This offseason has been quite a ride for the Denver Broncos. Mike Shanahan was fired, Josh McDaniels was hired, and Jay Cutler was traded to the Chicago Bears.

On that note, I am disappointed and shocked to hear about so many previous Broncos fans becoming Bears fans because of the Cutler trade.

Though I was uneasy about the trade at first as well, I’ve become confident that Orton will do great for us in Denver, and may even have a better season than Cutler.

My first reasoning is the comparison of the stats. With the loss of seven running backs, Cutler was forced to throw the ball much more often.

With this, he threw for 4,526 yards, 25 touchdowns, and had 18 interceptions, completing 384 of 616 passes. Great numbers for only his third season in the league.

Kyle Orton was also at a loss, except it wasn’t the running game, but the passing game that hurt him the most. Orton’s supporting cast was one of the worst in the NFL. With the passing game down, the Bears took to the ground with star rookie running back, Matt Forte.

When they did pass, Kyle threw for 2,972 yards and 18 touchdowns, completing 272 of 465 passes. He also only threw 12 interceptions, six less than Cutler had. It might not be saying much since Cutler threw more, but it’s fewer than Cutler nonetheless.

My next reason is the supporting cast of the teams.

Even with seven running backs on injured reserve, the Broncos still had the second best offense in the NFL, according to most polls that I have seen. With that, the Broncos have some of the best receivers in the NFL.

Last year, Brandon Marshall had 1,265 yards, 104 receptions, and six touchdowns. Marshall was also named to a Pro-Bowl. This was all accomplished even after he was out for the entire first game.

Eddie Royal also played a huge part in the offense last year. He had 91 receptions for 980 yards, and five touchdowns. Not outstanding numbers, but the guy was a rookie, and for a rookie it’s very impressive.

Brandon Stokley didn’t play a giant part, but he was always there when the Broncos needed him. When they did call on him, he was outstanding.

Stokley had 49 receptions for 528 yards, and three touchdowns. These stats aren’t much to brag about, but then again he wasn’t passed to as often as the other receivers. Cutler gave Brandon some pretty difficult throws, most of which he caught.

As for the Bears’ receivers, their talent wasn’t as appealing. The Chicago Bears have no big name wide-outs on their team. People may say that Devon Hester is, but his main area is in special teams.

I watched a few Bears games last year, and most of what I saw on offense was the wide receivers consistently dropping the ball. Not all of the time, but it was definitely a concern.

With Orton’s previous talent, his new team, and going back to some of the things he did in Purdue, he should do fine for the Broncos.

With Cutler’s previous talent, new players, and a new playbook…well, I guess, I’ll have to see for myself how he does.

Like I said in one of my first articles, I have faith in Kyle Orton, and I believe he’ll do great things for the Broncos. For those of you who jumped on the Cutler bandwagon, good luck, and good riddance!

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