Schefter: Tebow makes history weekly

Douglas Lee Dec 2, 2011 12:18 PM

Tim Tebow is history in the making
espn.go.com

He is a phenomenon. Since taking over as the Broncos’ starting quarterback, he has given both his critics and his supporters the evidence they need. What’s undeniable is that in each game he has started and won, he has accomplished historic quarterback feats…Tebow is entertaining, captivating, polarizing. But nearly every week, he’s also history.

Doug is IAOFM’s resident newsman and spelling czar. Follow him on Twitter @IAOFM

Well, we were giving up a franchise quarterback and we needed to receive for that, a proven journeyman to fill that void. Granted, Orton wasn&#8217t the glamour boy or physical specimen that Cutler was but we still needed a REASONABLY comparable player to maintain the momentum that we had been building in the Cutler era.

Almost since his arrival in the NFL, Kyle Orton has had &#8220throw in&#8221 written all over him but he was something of a known quantity with some possibly unexplored upside. In regards to the Cutler debacle/trade, he was the best available option to keep the machine running given the unfortuanate circumstances the Broncos found themselves in. I&#8217m not sure that deal could have been made without Orton, hence, I believe he was a &#8220central piece&#8221 in the trade.

Posted by GregO on 2011-12-04 09:27:30

&#8220Kyle Orton, who was a central piece in a blockbuster trade with the Bears&#8221

Everyone&#8217s done a pretty good job dissecting Schefter&#8217s misleading bit about the Cutler trade, but what about the top line?

Since when was Orton a &#8220central piece&#8221 in that trade. To me, central pieces = first rounders and Cutler, the fifth and Orton were just throw-ins to make it work.

Posted by Drizzt396 on 2011-12-04 03:37:25

Unless you want player who is near the top of the dropped passes list year after year, no, Dwayne Bowe isn&#8217t a good idea:

http://hosted.stats.com/fb/lea...

So far this year he&#8217s only tied for 5th.

Posted by Doc Bear on 2011-12-03 09:14:26

If we are going to pursue a receiver in free agency, I&#8217d rather it not be one of the &#8220big name&#8221 guys, who will command a huge sum of money, probably more than it&#8217s worth.

I&#8217d first spend the available cap space on re-signing Brodrick Bunkley, Marcus Thomas, Wesley Woodyard, Spencer Larsen and Matt Prater, and if he doesn&#8217t ask for too much money, Eddie Royal. The others who are set to become unrestricted free agents, I&#8217m fine with letting them go.

Then, spend money on a veteran safety should Brian Dawkins retire, and a veteran cornerback should the Broncos part ways with Andre Goodman. As for a receiver, go with a midtier player rather than a big name. I think Eric Decker can be the No. 1 option, it&#8217s just a matter of finding a veteran who can be the No. 2 option and then hope that Demaryius Thomas can improve.

Posted by Bob Morris on 2011-12-02 22:31:48

Yeah, the summary of the Cutler trade is completely wrong.

We traded away a fifth-rounder and Cutler.

We received Kyle Orton, Robert Ayers, either Quinn or Olsen, Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, and a third-rounder.

So if you look at who&#8217s here and gone, then it&#8217s Cutler and a 5th rounder for Ayers/Thomas/Decker and a 3rd rounder.

Details here: http://www.milehighreport.com/...

FYI, that 3rd rounder plus Brandon Marshall got us Tim Tebow and Orlando Franklin.

Now, there&#8217s something to be said for the fact that if we hadn&#8217t had that second first-rounder, we might have used the other one to trade to Seattle. But on the other hand, if we hadn&#8217t had that second first-rounder, we probably wouldn&#8217t have traded it for Alphonso Smith in the first place. So either way, the espn article is off-base.

Posted by tunesmith on 2011-12-02 22:21:34

JohnH@8: really? yes, bowe had a brain fart and made the &#8220throw it up&#8221 gesture, then turned his route, but there was no point in putting up his arms at that point. he had no shot at the ball. he&#8217s hardly an example of someone that &#8220looks great in shorts and aren&#8217t real football players.&#8221 look at his career production on a team that doesn&#8217t exactly light it up. unfortunately, he&#8217s a better #1 than anyone on the broncos roster.

Posted by sterto on 2011-12-02 22:09:14

No, Dwayne Bowe would not be sweet. He is not a committed player - just look at that attempt at a catch with the game on the line against Pittsburgh. He just jumped without moving his arms - and this effort occurred AFTER CALLING FOR THE BALL AND CUTTING HIS ROUTE OFF SHORT. Bowe is why scouts need to be shot - they keep picking players that look great in shorts and aren&#8217t real football players.

Posted by John Hilton on 2011-12-02 22:02:10

Royal@6: bowe would be sweet. big body would be perfect for this offense (esp since it appears DT may not show up). would pass on headcases like sjohnson and djackson.

Posted by sterto on 2011-12-02 19:40:52

More interesting to me is the list of prospective free agent wide receivers Shefter lists. He named seven impact guys, in addition to Steve Johnson, DeSean Jackson and Dwayne Bowe. If the Broncos could nab one of those guys in free agency and install him as the number one wideout, that would upgrade this offense in a big way (assuming our quarterback can get him the ball).

Posted by Royalwithcheese on 2011-12-02 19:09:44

I was just going to mention the same thing, Bob. I&#8217m too lazy to sign up to post a comment to Adam&#8217s column, but hopefully someone will point out to him how badly he botched that.

Posted by AldenBrown on 2011-12-02 18:26:01

On Schefter&#8217s evaluation of the Jay Cutler trade:

&#8220A 2010 first-round pick Denver traded to Seattle for a 2009 second-round pick used on cornerback Alphonso Smith.&#8221

Wrong. The pick traded was Denver&#8217s pick it already had, not the pick it got from Chicago.

The pick the Broncos got from Chicago was one where the Broncos traded down twice, and thus indirectly led to the drafting of Demaryius Thomas and&#8230 wait for it&#8230 Tim Tebow.

If Schefter wants to argue Denver may not have traded their original pick if Cutler had not been traded, that&#8217s fine but a different argument.

Posted by Bob Morris on 2011-12-02 18:02:32

JT - Agreed. I had high hopes for McD. In retrospect, they were ill founded and based mostly on my personal faith in the Broncos that they knew what they were doing when they hired him, even if the fans didn&#8217t. That regime was set up to fail from day one&#8212inexperience, poor personal relationship skills, questionable decision making, and unlimited power were a toxic combination. I am personally still very unhappy with Cutler because I feel he shared the first three traits I mentioned.

Ultimately, I&#8217m glad that is all in our rearview mirror, because this new regime with an experienced coach, a solid GM, and ole number seven seems to have knocked the 2011 draft out of the park, particularly in selecting Miller, Franklin, and Harris.

Posted by broncosmontana on 2011-12-02 17:59:28

broncosmontana, this is what I&#8217ve been trying to communicate. McDaniels was a LOUSY manager of the team. I don&#8217t care how many Broncos were let go after Shanny&#8217s debacle; McDaniels didn&#8217t do better. The Cutler trade ended up with losing a QB that could&#8217ve been someone to build a team around. And we ended up with what? Ayers? For Cutler? A bunch of crap.

Yeah, there are those who will cite Tebow&#8217s success. But, even a blind squirrel will find a nut once in awhile.

McDaniels was a huge nightmare, for numerous reasons.

Posted by jtomasik on 2011-12-02 17:40:47

Scroll down a little in below section and have a peek at the section titled The Price for Cutler. Trades are always iffy propositions, I know, but the benefit of hindsight does not give me a happy feeling there.

Posted by broncosmontana on 2011-12-02 17:23:37

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Schefter: Tebow makes history weekly

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