You take the good, and you take the bad.

There is no way to sugarcoat this one Broncos fans; new quarterback Kyle Orton had a very rocky Denver debut.

Despite marching the troops directly to San Francisco’s four-yard line in his opening drive, Orton tried to force the ball to tight end Daniel Graham in the back of the end zone. While Graham appeared to be wide open when the ball was thrown, veteran cornerback Nate Clements broke from his receiver to make an incredible interception to end Denver’s impressive drive.

On the following Denver drive, Orton was able to drive the Broncos into enemy territory again, only to be picked off a second time by Dre’ Bly. This particular throw appeared to be intended for Brandon Stokley, who was well covered.

On the fourth play of the next Denver possession, Orton fired a pass to a wide open Jabar Gaffney, and San Francisco safety Reggie Smith skied in the air to grab the Orton pass.

Orton’s debut as a Denver Bronco lasted two quarters, but you can bet the fifth-year quarterback wanted to stay on the field after throwing three picks to prove he was not as bad as his game indicated.

Although Denver’s new signal caller had a rough start, it should be dually noted that the Broncos defense was absolutely dominant throughout the course of this game.

In fact, the Mike Nolan-led unit surrendered only six points on Orton’s three turnovers, and that was with a three-yard field to work with.

So, Broncos fans, hidden beneath a poor performance by our new quarterback was a spectacular performance by our new defense.

The Broncos’ aggressive attack was led by the front seven, who throughout the course of the game compiled four sacks.

Here are some of the highlights and low-lights of Denver’s pre-season opener against the 49ers:

Low-Lights

1. Kyle Orton—Orton was very shaky in his Broncos debut. He consistently moved the ball down the field, but three interceptions in one half is never acceptable. I expect him to come out firing once again when the Broncos travel to Seattle next week. He displayed a very strong arm, stronger than it was in camp, and let’s face it: This was his first game in a brand new system with a brand new team.  Like I said, there is no way to sugar coat it, but this performance will be good motivation for the new Denver quarterback, and remember Broncos fans—this is the preseason.
2. LaMont Jordan—Jordan was, to me, the biggest disappointment of the night. He was slow, went down very easily, and rarely kept his legs churning. Before a carry of eight yards (his longest of the game), he was averaging only two yards per carry. Jordan did have a nine-yard reception on the opening drive, but he needs to utilize his great size by running harder.

Highlights

1. Defensive Front Seven—I am proud to declare that the best part of Denver’s game tonight was the performance by the front seven.  Rookie nose tackle Chris Baker, defensive end Ryan McBean, and outside linebackers Elvis Dumervil and Mario Haggan each had a sack in Denver’s defensive effort. This unit allowed only 278 yards and appeared much more aggressive than year’s past. For the first time in two years, I am impressed with Denver’s defensive unit.
2. Chris Simms—Simms entered the game in the second half and put on quite a show for Broncos fans. He finished the game completing 11 of his 17 pass attempts for 142 yards and two touchdowns.  Simms displayed a rocket for an arm and brought the Broncos back into the game with three scoring drives in the second half.
3. Peyton Hillis—Hillis needs no explanation to Bronco fans. He proved once and for all why he is so valuable to this team, rushing 10 times for 49 yards, catching two passes for 18 yards, and blocking very well. This kid is the real deal.
4. Knowshon Moreno—The rookie running back came in on the second drive of the night and ran the ball three times for 18 yards. The numbers are not gawdy, but he averaged six yards per carry, displayed great toughness (he appeared to play injured after his first carry), and showed he had great quickness to the hole.
5. Kenny McKinley and Brandon Lloyd—Rookie wide receiver Kenny McKinley had a pretty marginal game until making the biggest play of the game for Denver when he snagged a 52-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chris Simms. He finished with 71 yards on three receptions, and saw time as both the kick returner and punt returner. Veteran receiver Brandon Lloyd snagged two passes from Simms, and both are likely to be on someone’s highlight reel. He finished with two receptions for 42 yards.
6. Did I mention the front seven?  Along with the four players who recorded sacks, the rest of the Broncos’ new look 3-4 was quite impressive as well. Second-year linebacker Spencer Larsen led the team with five tackles, including a stop on third down that led to a punt that was followed by a Denver touchdown late in the fourth quarter. New linebacker Andra Davis found himself making plays in the backfield multiple times, and Kenny Peterson had four stops of his own. What an opening performance by these guys.
7. Head Coach Josh McDaniels—McDaniels put together a wonderful offensive game plan and also appears to have done a nice job of putting together a defensive unit that can rush the quarterback and stop the run. The rookie also had his team go for two when they could have tied the game late in the fourth at 17 apiece, and the pass by Simms was intercepted in the end zone. I like what I am seeing out of him so far.

This performance by Kyle Orton is sure to receive all the negative press in the world, but quite frankly the Broncos controlled the rest of the game. Give credit to San Francisco for playing a great game, because they did. They shut the Broncos’ offense down in the first half, and Mike Singletary did a great job of coaching.

Take it with a grain of salt, Broncos fans. It’s only the preseason.

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