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?
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
NFC West Woes Soon Will End
Recently, some of the NFL's top reporters have said some pretty gruesome things about the NFC West. In the past 3 years, the divisions in the NFL who have had the honor of playing the four teams that make up the division have been dominant, leading to bloated records. In 2008, the AFC North went 11-5 against them. 2009 saw the AFC South (which was relatively weak in '09) compile a 12-4 record. Worse still, this past season, the NFC South put up gaudy numbers in route to going 13-3 against the weakened western footballers. So the reports have been correct. They have been a doormat in the recent past.
That, however, will start to change sooner than most think. The San Francisco 49ers got rid of "Hothead" Coach Mike Singletary and brought in Jim Harbaugh to bring some much needed order to the squad. That may make a positive difference just as quickly as last year's hiring of Pete Carroll by the Seattle Seahawks did, when after going 5-11 in '09, they won the division (albeit with a 7-9 losing record), then won a playoff game at home against the New Orleans Saints, shocking the entire football world. They became the first team in NFL history to win a playoff game with a losing record.
The St. Louis Rams drafted their quarterback of right now and the future with Sam Bradford, and don't be messing around thinking this kid will be a dud. Not gonna happen. Dude's amazing. When they get themselves a solid receiving core and a decent line, we're looking at the second coming of "The Greatest Show On Turf". Lastly, the Arizona Cardinals have done something about that underachieving defense, hiring Ray Horton as their Defensive Coordinator. Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt is friends with Horton from their days in Pittsburgh, and yes, he may have gotten possibly his third choice to fill the position, but the hire is still a big deal. Horton brings young energy with him, reportedly hiring Deshea Townsend as an assistant to help with the Defensive Backs, though Townsend hasn't yet filed official retirement papers with the NFL.
As metal gods Judas Priest once said, "You've got another thing coming". That is, if you're the NFC East, anyway. They have the misfortune of playing the NFC West next season. The success I speak of remains to be seen, of course, seeing how there may not be a full season of football next year. The CBA talks have resumed under federal supervision, though, and NFL Commish Roger Goodell is more optimistic now than he was a week ago, when meetings were cancelled due to heated arguments over certain issues being discussed. God willing, if everything works out between both sides and there is football in the late summer, we're looking at a different NFC West monster. Yeah, I said it. They're gonna be monsters next year.
That, however, will start to change sooner than most think. The San Francisco 49ers got rid of "Hothead" Coach Mike Singletary and brought in Jim Harbaugh to bring some much needed order to the squad. That may make a positive difference just as quickly as last year's hiring of Pete Carroll by the Seattle Seahawks did, when after going 5-11 in '09, they won the division (albeit with a 7-9 losing record), then won a playoff game at home against the New Orleans Saints, shocking the entire football world. They became the first team in NFL history to win a playoff game with a losing record.
The St. Louis Rams drafted their quarterback of right now and the future with Sam Bradford, and don't be messing around thinking this kid will be a dud. Not gonna happen. Dude's amazing. When they get themselves a solid receiving core and a decent line, we're looking at the second coming of "The Greatest Show On Turf". Lastly, the Arizona Cardinals have done something about that underachieving defense, hiring Ray Horton as their Defensive Coordinator. Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt is friends with Horton from their days in Pittsburgh, and yes, he may have gotten possibly his third choice to fill the position, but the hire is still a big deal. Horton brings young energy with him, reportedly hiring Deshea Townsend as an assistant to help with the Defensive Backs, though Townsend hasn't yet filed official retirement papers with the NFL.
As metal gods Judas Priest once said, "You've got another thing coming". That is, if you're the NFC East, anyway. They have the misfortune of playing the NFC West next season. The success I speak of remains to be seen, of course, seeing how there may not be a full season of football next year. The CBA talks have resumed under federal supervision, though, and NFL Commish Roger Goodell is more optimistic now than he was a week ago, when meetings were cancelled due to heated arguments over certain issues being discussed. God willing, if everything works out between both sides and there is football in the late summer, we're looking at a different NFC West monster. Yeah, I said it. They're gonna be monsters next year.
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