Bronco Buster

I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't talk about Brett Favre unless absolutely necessary. So if you were hoping for my reaction, as a longtime Packer fan, to Favre's signing with Vikings, you'll have to wait until the NFL Preview in a couple of weeks.

Speaking of said Preview, barring any drastic changes, I have last place in the AFC West going to the Denver Broncos. In fact, I'm going to go out on a limb and say the Broncos will be one of the five worst teams in the NFL this season. Why, you ask? Well, for starters, there was the Jay Cutler fiasco back in April. Look, we can bicker for hours about how this thing should have been handled and who was at fault and blah, blah, blah. The fact of the matter is this: Everyone is to blame. Josh McDaniels should have been more upfront with his desire to have protege Matt Cassel as his franchise QB in his interview for the Broncos job. Cutler should have been a bit more mature and a lot less sensitive when the botched trade drama went down. Owner Pat Bowlen shouldn't have let pride force his hand in trading a franchise QB who would have flourished when teamed with McDaniels' offensive genius. The Broncos didn't HAVE to trade Cutler, and now because they did, it will set this franchise back years.

Here's why: The fate of McDaniels, GM Brian Xanders and ultimately the Broncos lies in the hands of the man they got in return for Cutler, Kyle Orton. If Orton fails, then the Cutler trade was a bust for Denver and McDaniels and Xanders deserve the axe. Up until the trade rumors swirled, Cutler was loved in Denver as the the Broncos' first legitimate quarterback since John Elway retired. By dealing him for Orton and a couple of first round picks(which they used the first one on Tennesee defensive end Robert Ayers, who many believe is not the best of fits for the Broncos' 3-4), the hope that Orton can at least be serviceable until McDaniels finds his new Matt Cassel.

So far, Orton's failed in his first attempt to make a good impression. In two preseason games of which Orton has played nearly three quarters, Orton has thrown four interceptions(three of which coming against a 49ers team that sorely lacks a pass rush and the other being a bone-headed lefty lob that was picked off in the end zone against Seattle). Another factor going against Orton in what will be a never-ending comparison between him and Cutler will be Orton's lack of arm strength as it relates to throwing in the brutal Denver winter winds. Sure, Orton has experience throwing in the Windy City of Chicago, but the Bears hardly asked Orton to air it out and one quality that went overlooked in the Broncos' hasty exile of Cutler was Cutler's ability to zip deep passes through the swirling mountain wind with ease.

Then, there's Orton's arsenal. First round pick, Knowshon Moreno, who was drafted to be the catalyst to the Broncos' running game, is already out for a couple of weeks with a sprained MCL in his knee. Then, of course, there's the Brandon Marshall situation. Marshall has made it clear he wants either a new contract or a trade out of Denver, preferably the latter. Keep in mind that Marshall is recovering from hip surgery and has been slow to pick up the intricacies of McDaniels' playbook(or so he claims). That means, even if Marshall isn't dealt, the odds are against him to emulate the type of Pro Bowl caliber season that he has produced in years past.

My solution? The Broncos trade Marshall to........Kansas City. Now, why would I advocate trading Marshall when I disagreed with trading Cutler? Simple. The damage has already been done. The underlying problem that was left by dealing Cutler is that it set a precedent for knuckleheads like Marshall to use when it came time to hold the team hostage. Now that the team has dealt Cutler for a quarterback that everyone can agree is a downgrade from his predecessor, what possible leg do the Broncos have to stand on in terms of not agreeing to Marshall's demands? Marshall's hurt, he's had numerous off-the-field issues and he's way behind in learning the offense. So if you have no intentions of keeping him when his contract is up, why not deal him while he has some value left? As for why Kansas City, if you can get a 2nd, 4th and QB Tyler Thigpen for Marshall, you've done well. The Broncos will need the extra picks after foolishly dealing their first rounder next year to take cornerback Alphonso Smith in the 2nd round. As for Thigpen, his skill set mirrors Cassel's(the guy who gave McDaniels the hard on that started this mess in the first place) and he's solid Orton insurance. He doesn't have the injury issues of current backup Chris Simms(or Orton, for that matter) and he's relatively young(25). As for trading Marshall within the division coming back to bite them, look, Marshall's not going to be a Bronco for much longer and his success elsewhere(no matter where it is) as well as the success of Cutler in Chicago is going to haunt this team for years to come. If the team can turn Baby T.O. into a couple of solid young pieces to rebuild under McDaniels or whomever is coaching this team in two years, I say do it.

As for Orton, he's in a position where he has no choice but to fail. His supporting cast has been compromised by injuries and selfish demands and he plays on a team whose defense is sure to turn every game into a shootout. I don't know about you, but I don't like the prospect of being in a shootout if my quarterback has managed to toss four picks in essentially three quarters of exhibition play against two of the worst pass defenses in the league. Luckily, Orton's in a contract year, which means he gets to go somewhere next year where Cutler and the Broncos fan base isn't breathing down his neck. Of course, that means the team will have to go back to the drawing board and grab another franchise quarterback in the draft next year.

Luckily, they'll be picking high enough next year to grab someone of McDaniels' liking.