After the 5-0 start this season, you would think that Jay Cutler would be all but forgotten, but nothing could be further from the truth. How do you forget about someone who was so acclaimed and hyped up by the media yet couldn’t get the Broncos into the playoffs? How do you forget about a “franchise” quarterback who would show flashes of brilliance only to flop in big games? How do you forget about a quarterback who acted like he was the second coming of John Elway when the organization had entertained the thought of trading him? “How dare they think of trading me! I have a losing record as an NFL starter.”

The answer to those questions is simple; you can’t forget. However, you can move on in a better direction. Nobody thought that the Broncos were moving in a better direction when they traded Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears for Kyle Orton and two first round draft choices. Jay Cutler forced the Broncos’ hand, and Denver benefited, becoming a much better and balanced team.

Kyle Orton may never throw the deep ball like Jay Cutler. He may never evade pass rushers like number six did. In fact, the only similarity between Orton and Cutler is their hairstyles. I will take Kyle Orton’s 26-12 record as a starting quarterback any day over Cutler’s 19-20 record.

Kyle Orton was interviewed during halftime of Sunday Night Football by Bob Costas. Costas asked him whether he thought he should be recognized for being a quarterback who wins games. That was all the recognition that he needed. Orton basically said that he wasn’t the one who won those games; it has always been a team effort. Granted, Jay Cutler would probably throw out a similar cliché if he was asked a question like that. However, when Kyle Orton says it, I believe it and find the humility very refreshing.

I was comfortable with the trade for Orton. He wins games behind his team; he doesn’t try to get his team to win behind him. Orton is what you call a serviceable quarterback. He is not a Peyton Manning or Drew Brees type, but he can manage a game.

Orton seems to be improving under the leadership of Josh McDaniels. He is avoiding major mistakes and relying on short passes to move the ball down the field. Sunday’s game against New England was probably the best game of his career as far as accuracy is concerned. Orton threw the ball 48 times, completing 35 of those passes, a career best. Those 35 completions added up to 330 yards and two touchdown passes to Brandon Marshall, who is quickly becoming Orton’s weapon of choice.

Kyle Orton, we don’t want another Jay Cutler. Just keep doing what you are doing.

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The ultimate test for the Denver Broncos came this past Sunday. A 4-0 start showed that Denver is heading in the right direction, but many were questioning if Denver could beat an elite NFL team. That question was answered when the Broncos came from behind to defeat the New England Patriots in overtime before a roaring crowd at Invesco Field.

The Broncos were wearing their 1960 uniforms which looked nothing like their current uniforms or even the Orange Crush uniforms of the 1970’s and 80’s. The Broncos also surrendered more points to the Patriots this season than they had to any other team. This looked nothing like the Denver Broncos of weeks one through four. It was 17-7 at halftime, and the Denver Broncos did what they needed to do: they scored ten points in the second half, and the Patriots were all but shut down by the defense, which looked nothing like the defense of last year.

After Kyle Orton connected with Brandon Marshall for the second time in the game, evening the score, Vonnie Holliday fought through a blocker to strip the ball out of Tom Brady’s hand seconds before he threw the ball. The faces on both sidelines showed everything: the Patriots were dejected and losing hope, and the Broncos—well, they knew that they have something special going this season.

Overtime proved those sentiments to be true. Denver won the toss. Kyle Orton led the Broncos in to field goal range, and Matt Prater kicked a 41-yard field goal. A sea of ecstatic men wearing mustard yellow and brown with funky striped socks celebrated.

33-year-old rookie head coach Josh McDaniels added to the emotion of the thrilling victory as he ran to the corner of the stadium where his family was sitting and passionately pumped his fist three or four times, bringing the crowd into a state of pandemonium.

Pump one: “We can beat tough teams and overcome a deficit despite what doubters say.” Pump two: “It is so awesome to be a part one of the NFL’s greatest franchises as it rebuilds its image and attitude.” Pump three: “I won’t lie. It feels great to beat New England my first time playing them.” Pump four: “Pat Bowlen made the right decision.”

Moreno Proving His Worth

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When the Broncos drafted Knowshon Moreno out of Georgia with the 13th overall pick, one couldn’t help but wonder why they didn’t use that pick to select the best available defensive lineman. Bill Simmons’ theory was that the Broncos had given up so many rushing yards in 2008 that they figured they should take the best available running back so that they wouldn’t have to play against him.

Moreno is playing well and proving that the Broncos made a pretty good choice. Josh McDaniels is the type of coach who doesn’t like to rely on one horse in the backfield, but Moreno is proving to be the man, especially with an injured Correll Buckhalter.

Moreno leads the Broncos in rushing yards with 337. He averages 4.2 yards per carry and scored his first and only rushing touchdown of the season against the Oakland Raiders. Moreno is also showing playmaking skill as a receiving back. He scored a receiving touchdown against the Cowboys last week, and he also had a 27-yard reception in Denver’s 98-yard drive that tied the game against the Patriots.

Moreno could probably be “the” guy for the Broncos (he carried the ball 21 times for 88 yards this past Sunday), but sharing the load helps take the pressure off of him. He is on pace, however, to gain 1,000 yards in the rushing department.

An Excellent Start Punctuated With A Thrilling Finish Against Dallas

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The Denver Broncos are 4-0. I don’t think even the most optimistic Broncos fan would have predicted this. Of course, this is going to lead to so-called experts saying that the Broncos are a fluke.

Prior to the thrilling finish to the Dallas game, some moron on the radio predicted that Denver could easily wind up at 3-13, discounting the fact that they play the Chiefs twice and the Raiders once more in Denver. Yes, Denver’s schedule gets harder, but they passed their first test against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys can hurt you with big play after big play, especially in the running game. Denver’s defense all but destroyed that for most of the second half. With less than two minutes in the game following Brandon Marshall’s amazing touchdown catch-and-run, the Cowboys had only gained around 60 yards of total offense in the second half. The Cowboys were able to drive down to Denver’s two-yard line, but the consistently stingy Bronco defense denied them entry and clinched a 17-10 win.

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Denver’s season seems magical so far, but it is not a miracle. When you put the right guys together and get rid of the egos, a concept called “team” develops. When your owner fires one of his best friends because he wants the organization to go in a better direction, the members of that organization are going to take that new direction seriously or they are going to want to go somewhere else. When a team is composed of a variety of “men” who want to make plays to help the team win and can do so, good things will follow.

As Denver was dismantling the Raiders in week three, a commentator for CBS said that Denver seems to be overachieving. He attributed it to mistake-free football. Well, at times on Sunday against the Cowboys, it seemed like the Broncos were shooting themselves in the foot as they committed 10 penalties. That is not mistake-free football. They still won the game against a big-name team.

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So, then, to what do I attribute the Broncos success this season? Stingy defense with far more takeaways than last season and intense pressure on opposing quarterbacks is the first factor. Second, players are stepping up in huge ways at the right time, whether it is Brandon Stokley catching a tipped ball and taking it to the house, Correll Buckhalter breaking a huge touchdown run, or Brandon Marshall dodging suckers left and right to score a 51-yard touchdown against the Cowboys to put the Broncos ahead for good. Third, and most important, the culture of the Denver Broncos is changing. It is not about one gun slinging quarterback anymore; it is about defense, intensity, and commitment to team.

I am a big fan of this change.

I Forgive You, Brandon Marshall (For Now!)

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I have been very critical of both Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall. I have said that Denver doesn’t need Brandon Marshall (especially if he is going to be a distraction and not get on board with the new look Broncos). I never said that Denver couldn’t use him though.

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I think Broncos fans were blown away by the emotional ending to Sunday’s game, considering that many thanks were owed to Brandon Marshall, a young man who has seemed more like a cancer this season than one of the league’s top receivers. Brandon jumped up and caught a well-thrown pass from Kyle Orton that only Brandon could get to on the right sideline and the brilliance that he has shown in games past returned.

Marshall dodged defenders, started moving toward the center of the field, cut back toward the right at the perfect moment, and ran the rest of the way into the end zone. This was Marshall’s first touchdown reception of the season.

By all appearances, the situation seems to be improving with the relationship between Brandon Marshall and Josh McDaniels. Brandon Marshall came and gave the first-year coach a big hug during McDaniels’ post game press conference. Maybe winning solves everything. Maybe.

I cannot predict what will happen with Brandon Marshall for the remainder of the season. He may be growing up. He may not. I don’t know. But, for now, I like what I see, and I welcome back the Brandon Marshall we saw on Sunday with open arms. I still hold to my belief that the Broncos don’t need that other guy.