Denver Broncos Brandstater may start in place of Orton Week 1 at Cincinnati
In a continuance of peculiar events in the first months of the Josh McDaniels era in Denver, the Broncos may need to rally the troops behind a sixth-round draft pick at quarterback to start the season.
After Sunday nights showdown between bartered quarterback Jay Cutler and the coach that ran him out of town, Kyle Orton is the story after the game.
Once the boos have settled in the Mile High city, true suffering may have hit the Denver faithful harder than a bullet from a mopped haired quarterback. Orton suffered what has been reported as an open dislocation to his index finger on his throwing hand.
The injury came in first half of the Broncos-Bears match-up that possessed the storylines suited for a meaningful game in December but was being played out in the third week of the preseason. The reports during the game were that of a gashed finger after Adewale Ogunleye of the Bears had swiped at Ortons hand in the second quarter.
Ogunleye was wearing a glove and it was interesting to say the least that Orton had suffered a cut. Following Ogunleyes swipe, it was revealed by the Denver Post that Ortons own bone did the cutting. Ortons finger was sufficiently dislocated enough that it sliced through the flesh from the inside-out.
The damage is considered a major injury for a quarterback, especially on the throwing hand, and will require extensive stitching to heal. The finger had to be popped back into place by the Broncos training staff immediately following the injury and is much more severe than just a laceration.
Orton will be shelved for the final pre-season game and with backup quarterback Chris Simms scheduled to miss at least three more weeks with a high ankle sprain, sixth-round draft pick Tom Brandstater from Fresno State will get the starting nod in the final preseason game and possibly beyond.
Brandstater might possibly join Mark Sanchez and Matthew Stafford as rookie starting quarterbacks Week 1 of the regular season as Ortons injury just might linger into the regular season.
Brandstater saw plenty of action after the Orton injury Sunday night and showed some signs that he may be capable of leading a Broncos offense that is led by one of the league's great young offensive minds in McDaniels. He went 8-for-12 with 110 yards and one interception for a rating of 61.1 in extensive second half action versus the Bears.
Brandstater proved to be a very efficient quarterback in college and at 65, 222 lbs, he certainly has the measureables of a quality NFL quarterback. New England currently has a sixth-round draft pick that has thrived under the same New England offense that now is in Denver.
The biggest issue with Brandstater starting Week 1 at Cincinnati is that he has not been prepped for the role. With Orton and Simms ahead of him on the depth charts, his rookie season was mainly to consist of taking a backseat, learning the offense and how to be a successful quarterback at the NFL level. Now thrust into a starting role, Brandstater now will experience a baptism by fire.
One benefit for the young quarterback would be that the pressure would be minimal at best as Brandstater would be able to get out on the field with zero expectations. Unlike Sanchez and Stafford, not much would be expected of him and he would have a tremendous opportunity to gain valuable game experience and possibly surprise some folks.
The Broncos may have an interest in acquiring recently release quarterback Kevin OConnell. The Patriots released the quarterback on Monday that had been projected as Tom Bradys backup. OConnell knows the offense and could add some stability for Week 1 and possibly further into the season depending on the recovery of Orton and Simms.
