In the first quarter Saturday night, Kyle Orton produced a quarterback rating that wouldn’t qualify for the Huey, Louie and Dewey Decimal System.
10.7.
By halftime of the exhibition, Orton had moved the decimal point one to the right.
107.6.
It was the worst of quarters (3-of-7 for 19 yards and an interception), and it was the best of quarters (13-of-15 for 158 yards and two touchdowns).
The Broncos’ quarterback with the shiny new contract finished his evening considerably better than he started — and relaxed in the second half, wearing a baseball cap and a satisfied look.
The Broncos fell to the improving Lions, 25-20, in “the friendly.” But coach Josh McDaniels was impressed with Orton.
“He’s played well in the first two games. . . . The speed of the rush in the first quarter had him running around quite a bit, which is not his forte. . . . But he got it going in the second quarter, especially in the two-minute drill (actually, a 53-second drive for a touchdown).”
Orton is correct. “I don’t need love. I need wins,” he recently told The Associated Press.
Last year, his numbers were impressive — 3,802 yards passing, 21 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, a 62.1 percent completion average and a QB rating of 86.8.
But the only number that really mattered was the same as jersey No. 8.
When Orton played in 2009, the Broncos won eight games.
Orton has become a first-game starting quarterback for the fourth time in his six NFL seasons. He survived the challenges of Brady Quinn and Tim Tebow. He has received an additional contract year (with $5 million guaranteed) from the Broncos.
Yet, with all those accomplishments, Orton has appeared in this number of postseason games: zero.
From 1960-74, the Broncos started 18 different quarterbacks. The Broncos didn’t make the playoffs any season, and the 1 1/2 dozen quarterbacks didn’t last long with the Broncos. They were released, traded or sent back to their original team (after a weird lend-lease deal). One ended up living under a bridge.
Craig Morton (rhymes with “Orton”) arrived in a trade in 1977 and was the starting quarterback when the Broncos not only won a postseason game, but reached the Super Bowl.
Morton took the Broncos back to the playoffs the next season, but lost his starting job three times to three other quarterbacks from 1980-82, and retired.
Steve DeBerg, who replaced Morton in the strike-shortened 1982, 2-7 record, season, was demoted in ’83 because of rookie John Elway, regained the starting role, then lost it again. In ’84 DeBerg was gone.
Elway took the Broncos to the playoffs nine of his next 15 seasons, to the Super Bowl five times and the world title in his final two seasons.
Brian Griese was the starter for a majority of games from 1999-2002. However, in the Broncos’ lone playoff game over those four seasons, he didn’t play.
Jake Plummer was next in line. The Broncos made the playoffs — and beat New England (which had an assistant name Josh McDaniels) to advance to the 2005 AFC championship.
Plummer was dumped for Jay Cutler with five games left in 2006, and the Broncos failed to make the playoffs. Plummer abruptly quit the game.
The Broncos didn’t earn a place in the postseason in 2007-08, and Mike Shanahan was fired, Cutler traded.
Orton took over in ’09, and the Broncos failed to get to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
Only five of the primary quarterback starters in a half-century have led the Broncos to the postseason.
Other than Elway, the playing span of Broncos starting quarterbacks has averaged approximately 2.7 seasons.
Orton has one season behind him in Denver and two more under contract.
After his eight personal good games and an equal number of personal bad games last season (with injuries during the exhibition period and the halfway point), the Broncos purposely pushed Orton in the offseason by bringing in Quinn and Tebow — and considered getting rid of Orton. Motivated into action, Orton pulled himself back into the lead in the summer by working harder, showing more leadership and outperforming the other two in practices. Quinn has been disappointing, and Tebow has been slow to adjust to the NFL game, then got hurt (and was held out Saturday).
Orton played extremely well in the opening quarter at Cincinnati. He played extremely well in the second quarter at home.
No. 8 is No. 1, but eight victories will not be enough in the regular season.
He can’t be injured, win games on miracle receptions, lose four of eight games (and all three to division opponents) at home and collapse with the team in the second half of the season.
If Orton finally plays in a postseason game, he could guarantee himself another year of starting. If the Broncos are 8-8 again, his job and future in Denver won’t be guaranteed. He will be known as “Orton.”
Love and wins go together with the Broncos. Losing and hate, also.
Woody Paige: 303-954-1095 or wpaige@denverpost.com
