NFL Betting - Denver Bronco's Quarterback News

NFL sports betting is back with preseason games and paying attention to the news can help you in the long run. Knowing your quarterbacks is a good start.

When Kyle Orton was one of the focal points of the Jay Cutler trade that brought the canon-armed quarterback to Chicago, almost everyone in Denver had a heart attack. They couldn’t believe that they had gone from a franchise quarterback to a guy who has been maligned by poor decisions and rough times as the starting quarterback of the Bears. In his first start as a Denver Bronco, Kyle Orton was…well…Kyle Orton. He threw three picks in his first three series as the Niners outlasted the Broncos 17-16 over the weekend.

Completing just 9-of16 passes with zero touchdowns and a scant 89-yards, Orton looked pedestrian in a uniform that has seen greats like Elway. What should concern Kyle Orton and the Broncos betting faithful more, however, is that Chris Simms came in to have a great day. The Spawn of Simms completed 11-of-17 for 142 passing yards and two touchdowns against the reserves of the Niners.

It wasn’t that Simms looked incredible against San Francisco, but more that he looked as confident, relaxed and brash as ever. Simms is the former starting quarterback of Tampa Bay, whose career best was in 2005 when he led the Bucs to the playoffs in some thrilling games, throwing for 2,035 yards, 10 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He is known as both for his cockiness as well as his underappreciated value. Jon Gruden was the reason that Simms never succeeded in Tampa. We are all aware of Gruden’s ability to dismiss young potential at quarterback.

That’s why the Simms-Orton battle in Denver is so intriguing. We all know what Orton is incapable of. What we’re not sure of is if Chris Simms, only 28-years-old, can be the starter he was poised to be before he lost his spleen in a game-winning, diving touchdown against Carolina in 2006. The injury cost Simms nearly three years of his career, but coaching decisions in Tampa and Tennessee certainly didn’t help. Could Simms be the real answer in Denver?

Not helping Kyle Orton was the absence of Brandon Marshall, who was recently acquitted of his off-field issues, and is free to return to the field without any suspensions. Marshall is considered a top-5 receiver in the league, but it remains to be seen if he can recreate his incredible stats without Jay Cutler. In practice, Marshall looked somewhat rusty, but his potential is what drives the Broncos betting investors. The question on everyone’s mind in the Mile High City is going to be whether Simms is the man to deliver the ball…or Orton.

For my money, especially with Josh McDaniel on board, the man to go with is Chris Simms. He’s never been given a fair shot at quarterback, but we all know he’s capable. Isn’t it time we put the Kyle Orton experiment to rest? We’re talking about a guy who never breached a 80.0 quarterback rating, and consistently threw nearly as many picks as touchdowns. In his career, Orton has thrown 30 scores and 27 interceptions while completing just over half of his passes (55.3 percent). He’s simply not a good quarterback. We know this for sure.

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