Kyle Orton Feels Wrath of Broncos Fans

Pity poor Kyle Orton. He'd made a nice life for himself with the Bears. He cavorted with ladies and got soused, enjoying the fruits of being an NFL quarterback. Thanks to Rex Grossman, he was insulated from fan hatred even if he played poorly. Then came the Jay Cutler trade, which forced him from his comfy little nook and sent him to the Rocky Mountains, where the fans aren't treating him quite so nicely.

At a Thursday night scrimmage at Invesco Field, Orton heard jeers from the crowd of 12,000-plus after he threw a pair of interceptions and several other incompletions. Other Broncos who performed poorly also caught the angry end of the stick, and the scrimmage may have served as a preview of more than just the team's offense and defense.

It was the first chance Broncos fans had to greet the team in a large-scale setting since the Cutler trade and an otherwise eventful, if not particularly fruitful, offseason. The boos were directed at flailing players, but it's hard not to think that they were also intended for new coach Josh McDaniels and GM Brian Xanders as well.

If there's booing in August, there will surely be booing come September and October if the Broncos get off to a slow start. Orton, in particular, will bear the brunt of that animosity. Heavy is the helmet under center and all that, but Orton will be getting crushed for things that have little to do with him.

He didn't ask for a trade, Cutler did. He didn't choose to ignore troubling spots on the defensive front and he isn't the reason why Brandon Marshall is injured and unhappy. Orton might not play well this season, but if the Broncos stink he'll just be one of many reasons why. He's just a happy neckbearded wanderer who went where they told him to go -- and became a villain by proxy.