First Preseason Game Thoughts...

Did you really think that the first preseason game in the Josh McDaniels-Kyle Orton era was going to go well for the Broncos? After all the crap that happened to this team since the end of last season, did you really think it was going to be smooth sailing for the Broncos? Denver's 17-16 loss to San Francisco in game one of the preseason was only significant because of Kyle Orton's three interceptions in his first three series of the game. I'm not going to sugarcoat it because Orton's three picks were bad, but in his defense he actually looked really good on most of those drives. He drove the team down the field very nicely on the first drive, only to throw a bad pick in the endzone. On drive number two, he again looked very good and made some nice throws before getting picked off by forcing one to a covered Brandon Stokely. His third interception was the worst of all three, but he was facing a 3rd and 11 from his own 10 yard line. I thought overall the offense looked good, and Orton spread the ball to a number of receivers. Hey, it's the first preseason game. Seriously, I can't get too worked up about it. Let's give Orton some time, and worry about interceptions when the games actually count. Some other thoughts: 1) Knowshon Moreno looked really good before he left the game with a knee sprain. I think he is going to be a star, if he can manage to stay healthy. 2) The first string defense got 3 sacks. I thought Nolan did a nice job of mixing up some blitzes and pressure schmes. 3) I was impressed by Ronnie Fields, Kenny Peterson, and Ryan McBean. 4) Andra Davis is going to be a weak link as far as coverage goes. Vernon Davis ate him up in the passing game for SF 5) The Broncos lack depth on defense. Let's pray that they can stay relatively healthy all season long. 6) Both sides of the ball would have been helped out if Brandon Marshall and Brian Dawkins played in the game. 7) Peyton Hillis is a good asset to this team, and McDaniels should be able to use him in a lot of different ways to help the offense.

Overall, it is just the first preseason game, so let's just hope that Orton improves and the Broncos stay healthy the next game at Seattle. Trust me, there is no need to jump off the ship at this point.