Orton has to be the man to start

A Denver writer believes Chris Simms should start over Kyle Orton in week 1 of the season at Cincinnati.

Rubbish.

Simms is big, has a strong arm, was a prep All American, star recruit for the University of Texas, a highly productive player in Austin and a very unremarkable pro. Orton was a touted recruit and a gunslinger at Iowa and for as unimpressive as he's been in the preseason in 2009 has more pro accomplishments than Simms.

Simms looks the part but hasn't played up to the potential. Maybe with some more grooming by coach Josh McDaniels the son of Phil Simms, Super Bowl MVP, can be someone but not now. Orton is the man. He's no Jay Cutler but he's the best of the lot for now.

For those who want to throw a rookie in there -- Tom Brandstater -- he's not ready. His work against the Cardinals doesn't qualify him as a pro success.

Broncos compete but lacking firepower

Jay Cutler was back in Denver but the return hardly mattered as it was but a preseason game. The former Broncos' quarterback started slow but had a solid evening (15-21, 144 yards, 1 TD) in a 27-17 Bears' win but the reason for the evening was to see how and if the Broncos would progress.

Kyle Orton was accurate (12-16) but hardly special. Rookie Tom Brandstater showed glimpses of potential (8-12, 110 yards) even though he threw an interception. Fellow rookie Kenny McKinley, a wideout from South Carolina and a Steve Spurrier favorite, grabbed four balls for 75 yards. That's the good news. The bad news is the Broncos struggled to run the ball and were penalty plagued.

And a not-so-irrelevant fact is that Denver is now 0-3.

This is not a situation of the team looking at a lot of players and getting ready for the season. This is a team lacking in explosive talent with running back Knowshon Moreno out with an injury and receiver Brandon Marshall struggling with maturity.

Marshall is going to be a cancer if not traded yet his value is at an all-time low.

Moreno needs to get and stay healthy.

Orton improvement must show quickly

Kyle Orton must accept the responsibility of being a starting quarterback in Denver. His performance against San Francisco in the Broncos' first exhibition game was rated R. He must get a passing grade the second time around.

As strong as Chris Simms looked in relief he's not a starting quarterback in the National Football League. Orton has to be the guy or the Broncos could struggle to win 4 games. It's Orton and a prayer. The former Purdue slinger can play but only if he's a part of the machine, not the engine.

Orton knows what's expected of him, especially in Denver.

Coach Josh McDaniels knows he must win with Orton or look the part of the fool after the mutually embarrassing and costly Jay Cutler business blowup. This promises to be a rocky ride but the Broncos' quarterback and his head coach will be committed to proving doubters wrong.

Niner game notes

So Kyle Orton's debut was terrible. It's the first preseason game and even though Orton is a veteran he's with a new team, with new co-workers and a new coach. Temper the disdain for the quarterback.

Chris Simms can make all the same claims as Orton (see above) but he did put up strong numbers. Simms has never lacked talent, only an understanding of how to read defenses and make the correct decision. With better coaching, who knows what's possible.

There was a Jarvis Moss sighting. Will it repeat itself in coming weeks?

Knowshon Moreno got dinged. How serious is it and how long will it affect him? The early word is 1-2 weeks with a sprained MCL. The NFL is tough on the body, especially the knees, especially those pins of running backs. Moreno, even without playing a regular season down is too valuable to this team to be a sideline decoration. He must stay healthy.