National Football League

Elvis has left the Broncos' building to others

Published Aug. 25, 2010 10:05 p.m. ET

foxsports

Coach Josh McDaniels was looking for a roster makeover after the Broncos lost eight of their final 10 games last year. He got more than he wanted.

After beefing up his defensive line and re-signing pass rusher Elvis Dumervil for $61.5 million, Denver's second-year coach lost the NFL's top sackmaster to a torn pectoral muscle.

After jettisoning undersized offensive linemen Casey Wiegmann and Ben Hamilton in the offseason, McDaniels got a call on draft weekend informing him All-Pro left tackle Ryan Clady had blown out his left knee playing hoops.

Following the loss of his top two tailbacks - Knowshon Moreno (hamstring) and Correll Buckhalter (back) - barely an hour into training camp, McDaniels brought in free agent LenDale White, who promptly squeezed into the crowded training room after spraining an ankle.

And after trading Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall to Miami, McDaniels watched rookie receivers Demaryius Thomas, the team's No. 1 draft pick, and third-rounder Eric Decker, both of whom spent the summer rehabbing from foot surgeries, go down in the team's first scrimmage.

Then there's Tim Tebow, the former Florida star who's trying to prove he can morph into an NFL quarterback and match his play with his enormous popularity.

He visited the trainers himself after his dart into the end zone on the final play of his pro debut left him with bruised ribs and renewed questions about whether he can survive in this league with the same punishing style that earned him two national titles and a Heisman Trophy with the Gators.

The Broncos' defense will again feature a secondary that's long in the tooth and an offense that has two rookies starting on the line and a receiving corps that's not known for scoring a lot of touchdowns.

And yet, the Broncos are brimming with optimism.

Quarterback Kyle Orton looked so good in camp that the Broncos extended his contract through 2011, giving them more time to figure out just who is their long-term answer under center.

Right now, Orton is miles ahead of Tebow and fellow newcomer Brady Quinn, both of whom are struggling in McDaniels' intricate offense that similarly befuddled Orton a year ago.

The common assumption is that the Broncos will bring in Tebow for special packages like the wildcat formation or in the red zone this season. But that begs the question: Why mess with Orton's rhythm by replacing him with a raw rookie at the game's most critical times?

''The only way you use something like that - or with any player's talents - is if it's actually the best thing for your team,'' McDaniels told The Associated Press. ''If it's not better than the alternative, then we're not going to use it, no matter what that is.''

As for Dumervil, McDaniels seems to be holding out hope that he won't miss the entire season and might return for the final month.

Whatever its length, Dumervil's absence leaves a huge hole in Denver's defense.

The starting outside linebackers are Robert Ayers and Jarvis Moss, neither of whom managed a single sack last season, when Dumervil led the league with 17.

Aside from the injury epidemic, the Broncos' preparations for 2010 were noted for the shift of Tebowmania from the SEC to the NFL, where his legions of fans have only amped up their rock star-like devotion to the All-American kid whose No. 15 jersey is already the league's top-seller.

Orton?

He didn't rate a single display jersey at the satellite trailer the Broncos team store operated inside the parking lot at the club headquarters, and most days he seemed to go almost unnoticed by the fans.

While Tebow regularly blew away the competition in post-practice wind sprints, Orton did the same during every practice.

Anybody actually paying attention saw not only how far Tebow and Quinn have to go in this offense but how far Orton has come.

It's not just a mental leap for Orton in his second season in Denver, but a physical one: he's more mobile in the pocket and is stepping into throws with the good mechanics and proper footwork that eluded him almost all last season when he was hampered by two sprained ankles.

''I'm feeling better than I ever have and I'm throwing the ball better than I ever have,'' he said. ''And I'm looking forward to having the best season of my career.''

And where would that leave Tebow?

Like the rest of his teammates, he'll play when it's beneficial to both him and the Broncos, McDaniels said.

''The best player will play. That's really the best thing that we can do for our team no matter who that is,'' McDaniels said. ''There's no goal for one player to become a certain thing unless he becomes it. If he can't outwork or outplay the guys ahead of him at his position, then ultimately our goal is just to win football games and try to compete for championships. And if that player doesn't give us the best opportunity to do that, then you know we have a better player. That's just this league.''