Come To Think Of It, Who Would You Rather Have: Jay Cutler or Kyle Orton?

By Bob Warja
for BroncosZone.com

Published: October 22, 2009

It’s a debate for the ages—who is the better QB, Kyle Orton or Jay Cutler?

To me, it’s fairly cut and dry. For now, Orton is fine. You can win with him. If you are a risk averse team, you certainly like his game managing skills and ability to avoid making mistakes.

Yet, for the long term, give me Jay Cutler to build around. He has the stronger arm, the mobility, the franchise-changing ability to win games all by himself that Orton does not—and likely never will—have.

But try telling that to a Denver fan who not only hates Cutler but is enjoying an undefeated season thus far. It’s difficult to argue when faced with the choice between a QB that has thrown only one interception (a “hail mary” picked off by Randy Moss, of all people) and one who throws picks about as often as he throws TDs.

There’s also that little issue of the 6-0 season. Not that it’s all because of Orton.

Still…

I keep hearing that Cutler is a primadona; that he’s a baby, only concerned about his stats.

Meanwhile, I keep hearing how Kyle Orton is the main reason for the Broncos surprising success this season.

It’s as if Denver’s 6-0 record is because of Orton, not due to an excellent defense and an offensive line that would allow Orton to order a pizza while waiting to throw if he wanted.

The arguments go as follows: Because Orton doesn’t throw picks, the Broncos can score in the red zone.

Even the improved play of the defense is apparently due to Orton. His sustained drives are keeping the Denver defense off the field longer, resulting in fresher bodies and improved play.

Hell, I’m surprised that Orton isn’t being given credit for ending world hunger, the hyperbole is flowing so much.

And Cutler is solely responsible for global warming, right?

Look, the recipe for success in the NFL isn’t trading a franchise QB for a mediocre one. If it were that simple, the Bears would have many more Super Bowls to their credit.

And if being a gunslinger was so bad, how come the Packers and Brett Favre did so well all these years?

Don’t get me wrong, teams can win with Orton. But they don’t win because of him. He is playing as well as he can, with limited upside, while a guy like Cutler has no ceiling.

Yes, Cutler makes more mistakes. It’s because his talent allows him to take more chances.

It’s a lot like comparing defensive players in baseball based on number of errors. That is flawed logic because a player with greater range may make more errors because he gets to more balls.

You still take the player with the better range. Just like you take the QB with the stronger arm.

Denver’s turnaround has more to do with the improvement on defensive side of the ball. But give Orton his just due, he’s performing well like he did with the Bears in the first half of last season, prior to injuring his ankle.

Yet comparing the two based on their teams’ win-loss records is plain silly. Going back to a baseball analogy again, it’s like comparing pitchers based on their win-loss records. There are so many variables that go beyond his control that the W-L is not a fair indicator of performance.

As for the difference in their personalities, of course a guy like Cutler is going to be the more conceited. All the great ones, in every sport, have huge egos. If you don’t think that Joe Montana could be a real turd to his teammates, then you didn’t get the memo.

Time will tell, I suppose. But at this point in their respective careers, Cutler has made a Pro Bowl, has thrown for more yards, and throws a much better deep ball than Orton. And I imagine it will remain that way.

I don’t begrudge Denver its success. And I’m happy for Orton, he seems like a good guy.

But long term, I still think Cutler ends up being the better QB.

Of course, let’s not let facts get in the way, come to think of it.

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Come To Think Of It, Who Would You Rather Have: Jay Cutler or Kyle Orton?

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