No Respect!

Why is it that Kyle Orton gets absolutely no credit for being a good NFL QB? In fact, not only doesn't he get credit for being a good QB, he's frowned upon and looked at as a stop gap until a good one comes along.

The Denver Broncos were the laughing stock of the NFL this off season when they let Jay Cutler go to the Bears and received Orton back as part of the compensation. They were the laughing stock again as they new coach Josh McDaniels lobbied publicly for and failed to get New England QB Matt Cassel who ultimately was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs.

When Orton was a Chicago Bear they couldn't wait to get rid of him. In 2005 as a rookie Rex Grossman (the predetermined starter going into the year) was hurt in preseason and Orton played the first 15 games. Orton was 10-5 as a starter and when Grossman was healthy they placed him as the starter in game 16, throughout the playoffs and for the Superbowl.

The coaching staff asked Orton to minimize mistakes and to let the rushing attack and the defense win ballgames rather than employing an aggressive passing attack. Measuring Orton by victories, his rookie season was a successful one even by historical standards. Orton's 15 starts and 10 victories are both rookie records for Bears quarterbacks, and the 10 victories are the third most in the NFL since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, behind only Ben Roethlisberger's 14 victories in 2004, and 11 victories by Joe Flacco last year.

Following the 2005 season, the Bears signed veteran Brian Griese as the team's second string quarterback. Orton, now demoted, became the Bears' third-string quarterback, and did not see any playtime throughout the entire 2006 season.

In 2007 the Bears played merry-go-round with their QB's. Grossman. Greise, Orton.... In 2008 more of the same, Grossman, Orton.

So now he's in Denver. Orton has led the Broncos who were the laughing stock of the league no more than seven weeks ago to a 6-0 start. Kyle Orton, is not pretty. True, he doesn't groom himself and could use a shave, but that's not what I mean. He doesn't put up flashy stats and isn't charismatic. He simply manages the game, and manages the game well.

He manages the game so well in fact he has the 3rd highest winning percentage behind all active QB's with more than 2 full years of game starts.

My apologies if your favorite QB isn't on the list but let's take a look at the QB's that are generally regarded as the best QB's in the NFL and where they rank.

No one wants the guy. Josh McDaniels didn't want him, Lovie Smith didn't want him, the fans in Chicago definitely didn't want him, the pundits in the TV and print media didn't want him.... I don't even know if his mother wanted him? The guy is always the fall-back position. Grossman doesn't work out... ok try Orton. Greise doesn't work out... ok try Orton, Cassel doesn't work out... ok, try Orton.

All I know is the guy wins. I'm a life-long Jets fan and my guy threw five picks last week. FIVE! If Orton was my QB we'd be 5-1 right now and not 3-3. And there are at ten teams at a minimum that would be better off if Orton were their QB too. Count'em. - Mike Cardano

Mike Cardano is the founder of the Around the Horn Baseball Blog and the Extra Point Football Blog.

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