Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos / Image: Zuma Press

Instead, the Broncos have managed a 4-0 record out of the gate and are fresh off an impressive 17-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Quarterback Kyle Orton (who came over from Chicago in the Cutler trade, of course) has been a perfect game manager, throwing five touchdowns to no interceptions with an impressive 97.7 QB rating. Brandon Marshall has 16 receptions and two TDs—including the game winning 51-yard catch and run yesterday. And the Broncos defense is returning to their “Orange Crush” glory years, having only allowed 240 total yards per game, second only to the N.Y. Giants. I don’t think anyone can really question whether the Broncos are “for real” or not. Believe it. They are.

Source: NFL.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Denver Broncos Off to Surprising 4-0 Start

This deal was surprising in that all signs were pointing toward a trade to the Washington Redskins until the Bears stepped in and made the deal worth Denver’s while. Chicago GM Jerry Angelo was understandably excited and pleased about the acquisition. And he could’ve cared less about Jay’s recent reputation for being “difficult” to deal with:

“We felt that he’s a very good person, a good leader. He had some things that happened in Denver. We recognize those, but we treated them as just speed-bumps, part of the growing process. He’s highly competitive, he’s highly emotional. That just comes with the territory.”

Even though they gave up a lot to get Jay, the Bears now have their first “franchise quarterback” since Sid Luckman. OK, I’m kidding. But you can go back as far as the Jim McMahon era to find one and that was over 20 years ago. That’s right, it’s been a running joke around the NFL (and especially in the NFC North) about the number of quarterbacks who have started for the Chicago Bears since 1986. I mean, they had four different starting quarterbacks in 2004 alone. Even when the Bears went to Super Bowl XLI just three seasons ago, it was almost in spite of their starting QB Rex Grossman. Put Jay Cutler on that particular team and I think they beat the Indianapolis Colts.

It was a happy day at Halas Hall. And one Bears fans might remember forever.

Source: ChicagoBears.com, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Broncos Trade Jay Cutler to Bears

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

It didn’t look good for Chicago Bears quarterback Kyle Orton as he was carted from the field during his team’s 27-23 win over the still-winless Detroit Lions today. Rumors immediately began circulating that Kyle’s season was over with a broken ankle, but several sources are now reporting that the injury is a high ankle sprain that could keep him out anywhere from practice this week to four games — yes, quite a discrepancy. I guess he drove himself home after the game so how bad could it be?

Really, Kyle’s injury is mostly speculation until he has an MRI tomorrow. But if the Bears have to turn to Rex Grossman, I think it severely lessens their chances of winning the NFC North. Rex filled in OK this afternoon (9-of-19 for 58 yards, rushing and throwing TDs and an INT), but he’s backing-up Kyle for a reason. He’s not as good. And he’s a streaky quarterback who will eventually let you down. At least that’s what he’s proven in the past. This afternoon’s lackluster performance was a perfect example against the NFL’s worst defense. I can’t beat him up too badly because he did score the go-ahead touchdown, but he won’t win games for this team week-after-week.

Source: Chicago Tribune, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Kyle Orton Has High Ankle Sprain

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

This is why we love the National Football League, right? Even if your team came out on the losing end of one of these games, you have to appreciate the beauty of the fantastic finish. And five of today’s games had ‘em. If you were watching the 1 p.m. ET games on DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket Game Mix, good for you. You got your money’s worth. Four of the five fantastic finishes were early games ending at roughly the same time:

• After trailing for most of the game, Minnesota Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell hit a 26-yard field goal with nine seconds left as the Vikes beat the still winless (0-5) Detroit Lions 12-10. The game-winner came on the heels of a controversial pass interference call against Lions DB Leigh Bodden. After seeing the replay, I have to agree. It looked like Leigh barely touched Vikings receiver Aundrae Allison. Aundrae’s forward motion was his own lunging. And so begins the post-Matt Millen era in Detroit.
• On 4th and goal from the two-yard-line with three seconds on the clock and trailing by five points, Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub, back from an illness last week, called his own number, scoring on a quarterback draw to beat the Miami Dolphins 29-28. For the Texans, it was their first win of the season. And it took every bit of four quarters to get it. Houston receiver Andre Johnson had a career day with 10 catches (three on the final drive) for 178 yards and a touchdown.
• Josh Brown kicked a 49-yard field goal as time expired, leading the opportunistic St. Louis Rams to an unlikely 19-17 win over the heavily favored Washington Redskins. The kick came after a bonehead personal foul penalty by Rams guard Richie Incognito moved the try back 15 yards. For the Rams, despite that infraction and 10 other penalties — plus being outgained by 168 total yards — it was their first win and a great “audition” of sorts for interim head coach Jim Haslett.
• Jason Elam kicked a 48-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the Atlanta Falcons to a 22-20 win over the Chicago Bears. The Bears thought they had the game won after quarterback Kyle Orton connected with receiver Rashied Davis for a 17-yard score with 11 seconds left. I believe Falcons rookie quarterback Matt Ryan will look back at this game as a possible turning point in his rookie season — it was his first 300-yard passing effort and he made a perfect sideline throw to receiver Michael Jenkins under heavy pressure with six seconds left. He’ll still have his share of growing pains, but this was a veteran performance. Falcons fans have forgotten Michael Vick.
• The Arizona Cardinals became the first team in NFL history to win an overtime game on a blocked punt. The official Gamebook play-by-play looked like this: M.McBriar punt is BLOCKED by 87-S.Morey, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, RECOVERED by ARI-52-M.Beisel at DAL 3. 52-M.Beisel for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN. The score happened after forcing Dallas three-and-out to start the OT.

This is the kind of weekend the National Football League dreams of.

Source: NFL.com, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Five Fantastic Finishes

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith today announced that quarterback Kyle Orton will be the team’s starter when their season opens September 7 against the Indianapolis Colts. Kyle will also start this Thursday’s third preseason game with the San Francisco 49ers. It was an open competition when training camp began, but Kyle beat out QB Rex Grossman for the starting job. Coach Smith said:

“To come to a decision like that we’ve taken a lot of things into consideration: Last year, how (Kyle) finished the season … training camp, preseason games. In the end, it comes down to a gut feeling that you have. I feel good about Kyle leading our team.”

This decision doesn’t surprise me at all. In fact, I figured Kyle would be named the starter before training camp began. I guess the Bears were holding out one final hope that Rex Grossman would develop into the quarterback they hoped he would when they drafted him back in 2003. Still, I don’t think Kyle’s a world-beater. I just think he’s the better of the two quarterbacks. Which isn’t necessarily saying that much. Stats aren’t everything, but neither quarterback has really impressed with their numbers this preseason. Not to sound like a doomsayer, but it’s almost like the lesser of two evils principle.

Kyle does have some experience. If you’ll remember back to 2005, he started 15 games as a rookie before taking the controls for the final three games last season. And he played well enough. I remember when he was a rookie, he ran a simple version of the Bears offense. Now he’s shouldering the whole load. I’m not sure that’s a good look for him, but only time will tell.

Source: NFL.com, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Kyle Orton Will Start for Chicago Bears

Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL

Former Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Lloyd signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Bears yesterday. He’ll be reunited with his former college coach from the University of Illinois, Ron Turner, who is the Bears’ offensive coordinator.

Brandon was one of my favorite receivers during his time with the Niners. He made some of the most spectacular catches I’ve ever seen in three solid years there that had me believing he was going to be a superstar in the Bay area. His best season was in ‘05 when he had 48 catches for 733 yards and five TDs. Then, mysteriously, the team dealt him to Washington where he had a decent ‘06 (about 16 ypc) but did next to nothing in a 2007 season that ended early with a broken collarbone. The word in San Fran was that he had rubbed some of the 49ers vets the wrong way, thus his exit. I don’t believe he’s a problem in the locker room. He’s an artist (rapper) and somewhat of a free spirit. But I think he’s a good teammate. I interviewed him his last season with the Niners and found him to be a gracious and polite person during our talk. Upon signing with Chicago yesterday, Brandon said:

“The best thing I can do for myself is just come in and work. That’s not anything I haven’t done. I’m not going to sit here and say that it’s all my fault, and I’m not going to say that it’s all somebody else’s fault. The circumstances just weren’t right, and I’m just going to continue to try to find my fit, find my path in this league, because I feel I have the talent to play.”

That’s true. He absolutely does have the talent to play in this league. But I guess the bottom line in this deal is that Brandon probably won’t have a great 2008 because the Bears still have quarterback issues (among other personnel problems). Neither Rex Grossman nor Kyle Orton (who are in an open competition for the Bears’ starting QB job in ‘08) has proven they are ready to lead an NFL team on a regular basis. The fact that Rex still has a job proves just how hard it is to find a quality QB in the NFL. I think Brandon could’ve resurrected his career in places like New England, Indianapolis or Pittsburgh (where established QBs lead their teams and throw the ball a lot), but Chi-town probably won’t be the answer for BLloyd. If he can stay healthy and be productive, it’ll be a worthwhile audition for a better team in ‘09.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Brandon Lloyd Signs With Chicago Bears