Kyle Orton Wins Broncos QB Job

Josh McDaniels replaced Mike Shanahan six months ago. He's yet to coach a real live game but he's somehow managed to lose his Pro Bowl quarterback, and depending on how the next few weeks unfold, he could have his hands full with one of the league's best young wide receivers, too.

Not exactly how McDaniels envisioned things back in January but it is, as they say, what it is. So after trading Jay Cutler to the Bears for a couple first-rounders and Kyle Orton, and then signing free agent Chris Simms to compete for the job, McDaniels used organized team activities to settle on a starter.

The big winner: Orton. Hardly surprising, really. He was the front-runner from the beginning, and short of having a Rex-spasm it was his job to lose. With that formality out of the way, be prepared for a flood of: "Can Orton really replace Cutler?" stories.

Even though I have some questions about McDaniels' ability to relate to his players, I think Orton will be fine. The biggest key to his success is surrounding him with guys who can make plays. Yes, it's cliched -- any NFL quarterback should be able to succeed under such conditions -- but, well, that doesn't always happen. See Grossman and Tarvaris Jackson, for example.

And maybe McDaniels' social skills are overblown. Bill Belichick has all the charisma of a sociopath and the hobo get-up doesn't help. He also has three Super Bowls this decade and his players -- both current and former -- respect him. Winning is funny like that.

But unlike his former boss, McDaniels doesn't have his Tom Brady to build a team around. And before you interrupt, Cutler wasn't that guy, either. Yes, physically, he's more gifted than Orton, but the last time the Broncos went to the postseason Jake Plummer was under center.

To paraphrase the great Donald Rumsfeld: You got into the season with the guys you have, not the guys you'd like ... to ... have. With Orton now penciled in atop the depth chart, McDaniels can focus on fixing that defense.