Kyle Orton
Encyclopedia
Kyle Orton is an American football
quarterback
for the Kansas City Chiefs
of the National Football League
. He played college football
at Purdue
, where he started four straight bowl games. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears
in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft
. After an injury to Bears starter Rex Grossman
, Orton was pressed into service as the starting quarterback during his rookie year, starting the first 14 games of the 2005 season
, but was replaced by Grossman for the playoffs that year. Orton didn't play at all in 2006, and sparingly in 2007. Orton regained his starting job from Grossman in 2008, but the team finished a disappointing 9-7 and out of the playoffs. In the offseason of that year, he was traded to the Denver Broncos.
Kyle Orton started his Broncos career well, winning his first six games in the 2009 season, but injuries hobbled him in the second half of the season. Though Orton played well when healthy, throwing 21 touchdown
s to only 12 interceptions, the team finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs. Orton started 2010 season as the starting quarterback, though the team was not competitive most of the season, finishing 4-12. Orton was injured again, and replaced by Tim Tebow
for the final three games of the 2010 season. In 2011 he again began the season as a starter, but he was replaced by Tebow again after a disappointing start to the season. Following several weeks on the bench, in which he did not take a snap for the Broncos, he was released by the Broncos on November 22, and claimed off of waivers
by the Kansas City Chiefs the next day.
At the end of his high school career, Orton was the No. 2 ranked QB in the nation by SuperPrep and No. 7 by Rivals.com. His career passing statistics were 208 for 450 (46.2%), 3,176 yards with 24 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions. He earned honorable mention all-state and first team all-conference his senior year, after completing 95 of 192 attempts (49.5%), 1,366 yards with 12 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions.
Orton wore uniform No. 18 in honor of former Nebraska Cornhuskers' quarterback Brook Berringer
who died in a plane crash in 1996.
quarterback Drew Brees
' record for number of passing yards in a game (522 vs. Indiana Hoosiers
), and is the only Purdue quarterback to start four consecutive bowl game
s (Brees and Mark Herrmann
started three straight). Orton started in the 2001, '02 and '04 Sun Bowl
, and the 2003 Capital One Bowl
. During his undergrad years at Purdue, Orton was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.
In 2004, Orton was the preseason third-team "All-American" quarterback, behind USC's
Matt Leinart
and Oklahoma's
Jason White
. Orton had a nice start to the season, having led Purdue to a 5-0 start with 18 touchdown
s and no interceptions. He was a Heisman Trophy
hopeful, until his fumble, caused by an uncalled facemask, was run back for a touchdown late in the 4th quarter against the undefeated 12th ranked Wisconsin Badgers
, giving the 5th ranked Purdue its first of several losses that season. Later that season, he received multiple injuries, in consecutive games against Michigan
and Northwestern
forcing him to lose his starting position for a month. Brandon Kirsch
then replaced him during that time.
Orton makes a cameo in NCAA Football 2006, where he says "EA Sports, it's in the game", along with Derek Anderson
in the game's introduction.
Note: NCAA passer rating formula is different from NFL passer rating.
, Orton was rushed into the Bears
starting lineup as a rookie after a preseason injury to starter Rex Grossman
, and the poor play of back-up Chad Hutchinson
.
Orton started 15 games of the season, however was replaced by Grossman after halftime during the Bears' Week 15 victory against the Atlanta Falcons
.
After sitting for Week 16, Orton started the regular season finale, Week 17, against the Minnesota Vikings
. The outcome of this game, for the Chicago Bears, did not have any effect on their post-season hopes. The Bears had already clinched the NFC North
championship and a first-round bye in the 2005-06 playoffs
with their Week 16 victory over the Green Bay Packers
. Grossman then started for the Bears in their only post-season game. They lost to the Carolina Panthers
.
Overall, the Bears had a record of 10-5 in games that Orton started, including an eight-game winning streak after a 1-3 start. Despite the team's success, Orton finished with the lowest quarterback rating in the NFL (59.7) among all "qualified" quarterbacks (those with 224+ pass attempts). Despite the low rating, the Bears coaches repeatedly insisted that they were pleased with Orton's performance. The coaching staff asked Orton to minimize mistakes and to let the rushing attack and the defense win ballgames rather than employing an aggressive passing attack.
Measuring Orton's victories, his rookie season was successful. His 15 starts and 10 victories are both rookie records for Bears quarterbacks, and the 10 victories are the third most in the NFL, since 1970, behind Ben Roethlisberger
's 14 victories in '04, and Joe Flacco
's and Matt Ryan
's 11 victories in '08.
as the team’s second string quarterback. Orton, now demoted, became the Bears’ third-string quarterback, and did not see any playtime throughout the entire 2006 season
.
, who had previously led the Florida Gators
to a BCS Championship, shortly after the 2007 NFL Draft
. Leak struggled in training camp, while Orton, who had trained in the off season, excelled but was placed at third string. According to the Chicago Tribune
, Orton was en route to overtake Griese's (then) second string position. Orton continued to show signs of improvement in the preseason. He completed sixteen of twenty-five passes for 151 yards and one touchdown en route to leading the Bears to a comeback victory over the Houston Texans
.
After the Bears lost their chances of making a post-season berth, Lovie Smith
chose to start Orton over Griese. Orton made his first start in nearly two seasons on December 17, 2007 against the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears lost the game 20-13. Orton finished with 22 completions on 38 attempts, 184 yards, and 1 interception. He improved in the final two games of the season, leading the Bears to two consecutive victories, passing for 294 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception.
On February 25, 2008 the Bears and Orton agreed to a one-year contract extension running through the 2009 season. Competition for the starting quarterback job was expected to be fierce with Rex Grossman, during training camp.
On August 18, after deadlock against Grossman in games with the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks
, Bears head coach Lovie Smith
named Orton the team's starting QB for the 2008 season in Week 3 of the preseason, despite not throwing a pass over 17 yards or for a touchdown in the first two preseason games.
On September 7, 2008, Orton led the Bears to a 29-13 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the first regular season game of the season. He threw for a career high 334 yards and two touchdowns, while completing 24 of 34 passes in a 34-7 victory over the Detroit Lions. He finished the game with a career high, at that time, passer rating of 121.4.
From the start of November 2008, Kyle Orton passed for ten touchdowns, and four interceptions, leading the Bears to a 4-3 record. Orton sustained an ankle injury against the Detroit Lions in Week 9 of the NFL season, and did not start the next week. He rushed himself back into the starting lineup a week after Grossman had a solid outing for someone coming off the bench against the Titans. After his return, Orton threw eight touchdowns, and eight interceptions while averaging a quarterback rating of 66.9, including ratings of 39.1 against Minnesota, 49.2 against New Orleans, and 48.7 against Green Bay.
The Bears finished the season with a 9-7 record, while missing the playoffs by one game. Coach Lovie Smith was pleased with Orton's performance and believed he would be the team's starting quarterback for the following season. However, Jerry Angelo
, the team's general manager, stated he wished to further solidify the quarterback position in the long run.
for Pro Bowl
quarterback Jay Cutler
and the Broncos' fifth round pick in '09.
On June 13, Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels
declared Orton the starting quarterback for the season. Orton led the Broncos to a 12-7 victory in the 2009 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals
. The game was won on a deflected pass that landed in the arms of Brandon Stokley
who took it 87 yards for a touchdown.
Over the next five weeks, Orton led the Broncos to a surprising 6-0 record to begin the season. His most impressive effort in that streak came against the New England Patriots
, when he completed 35-48 passes for 330 yards and orchestrated a 98-yard drive to tie the game and send it into overtime. He threw his first interception of the season to Randy Moss
at the end of the first half. It was his first in 173 pass attempts which dated back to 2008 when he was with the Chicago Bears
. He led another drive for the game-winning field goal in overtime. On October 13, 2009, Kyle Orton was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week, for that effort.
On Nov. 15, Orton suffered an ankle injury on the road against the Washington Redskins. He came out of the game at halftime with a career high passer rating of 134.7. The injury kept him from starting the next game against the Chargers. He did return partway through that game, replacing Chris Simms
.
For the 2009 season (playing in 16 games with 15 starts), Orton threw 21 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions with an 86.8 QB rating.
, a career-high. Less than two months later, November 14, Orton threw a career-high four touchdown passes against the Kansas City Chiefs
. Later in the season, Orton suffered an injury against the Kansas City Chiefs
, and Tim Tebow
played the last three games of the season. Orton finished the season with 3,653 yards, 20 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
during the week 5 contest against the San Diego Chargers
, and Orton never took another snap for the Broncos. Orton was waived on November 22, 2011, officially ending his tenure with the Denver Broncos
. He had a record of 12-21 as a starter during his time with the Broncos, throwing for 8,434 yards, 49 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions.
on November 23, 2011, after a season ending injury to starting quarterback Matt Cassel
. Kansas City will pay $2.5 million remaining on Orton's nearly $8.9 million salary for the year. Chicago (looking to replace injured Jay Cutler
) and the Dallas Cowboys
(because of concerns of injuries to backup quarterback Jon Kitna
) also made claims on him. However, since Kansas City had a worse record than the other two teams it was given priority in claiming him per the NFL's inverse order of the standings rule on the waiver priority list. Orton can become a free agent at the end of the 2011 season.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Purdue
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
, where he started four straight bowl games. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...
. After an injury to Bears starter Rex Grossman
Rex Grossman
Rex Daniel Grossman, III is an American football quarterback for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . Grossman played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he has played professionally for the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and Washington Redskins of...
, Orton was pressed into service as the starting quarterback during his rookie year, starting the first 14 games of the 2005 season
2005 Chicago Bears season
-Roster:-Schedule:-Standings:W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against-Week 1: at Washington Redskins:-Week 2: vs. Detroit Lions:-Week 3: vs. Cincinnati Bengals:-Week 5: at Cleveland Browns:...
, but was replaced by Grossman for the playoffs that year. Orton didn't play at all in 2006, and sparingly in 2007. Orton regained his starting job from Grossman in 2008, but the team finished a disappointing 9-7 and out of the playoffs. In the offseason of that year, he was traded to the Denver Broncos.
Kyle Orton started his Broncos career well, winning his first six games in the 2009 season, but injuries hobbled him in the second half of the season. Though Orton played well when healthy, throwing 21 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s to only 12 interceptions, the team finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs. Orton started 2010 season as the starting quarterback, though the team was not competitive most of the season, finishing 4-12. Orton was injured again, and replaced by Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow
Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow is an American football player who is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft...
for the final three games of the 2010 season. In 2011 he again began the season as a starter, but he was replaced by Tebow again after a disappointing start to the season. Following several weeks on the bench, in which he did not take a snap for the Broncos, he was released by the Broncos on November 22, and claimed off of waivers
Waivers (American football)
Waivers is a National Football League labor management procedure by which a team makes an American football player contract or NFL rights available to all other teams...
by the Kansas City Chiefs the next day.
Early years
Orton attended Southeast Polk High School in Runnells, Iowa, where he also participated in basketball, tennis, and track and field.At the end of his high school career, Orton was the No. 2 ranked QB in the nation by SuperPrep and No. 7 by Rivals.com. His career passing statistics were 208 for 450 (46.2%), 3,176 yards with 24 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions. He earned honorable mention all-state and first team all-conference his senior year, after completing 95 of 192 attempts (49.5%), 1,366 yards with 12 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions.
Orton wore uniform No. 18 in honor of former Nebraska Cornhuskers' quarterback Brook Berringer
Brook Berringer
Brook Warren Berringer was an American quarterback for the University of Nebraska football team in the mid-1990s. Berringer came to Nebraska from Goodland, Kansas, and played a back-up role to Tommie Frazier...
who died in a plane crash in 1996.
College career
Orton grew up a Husker fan, but chose to attend a program with a stronger passing attack. Orton tied former PurduePurdue Boilermakers football
The Purdue Boilermakers football team is the intercollegiate football program of the Purdue University Boilermakers. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers have an all-time record of...
quarterback Drew Brees
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
' record for number of passing yards in a game (522 vs. Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
), and is the only Purdue quarterback to start four consecutive bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
s (Brees and Mark Herrmann
Mark Herrmann
Mark James Herrmann is a former professional football player, a quarterback in the NFL. He was Associate Director of Educational Programs for the NCAA, before budget cutbacks. However, he is best known for his college career with the Purdue Boilermakers...
started three straight). Orton started in the 2001, '02 and '04 Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
, and the 2003 Capital One Bowl
Capital One Bowl
The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl and the Florida Citrus Bowl...
. During his undergrad years at Purdue, Orton was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.
In 2004, Orton was the preseason third-team "All-American" quarterback, behind USC's
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
Matt Leinart
Matt Leinart
Matthew Stephen Leinart , is an American professional football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League...
and Oklahoma's
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
Jason White
Jason White (American football)
Jason White is a former American football quarterback who played for the University of Oklahoma from 1999 to 2004, during which he won the 2003 Heisman Trophy...
. Orton had a nice start to the season, having led Purdue to a 5-0 start with 18 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s and no interceptions. He was a Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
hopeful, until his fumble, caused by an uncalled facemask, was run back for a touchdown late in the 4th quarter against the undefeated 12th ranked Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin Badgers football
The Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football...
, giving the 5th ranked Purdue its first of several losses that season. Later that season, he received multiple injuries, in consecutive games against Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and Northwestern
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
forcing him to lose his starting position for a month. Brandon Kirsch
Brandon Kirsch
Brandon Michael Kirsch is a currently a free agent quarterback.-High school:Brandon Kirsch, attended Cedar Crest High School in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, where he was first team all-state, first team all-county and league Most Valuable Player as senior after completing 115 of 198 passes for 1,950...
then replaced him during that time.
Orton makes a cameo in NCAA Football 2006, where he says "EA Sports, it's in the game", along with Derek Anderson
Derek Anderson (American football)
Derek Matthew Anderson is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
in the game's introduction.
Statistics
| Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GP | Rating | Att | Comp | Pct | Yds | TD | INT | Sack | Att | Yds | TD | ||
| 2001 2001 Purdue Boilermakers football team The 2001 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented the US Purdue University in the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season.-Schedule:-Rivalries:*In the battle for the Old Oaken Bucket, Indiana beat Purdue.... | Purdue | 6 | 90 | 142 | 69 | 49 | 686 | 2 | 3 | NA | 27 | -63 | 0 | ||
| 2002 2002 Purdue Boilermakers football team The 2002 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University in the 2002 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Joe Tiller and played its home games at Ross-Ade Stadium... | Purdue | 13 | 128 | 317 | 192 | 61 | 2257 | 13 | 9 | NA | 43 | 47 | 0 | ||
| 2003 2003 Purdue Boilermakers football team The 2003 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University in the 2003 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Joe Tiller and played its home games at Ross-Ade Stadium... | Purdue | 13 | 128 | 414 | 251 | 61 | 2885 | 15 | 7 | NA | 112 | 237 | 3 | ||
| 2004 2004 Purdue Boilermakers football team The 2004 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University in the 2004 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Joe Tiller and played its home games at Ross-Ade Stadium. Purdue played twelve games in the 2004 season, finishing with a 7-5 record and a loss in the... | Purdue | 11 | 151 | 389 | 236 | 61 | 2090 | 31 | 5 | NA | 80 | 112 | 3 | ||
| Totals | 43 | 131 | 1262 | 748 | 59 | 8918 | 61 | 24 | NA | 262 | 333 | 6 | |||
Note: NCAA passer rating formula is different from NFL passer rating.
2005
In the 2005 NFL season2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
, Orton was rushed into the Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
starting lineup as a rookie after a preseason injury to starter Rex Grossman
Rex Grossman
Rex Daniel Grossman, III is an American football quarterback for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . Grossman played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he has played professionally for the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and Washington Redskins of...
, and the poor play of back-up Chad Hutchinson
Chad Hutchinson
Chad Martin Hutchinson is a retired National Football League quarterback and Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL and the St. Louis Cardinals of the MLB...
.
Orton started 15 games of the season, however was replaced by Grossman after halftime during the Bears' Week 15 victory against the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
After sitting for Week 16, Orton started the regular season finale, Week 17, against the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. The outcome of this game, for the Chicago Bears, did not have any effect on their post-season hopes. The Bears had already clinched the NFC North
NFC North
The NFC North is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference, based in the Upper Midwest region of the United States...
championship and a first-round bye in the 2005-06 playoffs
NFL playoffs, 2005-06
The National Football League playoffs for the 2005 season began on January 7, 2006 and led up to Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan....
with their Week 16 victory over the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
. Grossman then started for the Bears in their only post-season game. They lost to the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
.
Overall, the Bears had a record of 10-5 in games that Orton started, including an eight-game winning streak after a 1-3 start. Despite the team's success, Orton finished with the lowest quarterback rating in the NFL (59.7) among all "qualified" quarterbacks (those with 224+ pass attempts). Despite the low rating, the Bears coaches repeatedly insisted that they were pleased with Orton's performance. The coaching staff asked Orton to minimize mistakes and to let the rushing attack and the defense win ballgames rather than employing an aggressive passing attack.
Measuring Orton's victories, his rookie season was successful. His 15 starts and 10 victories are both rookie records for Bears quarterbacks, and the 10 victories are the third most in the NFL, since 1970, behind Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
's 14 victories in '04, and Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco
Flacco was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens 18th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft, becoming the highest drafted player ever from the University of Delaware...
's and Matt Ryan
Matt Ryan
Matt Ryan is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for Villacher SV of the Austrian Hockey League .-Playing career:...
's 11 victories in '08.
2006
Following the 2005 season, the Bears signed veteran Brian GrieseBrian Griese
Brian David Griese is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played high school football at Christopher Columbus High School and later college football at Michigan....
as the team’s second string quarterback. Orton, now demoted, became the Bears’ third-string quarterback, and did not see any playtime throughout the entire 2006 season
2006 Chicago Bears season
The 2006 Chicago Bears season was their 87th regular season and 25th post-season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 13-3 regular season record, the best in the NFC, improving on their previous year’s record of 11-5...
.
2007
The following off-season, the Bears acquired Chris LeakChris Leak
Christopher Patrick Leak is an American professional football player who is currently a quarterback for the Jacksonville Sharks of the Arena Football League. He played college football for the University of Florida, and led the Florida Gators to victory in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game...
, who had previously led the Florida Gators
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
to a BCS Championship, shortly after the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
. Leak struggled in training camp, while Orton, who had trained in the off season, excelled but was placed at third string. According to the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, Orton was en route to overtake Griese's (then) second string position. Orton continued to show signs of improvement in the preseason. He completed sixteen of twenty-five passes for 151 yards and one touchdown en route to leading the Bears to a comeback victory over the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
After the Bears lost their chances of making a post-season berth, Lovie Smith
Lovie Smith
Lovie Lee Smith is the head coach of the Chicago Bears professional football team of the NFL. Smith has been to the Super Bowl twice, as the defensive coordinator for the 2001 Saint Louis Rams and as the head coach for the Chicago Bears in 2006....
chose to start Orton over Griese. Orton made his first start in nearly two seasons on December 17, 2007 against the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears lost the game 20-13. Orton finished with 22 completions on 38 attempts, 184 yards, and 1 interception. He improved in the final two games of the season, leading the Bears to two consecutive victories, passing for 294 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception.
2008
On August 18, after deadlock against Grossman in games with the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
, Bears head coach Lovie Smith
Lovie Smith
Lovie Lee Smith is the head coach of the Chicago Bears professional football team of the NFL. Smith has been to the Super Bowl twice, as the defensive coordinator for the 2001 Saint Louis Rams and as the head coach for the Chicago Bears in 2006....
named Orton the team's starting QB for the 2008 season in Week 3 of the preseason, despite not throwing a pass over 17 yards or for a touchdown in the first two preseason games.
On September 7, 2008, Orton led the Bears to a 29-13 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the first regular season game of the season. He threw for a career high 334 yards and two touchdowns, while completing 24 of 34 passes in a 34-7 victory over the Detroit Lions. He finished the game with a career high, at that time, passer rating of 121.4.
From the start of November 2008, Kyle Orton passed for ten touchdowns, and four interceptions, leading the Bears to a 4-3 record. Orton sustained an ankle injury against the Detroit Lions in Week 9 of the NFL season, and did not start the next week. He rushed himself back into the starting lineup a week after Grossman had a solid outing for someone coming off the bench against the Titans. After his return, Orton threw eight touchdowns, and eight interceptions while averaging a quarterback rating of 66.9, including ratings of 39.1 against Minnesota, 49.2 against New Orleans, and 48.7 against Green Bay.
The Bears finished the season with a 9-7 record, while missing the playoffs by one game. Coach Lovie Smith was pleased with Orton's performance and believed he would be the team's starting quarterback for the following season. However, Jerry Angelo
Jerry Angelo
Jerry Angelo is the General Manager for the National Football League's Chicago Bears. He has held the role since 2001. Prior to joining the Chicago Bears, Angelo spent 14 years overseeing Tampa Bay Buccaneers' scouting department as their Director of Player Personnel...
, the team's general manager, stated he wished to further solidify the quarterback position in the long run.
2009
On April 2, 2009, the Bears traded Orton (along with their first and third-round draft picks in 2009 and their first-round pick in '10) to the Denver BroncosDenver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
for Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
quarterback Jay Cutler
Jay Cutler (American football)
Jay Christopher Cutler is a quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He played football at Vanderbilt University. Cutler began his professional football career with the Denver Broncos, who selected him as the 11th overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft...
and the Broncos' fifth round pick in '09.
On June 13, Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels
Josh McDaniels
Josh McDaniels is the former head coach of the Denver Broncos and currently the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams. He previously served as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots...
declared Orton the starting quarterback for the season. Orton led the Broncos to a 12-7 victory in the 2009 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
. The game was won on a deflected pass that landed in the arms of Brandon Stokley
Brandon Stokley
Brandon Stokley is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft...
who took it 87 yards for a touchdown.
Over the next five weeks, Orton led the Broncos to a surprising 6-0 record to begin the season. His most impressive effort in that streak came against the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
, when he completed 35-48 passes for 330 yards and orchestrated a 98-yard drive to tie the game and send it into overtime. He threw his first interception of the season to Randy Moss
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
at the end of the first half. It was his first in 173 pass attempts which dated back to 2008 when he was with the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He led another drive for the game-winning field goal in overtime. On October 13, 2009, Kyle Orton was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week, for that effort.
On Nov. 15, Orton suffered an ankle injury on the road against the Washington Redskins. He came out of the game at halftime with a career high passer rating of 134.7. The injury kept him from starting the next game against the Chargers. He did return partway through that game, replacing Chris Simms
Chris Simms
Christopher David Simms is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas.Simms has also played for the Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
.
For the 2009 season (playing in 16 games with 15 starts), Orton threw 21 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions with an 86.8 QB rating.
2010
Orton was named the Broncos starting quarterback for 2010. He signed a one-year contract extension (through the 2011 season), on August 19, 2010. On September 26, 2010, Orton threw for 476 yards against the Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
, a career-high. Less than two months later, November 14, Orton threw a career-high four touchdown passes against the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
. Later in the season, Orton suffered an injury against the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
, and Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow
Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow is an American football player who is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft...
played the last three games of the season. Orton finished the season with 3,653 yards, 20 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
2011
Orton entered the 2011 season as the starting quarterback. He threw 8 touchdowns and 7 interceptions as the starter, accumulating 979 yards and completing 58.7% of his passes. He was replaced as the starter by Tim TebowTim Tebow
Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow is an American football player who is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft...
during the week 5 contest against the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and Orton never took another snap for the Broncos. Orton was waived on November 22, 2011, officially ending his tenure with the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He had a record of 12-21 as a starter during his time with the Broncos, throwing for 8,434 yards, 49 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions.
Kansas City Chiefs
He was claimed off waivers by the Kansas City ChiefsKansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
on November 23, 2011, after a season ending injury to starting quarterback Matt Cassel
Matt Cassel
Matthew Brennan "Matt" Cassel is a quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
. Kansas City will pay $2.5 million remaining on Orton's nearly $8.9 million salary for the year. Chicago (looking to replace injured Jay Cutler
Jay Cutler (American football)
Jay Christopher Cutler is a quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He played football at Vanderbilt University. Cutler began his professional football career with the Denver Broncos, who selected him as the 11th overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft...
) and the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
(because of concerns of injuries to backup quarterback Jon Kitna
Jon Kitna
Jon K. Kitna is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1996...
) also made claims on him. However, since Kansas City had a worse record than the other two teams it was given priority in claiming him per the NFL's inverse order of the standings rule on the waiver priority list. Orton can become a free agent at the end of the 2011 season.
Statistics
| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Sacks | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | W-L | Comp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/Att | TD | INT | Rating | # | Yds | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2005 2005 NFL season The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006... | |Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
15 | 15 | 10-5 | 190 | 368 | 51.6 | 1,869 | 5.1 | 9 | 13 | 59.7 | 30 | 190 | 24 | 44 | 1.8 | 0 |
| 2006 2006 NFL season The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006... |
0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 2007 NFL season The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30.... |
3 | 3 | 2-1 | 43 | 80 | 53.8 | 478 | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 73.9 | 2 | 12 | 5 | ||||
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 2008 NFL season The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the... |
15 | 15 | 9-6 | 272 | 465 | 58.5 | 2,972 | 6.4 | 18 | 12 | 79.6 | 27 | 160 | 24 | 49 | 2.0 | 3 | |
| 2009 2009 NFL season The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at... | |Denver Broncos Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
16 | 15 | 8-7 | 336 | 541 | 62.1 | 3,802 | 7.0 | 21 | 12 | 86.8 | 29 | 159 | 24 | 71 | 3.0 | 0 |
| 2010 2010 NFL season The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,... |
13 | 13 | 3-10 | 293 | 498 | 58.8 | 3,653 | 7.3 | 20 | 9 | 87.5 | 34 | 243 | 22 | 98 | 4.4 | 0 | |
| 2011 2011 NFL season The 2011 NFL season, the 92nd regular season of the National Football League, began on Thursday, September 8, 2011 with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers defeating the New Orleans Saints 42–34 at Lambeau Field and will end with Super Bowl XLVI, the league's championship game, on... |
5 | 5 | 1-4 | 91 | 155 | 58.7 | 979 | 6.3 | 8 | 7 | 75.7 | 9 | 49 | 5 | 17 | 3.4 | 0 | |
| Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a... |
0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 67 | 66 | 33-33 | 1,225 | 2,107 | 58.1 | 13,753 | 6.5 | 79 | 55 | 79.4 | 131 | 813 | 104 | 278 | 2.7 | 3 | |