DENVER -- Welcome to Auction Night at Invesco Field at Mile High. Without further adieu, let's start the bidding.
Do I hear one -- one Denver Broncos victory in 2009?
Right here in front, the gentleman wearing the grey hoodie and Motorola headset. Thank you for the bid, young man. Josh McDaniels, if I'm not mistaken.
Do I hear two, two Denver victories this season? Don't be shy. Yes, to the nice lady wearing the No. 8 jersey. Aren't you Kyle Orton's mom?
Three, do I hear three Broncos victories? Over here on the right. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. We can always count on you for some optimism.
Three Broncos victories. Do I hear four? Back to Coach McDaniels. Thanks again, Coach.
That's four victories. Do I hear five? Anyone? Anyone? Four victories going once ... going twice ...
Even the most optimistic of Broncos fans had to be discouraged Sunday night after watching their former gunslinging quarterback Jay Cutler saunter into Invesco Field.
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| Judging from what has been going on in Broncos camp, Denver fans will have plenty more to vent about in the weeks to come. (US Presswire) |
• Bears 27, Broncos 17 | Cutler | Orton
Pressured into hurried throws early in the game, Cutler settled down and calmly picked apart the Denver defense for 144 yards in two quarters of work. For his final act, he zipped a 6-yard TD pass to Matt Forte to cap a 98-yard scoring drive.
"It was a little bit weird -- different locker room, different sideline -- but that's how it goes," Cutler said, sounding as matter-of-fact as a guy picking up his dry cleaning. "I love where I'm at in Chicago. I think we're headed in the right direction offensively."
While Cutler and the Bears appear headed north in the NFC pecking order, the Broncos continue to freefall into an abyss of injuries, unforced errors and drama.
Orton, who has been unspectacular in three preseason games, walked out of the stadium Sunday night with a cast covering his right index finger. He has hardly looked like the next coming of John Elway, but at least he has a pedigree. With backup Chris Simms shelved with a severe ankle injury, the Broncos will turn to Tom Brandstater and Ingle Martin to get them through the final exhibition game.
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"We'll play who we can play with," coach Josh McDaniels said. "Obviously we want the best group out there, but life goes on sometimes. You play with who you have."
McDaniels speaks from experience. He's the guy who turned former New England Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel into a household name after Tom Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury in the season opener a year ago.
Give McDaniels credit for having the confidence to believe he can win with Orton, Simms or Brandstater, but there comes a point where confidence just serves as camouflage for denial.
Even with Orton or Simms healthy for the opener at Cincinnati, nobody knows who's going to be catching the passes. Pro Bowl wideout Brandon Marshall won't be practicing with the team until his suspension for insubordination ends Sept. 6. Jabar Gaffney, a McDaniels pet from New England, is out indefinitely with a broken thumb.
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Questions
Cutler, meanwhile, is looking comfortable throwing to wide receivers Earl Bennett and Devin Hester, Forte out of the backfield, and tight ends Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark. It's not exactly a Fab Five, but it's good enough with Cutler flinging the ball from the pocket or on the run.
Even McDaniels seem begrudgingly impressed after watching Cutler make himself at home against an overmatched defense.
"He played well. He stood in there pretty good against the pressure," said McDaniels, who never referenced Cutler by name. "He did a lot of nice things for them, and I'm sure he'll have a nice year out there in Chicago."
For the uninitiated, Cutler is the toast of Chicago because he and McDaniels couldn't get on the same page after McDaniels was hired to replace former coach Mike Shanahan. Broncos owner Pat Bowlen later took responsibility by saying he decided to trade Cutler because the brash, young QB wouldn't return his phone calls.
Bowlen and McDaniels might be glad to have unlisted numbers by Thanksgiving. With dates against Dallas, New England, San Diego (twice), Baltimore, Pittsburgh and the New York Giants in the first 11 weeks, Denver realistically could be 2-9 at the end of November. It doesn't get much better with games at Indianapolis and Philadelphia in December.
The silver lining of having a poor record usually comes in the form of a high draft pick the following spring. Not for the Broncos, who traded their own first-round selection in 2010 to Seattle to draft cornerback Alphonso Smith in the second round last April.
Imagine the backlash from Broncos fans if the Smith trade costs the team a chance to land a promising young arm such as Sam Bradford or Colt McCoy next spring.
In the meantime, the Broncos have their share of immediate problems to fix. In the past four quarters against Cutler and Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, their first-string defense has been burned for 315 yards and three touchdowns. The Broncos have yet to force a turnover but have committed eight themselves.
On top of that, the running game is suspect, and execution in the red zone is subpar.
All is not well in Bronco Nation, yet nobody inside team headquarters is willing to say the franchise is rebuilding.
Maybe that's because the whole darn thing is still falling apart.
