advantage he can gain due to the confusion and lack of discipline of the amateur defender. This is not the case in the pros, not by any stretch of the imagination. And to believe otherwise requires an ever-present lack of impartiality.

The position on the professional level demands a certain skill set that goes beyond ‘rah-rah’ Friday-night motivational techniques. Precision with the forward pass is the name of the game, and this is something Tebow has yet to develop. And until he does, Kyle Orton is the best option you have Bronco fans. He is a top 20 NFL quarterback that can consistently make the average play a quarterback at the NFL level needs to make for his team to be successful.

That average play is one Tebow cannot make on an even closely consistent basis. While he may amaze you once or twice a game with a Tom Rathman-like rumble, what his arm lacks is not a trade-off that is even remotely feasible if your team is in the business of winning over the course of a long and arduous NFL season.

With Orton, Denver has the potential to be a respectable 8-9 win team and have a shot at the playoffs. With Tebow, Denver would be a 4-5 win team that would be the equivalent of an up-tempo practice session for most they would face.

The moral? The first contest of 16 does not make or break your season. And when the quarterback isn’t even close to the worst of your early-season problems, a display of impatience with your quarterback is narrow-minded and reeks of weakness by the fan.

Kyle Orton may not be able to walk on water Bronco fans, or Jesus fans, or both – but don’t be so quick to already want to nail him to the cross.