Tim Tebow to make his NFL debut against Raiders
Posted by Anthony Stalter (12/19/2010 @ 10:01 am)
It’s official: Wonder Boy will make his first career NFL start on Sunday.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Tim Tebow wills tart for the Broncos against the Raiders in Week 15. Regular starter Kyle Orton has been dealing with arm and rib issues and wasn’t able to practice all week. It was apparent on Friday that Orton wasn’t going to be available.
Tebow completed 25-of-39 pass attempts for 344 yards, two touchdowns and three turnovers in preseason. If he does, look for the Broncos to keep it on the ground against the Raiders’ No. 26 run defense and take the pressure off Tebow’s shoulders. That said, if Oakland jumps out to a big lead and forces Denver to throw, it would be interesting to see how Tebow responds.
Even though expectations should be kept low, this will be a great opportunity for Tebow to show what he can do on film. Josh McDaniels believed he could develop into a starting NFL quarterback, but many others had their doubts. Whoever the next head coach is in Denver will have to be a believer too and if Tebow turns in a good performance on Sunday, he’ll have the film to prove that he can be a starter.
But again, it’s only his first start. If he has command of the huddle and can move the ball a little, that’s all that can be expected of him.
Tim Tebow to make his first start on Sunday?
Posted by Anthony Stalter (12/17/2010 @ 4:30 pm)
The Broncos aren’t confirming anything but it doesn’t take a jigsaw master to assemble the puzzle being laid out in Denver right now. (Jigsaw master? Puzzle? Horrible – my apologizes.)
Kyle Orton was unable to throw on Friday thanks to arm and rib injuries and the Denver Post is speculating that rookie Tim Tebow will make his first career start against the Raiders on Sunday. Just because Orton didn’t throw all week doesn’t mean he won’t play, but when players don’t practice on Friday it’s usually a good indication that they won’t suit up Sunday.
Tebow completed 25-of-39 pass attempts for 344 yards, two touchdowns and three turnovers in preseason. If he does, look for the Broncos to keep it on the ground against the Raiders’ No. 26 run defense and take the pressure off Tebow’s shoulders. That said, if Oakland jumps out to a big lead and forces Denver to throw, it would be interesting to see how Tebow responds.
The uncertainty in Denver is at an all-time high. Josh McDaniels drafted Tebow to be the future starter but who knows whether or not the new head coach will want to work with such a big project at quarterback. Tebow’s throwing motion has been a major topic of concern and who knows where he’s at now. It would be nice to see him play well on Sunday but it wouldn’t be fair to grade his progress off of only one game – especially considering McDaniels is gone and he isn’t used to taking first-team reps in practice.
Either way, it’ll be good to see him get some actually game action on Sunday.
Simms expected to start for Broncos
Posted by Anthony Stalter (11/22/2009 @ 9:21 am)
According to the Denver Post, it’ll take a miracle for Kyle Orton to start on Sunday, which means Chris Simms will get the nod against the Chargers today.
Simms has practiced all week. Orton has not because of a severely sprained left ankle. Orton has tried hard to get his ankle to heal. But as of Saturday afternoon, it had not recovered enough to play.
There is one sliver of hope for Orton — the plan was to give him one more try Sunday morning at Invesco Field. But unless a good night’s sleep brings dramatic improvement to the mangled ankle Orton suffered late in the second half against the Washington Redskins last Sunday, Simms will get his first NFL start since Sept. 24, 2006, when he suffered a near career-ending ruptured spleen while playing for Tampa Bay.
Simms looked completely unprepared when he had to sub in last week against the Redskins. Maybe now that he has a week of practice under his belt he’ll be better, but either way this isn’t what the Broncos want while getting ready to square off against the Chargers for sole possession of the AFC West.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
Biggest injury concern: Orton, Turner, Brown or Benson?
Posted by Anthony Stalter (11/19/2009 @ 6:15 pm)
Last week, several teams’ playoff hopes took major hits as key players all left their respective games due to various injuries.
The Broncos (Kyle Orton), Falcons (Michael Turner), Dolphins (Ronnie Brown) and Bengals (Cedric Benson) seem to be bitten he hardest by the injury bug but which injury should concern their respective teams the most? Let’s break down all four situations.
Broncos: Without Orton, Denver stands little chance of beating the Chargers at home this Sunday and even less of a chance of winning the AFC West. Orton isn’t Peyton Manning, but he might as well be the Broncos’ version of the star Colts’ QB because Chris Simms proved last week that he isn’t capable of keeping Denver afloat if Orton misses significant time. Now maybe with more preparation Simms will be better, but chances are the Broncos’ hopes of making the playoffs will fall flat with him under center. Orton says that he will play this weekend, even though he has torn ligaments in his left ankle. He admitted last year that he shouldn’t have tried to grit out a right ankle injury when he was playing for the Bears, so there’s a chance that he’s about to make the same mistake twice. This Sunday will be a good indication of how severe Orton’s injury really is.
Falcons: After getting off to a slow start, Turner was back in 2008 form the past couple weeks and even compiled 111 yards on only nine carries against the Panthers last Sunday before suffering a high ankle sprain. Usually those types of injuries take months to heel, but the Falcons don’t seem concerned about Turner missing more than a couple of weeks. The problem is that the Falcons are in the midst of a Wild Card chase in the NFC and they need their bruising back on the field – especially as Matt Ryan continues to struggle in his second year. Atlanta has capable backups in Jason Snelling and Jerious Norwood, but the latter can’t stay healthy and the former doesn’t have much experience. If Ryan can step up and prove he can lead the Falcons through the air, then Turner can rest up and be ready in time for a late-season run. If Ryan falters again like he has been, then Turner might feel the need to rush back from his injury sooner than he (or the team) intends.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: NFL
Tags: Anthony Stalter, Atlanta Falcons, Cedric Benson, Cedric Benson playing status, Chris Simms, Denver Broncos, Kyle Orton, Kyle Orton playing status, Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Michael Turner playing status, Ricky Williams, Ronnie Brown, Ronnie Brown out for season
