Broncos: Love and hate
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DENVER -- Love/hate observations about the Denver Broncos after watching their preseason game against Detroit.
Love
• Kyle Orton. He's not the sexiest thrower. He's not a great athlete. He can't run. Other than that, he's fine. But Orton is solid and highly underappreciated in a city that is falling seriously in love with a rookie (Tim Tebow) who has done nothing except injure his ribs. Orton passed for 3,802 yards last season, setting a club record for most passing yards by a player in his first season with the team. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes, which is different from the quarterback he replaced, interception machine Jay Cutler. In two preseason games Orton has thrown only 11 incomplete passes in 35 attempts for 261 yards and four touchdowns with each score coming to a different wide receiver.
• Champ Bailey. Each year, day after day, week after week, month after month, Bailey performs at a high level. No antics. No stupidity. No jerkiness. Just Pro Bowl level play. It's a remarkable sight to see Bailey be so dominant after all these years in the NFL.
• The schedule. Portions of it aren't easy. There are some tough early games that include a stretch against Indianapolis, Tennessee, Baltimore and the Jets. But then comes this: Oakland, San Francisco, Kansas City, San Diego, St. Louis, Kansas City, Arizona, Oakland, Houston and San Diego again. The Chiefs are the Chiefs, the Chargers are a mess, the Raiders are the Raiders, the Rams are the Rams and Houston is overrated.
Hate
• Tim Tebow. He's already hurt and the fact Denver gave Orton a contract extension shows Tebow's not ready to play yet he's probably going to be the primary backup unless the Broncos bring in a veteran. Speaking of "veterans" ...
• Brady Quinn. The next regular season touchdown Quinn throws will be in the UFL.
• Running back situation. It's a total wildcard. The team has no idea what Knowshon Moreno will give them and Correll Buckhalter is just a guy as is Justin Fargas. And then there's LenDale White, who cut the tequila out of his diet, but also cut out his ability to run effectively.
