Dr. Seuss puns aside, Kyle Orton is expected to start Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. This will be Orton's first start in Kansas City since being claimed by the Chiefs on November 24th. This is also Orton's first start since week 5. Anyone who has been alive this year knows about the story of Tim Tebow's rise to prominence, but not very many people talk about him warranting his chance because of Orton's poor performance and 1-4 record while with the Broncos this year.
I guess poor performance is a little harsh, unless you consider Matt Cassel's season until his injury poor ... Alright, so Orton's performance was poor, since he was putting up a very similar season to Cassel. Orton was 91/155 (58.7) for 979 yards, 8 TDs and 7 INTs. And while I did say his performance hasn't been stellar and comparable to that of Cassel, I think any Chiefs fan would welcome that sort of performance after enduring the month-long Tyler Palko Experience (80/134 [59.7%] for 796 yards, 2 TDs and 7 INTs).
After Orton dislocated his finger in his only pass attempt in a Chiefs uniform, he hasn't seen any action since. Between learning the playbook after being waived and the injury setback, Orton has rarely been active. That is why after interim head coach Romeo Crennel announced this week that Tyler Palko was no longer going to be the starter, I doubted the legitimacy of Orton being the starter this week.
Many others were too. That is why there was a certain "Orton-Watch," if you will, among the KC media in watching him in practice. Many reported that he had crisp deliveries on short throws, but was a little questionable on the deeper ones. Others reported he had plenty of zip and looked like he was on his way to start.
Today, Crennel confirmed that Orton was ahead of schedule on his injury, and that he was probable to start. “The quarterback Kyle [Orton] did a nice job, it looks like he’s throwing better so we’re going to start him in the game and he’s going to be the quarterback." Regarding how his hand might effect his performance, "The ball has not been on the ground when he has taken the snap so that’s a good sign that there have been no fumbles with him.”
Regarding Orton's health since the injury, offensive coordinator Bill Muir said ''It was very surprising. There are some issues but nothing of major concern. He had a good week of practice, all things considered. He did a good job in terms of being able to throw the ball and each day his velocity improved so I think he’s ready to go.''
As I said in an earlier post, Orton starting as QB isn't just important for the Chiefs, it's also important for his future marketability when free agency roles around after season's end. A good performance can justify him getting another job somewhere around the league, a bad performance might force him into a backup role or out of the league altogether.
So if Orton wants to earn a job next year, it starts against the Green Bay Packers. Did somebody say Upset Alert?
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