Ultimately, this preseason game means NOTHING to the long term of the regular season... The starters may play a half at most and it's really a time where unsure players are battling it out to prove themselves worthy of being kept.
BUT, for Broncos and Bears fans, it means a chance to measure their 'old' vs their 'new'... So, we're calling it 'The Swap Meet'!
Here's how it stacks up through the first 2 weeks of the preseason.
Kyle Orton
27 out of 42 for a 64% completion rate
271 total passing yards for an average of 6.4 yards per completion
2 rushes for 3 yards (yeah, he's not the most mobile guy in the world)
274 total yards
4 Interceptions (3 in his first game)
1 Touchdown
Jay Cutler
13 of 23 for a 57% completion rate
185 total passing yards for an average of 14 yards per catch
1 rush for 12 yards
197 total yards
1 Interception
1 Touchdown
The Bigger 'Team' Pictures
The Chicago Bears have so far run 114 plays...
51 rushing plays and 63 pass plays (34 completions for a 54% completion rate).
Jay's passing rate of 57% is barely better than the team and he has 37% of the pass attempts and is responsible for 38% of the completions. Jay is only responsible for 1 out of 4 total interceptions
The Denver Broncos have so far run 124 Plays...
51 rushing plays and 63 pass plays (34 of 63 for a 54% completion rate).
Kyle's passing rate of 64% is 10 points better than the team and he has 66% of the pass attempts and is responsible for 79% of the completions. Kyle has thrown all 4 of Denver's interceptions.
Summing It Up
So far, it looks like the interceptions skew the comparison to Jay... for now.
Kyle was seen by many as a 'game manager' more than anything and maybe that's just what Denver needs to re-establish any chances of success. At Purdue., Kyle prospered with 'Basketball on Turf'.. he loved the quick outs, slants, and when he got into rhythm, he saw great success for Joe Tiller. Can this profile re-emerge in Denver? We'll see, but the shorter 'yards per catch' seems like it may be conducive to it.
For Jay, he's got a great arm and some speedy receivers (at least Devin Hester) that will allow him the chance for big plays, but he's also constricted with the presence of someone who many think is the worst quarterback killer of all time.... Ron Turner, the Bear's Offensive coordinator. The reality is that the Bears have relied on the run for a long time, but Jay's success may ultimately lie in Ron Turner's willingness to let him take the gun out of the holster.
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Bottom line...
ReplyDeleteCutler will be dependent on how healthy the Bears Tight ends stay because ultimately Devin Hester just isn't a natural receiver and the Bears don't have a reliable 'go to' guy outside of the tight ends.
Kyle's success (and the Broncos' overall success), like it or not, will be predicted by their defenses ability to stop their opponents on 50% of their drives. If Kyle can indeed be a 'game manager' like he's proven he can be, then the broncos can come out on the upside.
My bottom line... Both teams will have .500 seasons with the upside for the Bears a little greater if their defense decides to actually show up to every game.