Posted by MikeT23 on 9/13/2011 3:29:00 PM (view original):
Isn't paying him to sit on the bench "living" with him? I repeat: If he can't play, they need to know. If he can play and they don't like his style, he has trade value. If he doesn't play, you don't know if he can and he has no trade value.
I'm sure they have a desire to win. Like you said, if the Raiders are 4-7, play Pryor. The Broncos could be thinking the same thing. Start Orton for 8 games and see where the team is at. If they're 4-4 or 5-3 and within striking distance of the AFC West, keep riding Orton. If not, see what you have in Tebow. And that wouldn't bother me a bit.
But I think they feel (and I totally agree) that starting Tebow from the get-go sends the message to the rest of the roster that you're mailing it in from the start. Tebow, even if he has future value, is not a playoff QB right now. So you wait until you know for sure that you truly have a crappy team, and then you put him in there.
There is also the possibility that the Broncos are showcasing Orton, hoping he has some really good games to start the season, then trading him for some draft picks before the deadline to a desperate team with an injured or struggling QB. Which, if it pans out, would be another very good and smart reason to start the season with Orton.
9/13/2011 3:44 PM (edited)