So Kyle Orton is the Denver Broncos starting quarterback. Truthfully, was there ever a doubt?

When new head coach Josh McDaniels traded Pro Bowl QB Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears in April for Orton and a plethora of draft picks there was no question that the 26-year-old Purdue product had to be the guy.

You didn’t really think that after the way the Cutler debacle went down and Denver acquired Orton in the deal that it would name Chris Simms, who came to Denver as a free agent this offseason, as the starter did you? Not that Simms is a horrible quarterback, but the former University of Texas signal-caller has played in just one game, thrown two passes for the Tennessee Titans last year and almost ended his career three years ago with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It was then, playing against the Carolina Panthers, that Simms suffered an injury that led to emergency surgery following a 26-24 loss to have his spleen removed. He has seen limited NFL action since.

While Simms has been recovering, Orton was establishing himself as a winner, even if his individual statistics weren’t the loftiest. Orton has won 21 of 33 career starts, including in 2005 when he led Chicago to an 11-5 record and first place in the NFC North. The Bears lost to the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Divisional Playoffs. He led Chicago to a 9-7 record last season, just narrowly missing the NFC playoffs.

Now, Orton might be a winner, his numbers won’t even come close to comparing to those of the man he is replacing in the Mile High City.

Orton has never thrown for 3,000 yards in a season; Cutler has averaged more than 4,000 the last two seasons. Orton, who threw for a career-best 2,972 yards and 18 scores in 2008, has a 55.3 career completion percentage; Cutler has completed 63 percent of his passes since 2007. But Orton has a winning record and has played in the playoffs. Cutler is just 17-20 as a starter, having never led Denver to a winning record since taking over as the starter at the end of the 2006 season.

Simms might make more than three times as much money as Orton – Simms signed a two-year, $6 million deal with Denver while Orton is playing for just $995,000 under his rookie deal – Orton gives the Broncos more bang for their bucks. Now he just needs the playmakers around him, something he lacked in Chicago. That said, has anyone seen Brandon Marshall lately?

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