Come To Think Of It: Denver’s Brandon Marshall Is the Biggest Loser

No, I don’t mean to imply that the Broncos‘ fine wideout Brandon Marshall is a loser.

In fact, his NFL-record 21 receptions against the probable Super Bowl-bound Indianapolis Colts is indicative of his tremendous abilities.

Still, all those catches were in a 28-16 losing effort and when Marshall looks back on his record-setting day, that score will be there as well.

Marshall surpassed the mark San Francisco‘s Terrell Owens set on Dec. 17, 2000. He finished with 200 yards and two touchdowns and bettered his own team record of 18 catches, set on Sept. 14, 2008 against San Diego.

Kyle Orton is lucky to be throwing to a receiver like Marshall. Jay Cutler apparently benefited a lot from that while he was in Denver considering his struggles with the Bears.

Broncos coach Josh McDaniels put the proper spin on the achievement.

“When you lose, you lose,” McDaniels said. “There’s no moral victories in this league. We understand where we want to go. We just got a really close-up look of it for four quarters.”

Moral victories don’t show up in the standings, but look, despite falling behind 21-0, Denver didn’t embarrass itself in Indianapolis. Still, I’m sure the Broncos would trade Marshall’s record for a win.

Colts linebacker Clint Session had this to say when told about Marshall’s record.

“He got 21 catches today?” Session asked. “That’s a good tribute to that guy. We knew he was going to be a tough task to cover coming into this game. He got his, but they lost.”

And that’s the bottom line, isn’t it?

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Come to Think of it: Josh McDaniels “Swears” Denver Broncos Just Trying To Win

Hey, the Denver Broncos finally ended their run of futility, and all the reports focus on only one thing.

The win snapping Denver‘s four-game slide? No. Brian Dawkins’ inspired play? Nope, that’s not it either.

Instead, a swear word uttered by coach Josh McDaniels that was accidentally broadcast by the NFL Network during the game Thursday night took center stage.

It had been 38 days since the Broncos had won a game, yet all the talk is about McDaniels’ penchant for the F-word.

Meanwhile, there was a football game played last night, a 26-6 victory over the Giants, who are in the midst of a serious slide of their own.

Elvis Dumervil had two more sacks, raising his NFL-leading total to 14, the second one leading to a fumble. But both teams share one common theme: They have stalled since starting out undefeated.

Denver won its first six games before losing four in a row, and the Giants have lost five of six since starting the season 5-0. So much for the concept of momentum.

But, it was Denver’s inability to score in the red zone (hey, this is Kyle Orton and not Jay Cutler QBing the team, right? Just checking) that led to the NFL Network’s embarrassing mistake.

Coming out of a commercial break, the NFL Network showed a clip of McDaniels yelling at his players on the sideline, saying, “All we’re trying to do is win a [expletive] game!”

The vulgarity was clearly audible to viewers, and announcer Bob Papa immediately apologized on air. But he certainly doesn’t need to apologize to me, and I suspect most football fans could care less about swearing.

This is football, after all, a tough game played by tough men, and things get said in the heat of battle. Isn’t the game what it’s all about anyway?

So McDaniels swore last night? Tough [expletive], I say, come to think of it.

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Come To Think of It: Broncos’ Anemic Offense Rears Its Ugly Head

I’m a Bears fan, but the Denver Broncos have become my adopted team it seems, as this is the fourth article I’ve written about them since the start of the season. So it’s no sour grapes when I say that the defense I’ve been purporting as the main reason for their success just couldn’t overcome an offense that was weak on Monday night versus the Steelers.

Yes, that defense couldn’t stop the Steelers’ running game. But it was the offense that lost this one for Denver. Hey, I’m the first to admit that Kyle Orton is an efficient QB and that Jay Cutler hasn’t been as good as advertised.

Still, this is about the time last season when Orton went into the tank. Of course, his comeback from an ankle injury was blamed at the time, but I wonder if this is the start of something sinister with regards to Orton.

Three interceptions after throwing only one all year is a red flag. But let’s not let one bad game panic anyone. That running game for Denver tonight didn’t help anything either.

Sure, give credit to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But to show you what a crazy game football is, my Bears beat the Steelers earlier this year despite being a terrible team. Over two of the past three games, the Bears have looked like one of the worst teams in the NFL.

And the one win in that three-game span? To the Rams. ‘Nuff said.

Yet Denver, enjoying a very fine season, loses to the same Pittsburgh team. I told you it’s crazy.

So do you simply chalk this one up to a very good Steelers team and tip your cap, or does the two-game losing streak begin to scare you?

And can Kyle Orton recover and get back to his winning ways? Those are the questions, Denver fans, come to think of it.

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

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: The Denver Broncos May Never Lose Again

Following their impressive 34-23 victory over the Chargers Monday night, the Denver Broncos are 6-0, on their way to a perfect season and a Super Bowl win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Yes, that’s a bit of hyperbole, but call me a believer.

As a Bears fan who has listened to too much crap from Denver fans about Jay Cutler since the trade, I’ve been dragged kicking and screaming into becoming a Bronco believer.

Not that I have anything against Kyle Orton, but it has been difficult for me to follow this team without being reminded about how Cutler can’t win, makes too many mistakes, and how a game manager like Orton has helped the Bronco defense transform itself into a force.

Look, Orton is playing well, give him credit. He had a passer rating of 143.3 in the second half.

And yes, he plays cautiously, limiting mistakes, while Jay Cutler throws with reckless abandon at times. Orton’s only interception this season came on a Hail Mary.

Still, it’s the defensive transformation that has me astounded.

After the Broncos brought in 33-year-old man-child Josh McDaniels to coach the team, Mike Nolan was hired to run the defense. But c’mon, a coach can’t make that much of a difference, can he?

Well, Nolan brought along a 3-4 scheme, and six new defensive starters (seven, if you include Ryan McBean, who spent last season on the practice squad), the biggest name of which was Brian Dawkins. 

Elvis Dumervil leads the NFL with 10 sacks. They had terrific pressure on Phillip Rivers all night. The Broncos sacked Rivers five times, three in the fourth quarter. They held San Diego to 104 yards of offense in the second half.

San Diego fumbled four times, though they only lost one. It’s been a defensive turnaround to behold.

Meanwhile, their special teams play was a difference maker as well. While they did give up a punt return for a touchdown by Darren Sproles, how about Eddie Royal? On his  two returns for TDs he was touched a total of one time.

That’s great running, but it’s also good blocking.

Super Bowl-bound Broncos? That has a ring to it. Think I’m crazy? The last time Denver went this long undefeated it was 1998. That year, Denver started 13-0 on their way to a Super Bowl XXXIII victory, their second consecutive SB behind John Elway. 

Maybe it’s not so crazy after all, come to think of it.  

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Come To Think Of It: Denver Broncos Remain Perfect Despite Butt Ugly Uniforms

They call it “throw back” night, but they could have just as easily called it “throw up” night, because those uniforms that the Denver Broncos wore in their improbable victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday made me want to puke.

Decked out in their best 1970s-era, Dave Winfield-led San Diego Padres colors, the Broncos seemed doomed in the first half, with Josh McDaniels’ idiotic decision to use his final challenge to save three yards capping an underwhelming performance.

 

Yep, their first half performance was one for the ages all right. The stone ages.

What can brown pants do for you? Well, apparently enough to score yet another come-from-behind win. The surprising Denver Broncos improved to 5-0 on the season.

Imagine what the Orange Crush uniforms could have accomplished. Why, the Patriots wouldn’t have had a chance.

McDaniels joins the Colts’ Jim Caldwell as one of only five rookie coaches in NFL history to start a season undefeated after five games. 

Kyle Orton, obtained in the Jay Cutler trade, actually outplayed Patriots QB Tom Brady, completing 35 of 48 passes for 330 yards and two TDs. This was only the second 300-yard passing game of his career.

Meanwhile, Tom Brady is now 1-5 as a starter against the Broncos for his career. Denver is the only team he does not have a winning record against.

“The guys in this locker room believe, the coaches believe, guys believe in each other and are fighting,” defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday said. As well they should.

“The electricity in the stadium was so great that we had to have it,” Orton said. “When we got to overtime, we just had to win.”

The Denver defense continued its miraculous comeback from a lousy season last year, as they held Brady to just 63 yards in the second half.

Despite an Orton interception, his first of the season, the Broncos proved to the football world that they are for real. Even if their uniforms were lacking, come to think of it.

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