Today’s question about the Broncos comes from Vince Villont.
Q: Any chance the Broncos will play Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow in the backfield at the same time this year?
A: The Broncos probably will find a way to get Tebow on the field, especially when they’re inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
After the Broncos hired John Fox as their new coach, I watched some Carolina games when Fox was the Panthers’ coach. When the Panthers played Atlanta in their season finale last year, they called an end-around play and wide receiver Brandon LaFell gained about 60 yards before running out of steam. They tried to have LaFell throw a pass on the next snap, but he was gassed and the play didn’t work.
The Panthers moved up in the third round of the 2010 draft to select Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards, the only player in NCAA history to pass for more than 10,000 yards and rush for more than 4,000 yards in a career. The Panthers saw Edwards, who was 42-7 in starts at Appalachian State, as a multipurpose player who could help them.
But Edwards struggled when he moved to wide receiver and played in only three games as a rookie last season. He didn’t have a reception.
Fox wants the Broncos to have a power running game, with two tailbacks splitting the carries. So don’t look for the Broncos to run a lot of exotic offense.
Tebow, a first-round pick in the 2010 draft, is a long way from being Denver’s starting quarterback. To get him on the field and have him do what he does best, the Broncos need to find a place for him in their short-yardage and red-zone packages.
Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or jlegwold@denverpost.com
