The Denver Broncos introduced John Fox as their new Head Coach on January 14, 2011, and he will be making the personnel decisions for them from now on. He started by telling the world that his quarterback would be Kyle Orton, not highly touted youngster Tim Tebow. I get what Fox is trying to do, because with Orton, you have a leader who knows the offense, and he's a nice fit. Orton's stats were very good last year, throwing for 3,653 yards and 20 TDs. They were much the same in '09 (3,802 and 21), so the production is there.
With Tebow's quarterbacking style, they would need to completely overhaul the offensive scheme. And that, my friends, is why he won't be the immediate starter. As a bruising runner who throws when he needs to, the offense would look more like the Gator offense he ran so well for three years. That may not be a bad thing, but it isn't what a new Head Coach wants to deal with as he walks in the door for the first time.
Fox, I'm sure, will be working furiously to develop an offense more suited for the former Gator throughout the season, so that when Tebow takes over, the transition will be a bit more seamless. I'll be honest, I have never liked Tebow much, but that's neither here nor there. Fact is, he's a first round draft pick, and he's good. They can't avoid playing him for too long, or their fans may riot. All Fox is doing is buying himself some time to personally develop Tebow to be darn sure the 23 year old is ready to put the mile high franchise on his back and run.
So how long of a leash does Orton have? If 2011 starts as 2010 did when they went 2-6 in the front half of the season, the plug may be pulled and Tebow would likely take over. From now until then, there is ample time for the coaching staff to devise a plan of attack for Tebow. Of the quarterbacks in the league with similar styles, I believe he can be the one to successfully orchestrate a loosely option-based offensive system. He has the size, power, speed, and mostly the toughness to run it profitably for years. Until then, Kyle Orton will be feeling Tim Tebow's hot breath on his neck.
I don't know about you, but that's not the sort of pressure I would want going into a season if I'm Orton. I'm sure he knows his days as the Broncos field general are numbered, and he's going to need to play for his future this season. I do know that some needy franchises would welcome him with open arms right now ::Cardinals, cough::, so he should strongly consider playing the best football of his life in the season to come. Anyone want a mansion in the Denver metropolitan area?
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