The NFL is not too big of a stage for this years No. 1 NFL draft pick. The Florida Gators graduate made his first touchdown in the last play of the Denver Broncos appearance against the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday. All though his team lost, he was able to get into the end zone on the final play of the 33-24 defeat against the Bengals.
There was a lot of boos when he first came into the field sometime late in the third quarter. It seems as if football fans in Ohio have not forgotten what Tim Tebow did to both Ohio State and the University of Cincinnati in not so far away bowl games. He had completely smacked down their defenses with very beautiful aerial raids back when he was one of the most dominant quarterbacks in the NCAA college football.
Now as a pro, he should be able to find a spot among his peers. And yet, despite all the boos, the fans that had filled the Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati Ohio, knew well that they were experiencing the debut of one of those players that are expected to make it to the very top of the sport.
Tebow has still to prove that he can keep up with the demanding learning curve. In his debut, Tebow completed 8 of his 13 pass attempts and moved the ball a respectable (considering he only played one quarter) for 105 yards. And sure, those of you who want to be a bit more severe with the newbie will say that he completed his passes coming on dump-offs and against a very soft defense. Sure, but heck, on the final game he went out there and scrambled 7 yards for touchdown and manage to fly over Kyries Hebert, the last standing Bengals safety.
Perhaps it was all the attention that Tebow was getting, but one thing is for sure: Kyle Orton was at his very best last Sunday. Orton finished last season with 3,802 yards and 21 touchdowns. He had a 62.1 % of completions that is a somewhat significant improvement over his 57.8 career long mark. He completed 8 of 13 attempts for 84 yards and two touchdowns against the Bengals.
Sure, he might not be as famous or be such a merchandising and marketing strong name as Tebow is already. But he made quite evident that at least for now it is him, and not the rookie who is going to be commanding the Denver Broncos offense.
The Denver Broncos will be opening their NFL Regular season on September 12, 2010 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. As of press time, the Jaguars are a -2½ point spread favorite for this first game. If you rather take some action betting on the NFL, you might want to try out the other preseason games that the Broncos are going to face soon. On August 21, the Broncos take a go against the Detroit Lions at home. The Broncos are a -3 point favorite to win this game. Keep an eye out for movements in the juice, as it is very unlikely that the game will go on or off the number 3. As of press time, the Broncos have a -115 juice, but they are playing at home, and that might be the key here.