ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson

We had another spirited round of "sound off" this week. We got plenty of responses to the question of whether Denver should let Kyle Orton and Chris Simms compete for the starting job or should the Broncos draft a quarterback or pursue a veteran like Brady Quinn?

The answers were varied and several great points being made. Below are some of your responses. Thanks to those who participated.

Brian from Denver: As much as I do not believe Orton or Simms is the answer for Denver at QB, I think this years rookie QB class is almost completely devoid of viable long-term franchise talent. Use the picks this year on defense. Then next year, using the 2 first round picks as ammo, go and get a real QB like Bradford, McCoy, or Tebow. If any of those QB's had come out this year they'd instantly be rated over Stafford, Sanchez, and Freeman.

Garrett from Denver: The Broncos should go into this season with Kyle Orton as their starting Quaterback. Making a trade for anonther quaterback when we already have so many holes to fill on the Defensive side of the ball would be a waste. They only trade they should do with Cleavland is trade a Second round or a Fourth round and Tony Scheffler for Saun Rodgers. And hey if it doesnt work out this year with Kyle then atleast next year we can draft Sam Bradford. But i think Kyle will do fine he is a provin winner and a smart football player. He never had help in Chicago, well he does now so he can only go up from here. Not to mention if McDaniels can turn Matt Cassel into a success, Orton (whos more accurate and all around better player than cassel) should thrive. Bill keep up the good work man.

Dustin from Huntington Beach, CA: Regarding this weeks sound off, If I was Brian Xanders this is what I would do, First off I would definitely not trade up in the draft, I would hope that Sanchez falls to me at 12 and I would take him along with the best fit for a 3-4 defense with the #18 pick, hopefully Tyson Jackson, if not maybe Peria Jerry. If Sanchez does not fall to me at 12 I would take the two best 3-4 defenders with the two first round picks and offer my 2nd rounder to CLE for Brady Quinn, if they want more maybe throw in a late round pick as well. Both of these scenarios would set DEN up with a young QB of the future with considerably more upside than the QB's currently on the roster, plus in the Quinn scenario Brady already is familiar with the system so the learning curve would not be as steep.

Jeev: Bill, What is painfully obvious is that McDaniels and Bowlen drove off a 25 year old Pro Bowl talent, that was not even in his prime yet. This is a mistake that will haunt the organization and fans, for a very long time. Denver is a quarterback driven town, John Elway was the Denver Broncos, Pat Bowlen knew it, it didn't bother him then, did it? So I don't buy what he wrote in his "I am sorry I screwed up, no one is bigger than the team" letter to the fans. This whole process has been embarassing for me as a fan, I am really turned off by everyone involved. Jay should have at least returned Bowlen's call, but at the same time, Bowlen should have gotten involved the very first day of this mess, and simply stated, Jay is my quarterback, and he is not going anywhere, period. I put the blame squarely, on the Broncos inexperienced management team, When you have a franchise quarterback like Jay Cutler, YOU DO NOT ENTERTAIN TRADE OFFERS, PERIOD! I agree with John Elway, it is a sad time in Denver, good luck McDaniels, finding another quarterback with a rocket arm, mobility, and fire like Jay Cutler, they don't grow on trees.

Jeremy from New Zealand: I think that Kyle Orton will be given at least one season to prove he can be the Broncos' QB in the long run. If not Denver should look to the 2010 draft for their next QB. If Orton is not the guy, then chances are Denver will be picking high enough to draft a top QB prospect.

elliott from boise: I think the Denver needs to let Orton and Simms compete for the job, with the edge going to Orton. I was pleasantly suprised when I saw Orton's record as a starter (21-12 and home record 15-2). Sure Chicago's defense is better than Denver's but they are not the shut down unit they were on the super bowl run. Not only that, Dever's offensive weapons are superior to Chicago's. I also think McDaniels needs a chance to work his system. Who was Matt Cassell 2 years ago? I think Sanchez could be good but we have enough on offense and need a stud linebacker/lineman with the first pick.

BJ from Denver: Denver will forever regret trading Cutler for draft picks. Just remember how Baltimore fared by trading Elway for draft picks. This is Denver's version of losing the franchise QB with McDaniels playing the role of Frank Kush. I will not be renewing my season ticket as I have lost enormous hope for the team until McD is long gone from our town.
Ryan, NJ: Hey BW, great blog. I have to say let Orton and Simms compete. I don't want the Broncos to draft Sanchez, to me, he is a very bustable prospect (1 year as starter, great OL, WR's, and D but not undefeated in Pac-10?). I beleive that Orton and Simms have both proven they can start in this league with good success. Now, BW you ride Orton, and say he is not Denver's answer, but look at Orton pre-injury. He was great even with a bad WR corps and OL. I say give Orton and Simms a chance to prove themselves this year, then if they don't get the job done, get a QB in next year's draft (ie: McCoy, Bradford, Tebow, etc.) I think Denver will likely draft a QB this year, but not before the 5th round, as McD and his Pats philosiphy tend to do. Denver MUST use its two first rounders to rebuild the D, and people who say otherwise must be forgetting how abysmal it really was, cuz SD is still scoring points on us from that horrible game.

Tyler from Hamilton, ON: Hey Bill, Great blogs man! I'm a life long Bronco fan and I have to admit, when we got Orton in the Cutler trade I wasn't every happy. The more that I look at him though, I really think McDaniels should give him a chance, he isn't as bad as everyone is making him sound. Cutler had A LOT to work with last year with probably the best O-line in the league and a variety of targets he could throw too. Orton had.......Matt Forte, and if you want to be nice you could say Olsen. Hester has no hands and couldn't run a route if his life depended on it unless its a fly. Its hard for a QB to produce on a team with no receivers, an O-line who allows 27 sacks in 16 games, and a team whos known for establihing the run offensively. Orton's a smart QB who wont cause as many turnovers as Cutler did, which is ideal in any system....but especially McD's. I say focus on the D this year with our picks in the draft and see how Orton does. If he doesn't produce then draft a QB next year with one of the 2 #1's (personally I think the QB selection will be a lot better to pick from).

Dain from KC: I don't think that Den needs to be worried about QB, at least no this year. Orton and Simms aren't the flash
iest guys in the league but they are capable QBs with experience and have played well when given the chance in the past

Zachary from Washington: Hey Bill, great work. I feel like the best scenario is to go with Kyle Orton for the next year or two, possibly three. Orton is a much better choice over Simms. We should not do any trading for a QB because we have already done that. Instead we should use the picks that we have gained for our dreadful defense and let Orton, who is a proven capable QB, run the offense for a couple years. Im sure McDaniels is going to try another Brady-Cassel project and draft a QB in the late rounds and develop him..... Maybe someone like Graham Harrel or Rhett Bomar?

Erik from Fort Collins: Sound Off:Denver QB Situation I think they will be just fine entering the season with Orton and Simms. I bet they draft a rookie in the 2nd or 3rd round and let McDaniels work his magic. If this year doesn't work out, expect them to use one of the 2010 first round picks to pick up a QB. Next year's QB class looks better anyways.

Brian from Idaho: Hey Bill, I think Denver should stick it out with Orton this year and focus on getting the defense rebuilt. They have 2 first round picks next year that they could use to move to get Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, or Colt McCoy, all of whom have the potential to be franchise quarterbacks. They shouldn't waste any of that firepower on Quinn.

Devin from Oxford, MS: The Broncos should try to trade their picks for Brady Quinn. He's got the arm, size, and intelligence to be a star in this league. He's less of a risk than Mark Sanchez and still leaves the Browns with a decent quarterback and few picks to boot. Sanchez reminds of another young gun from USC (Lienart) that isn't worth the risk.

Rick from Springfield: Bill, It would be a huge mistake for Denver to trade both picks to get a QB. They would still have an unproven QB and would not be able to get the impact players on the D. If Sanchez is there at 12 then I would be alright with taking him and getting the D with the second 1st. Other wise give it a shot with Orton and if it all falls apart they still have two 1st next year to go up and grab a QB. If really goes south they wont even have to trade up, but I don't think that will happen.

Brian from Abilene: I think they should stand pat this year and go defense with the 5 picks in the top 100. Then, next year which will be a bonanza year, go and get a real quarterback rather than a flake like Cutler.

Scott from huntington Beach: hi Bill. I am starting to believe that Kyle Orton can be a good fit as Denver's QB in McDaniel's system. He was starting to shine last year before he was injured and now with the weapons we have and a solid running attack this could work out. He will not be gunslinging like Cutler and forcing interceptions that kill drives. In the long run that decision making will help our offense and our defense. I say we focus on building a strong defense and see what happens with Orton this year.

Andy from San Diego: As a bronco's fan, I have been disgusted with the lack of any kind of defense. I believe that the first priority has to be the defense. If we give up a first round pick for Quinn, we have wasted what we got in the trade. We all saw Orton do fine in Chicago with no line and no offensive weapons. He is a decent game manager and should be productive with the young, talented offense we have. Give the QBs a year, draft some defensive stars, and see where we stand next year.

Bob: It would be stupid at this point for the broncos to go out and get a QB and use a high pick to do it. The draft is deeper next year if they need to. They can get a late round QB in the draft this year and let Orton or Simms work it out this year.

Michael from Denver: Was Very surprised to not see Brady Quinn packaged in the deal for Cutler... What are the chances he will still be pursued by the Broncos ?? I believe Scheffler in some sort of package deal to the Browns is Highly possible allowing Denver to pick up Maualuga as well as Tyson Jackson in the first round. What are your thoughts ???

M. Bergeman from Virginia Beach: BW, as always great stuff!!! As a die hard Broncos fan, I feel we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. But to answer the sound off, if Mark Sanchez is available at 12, Denver has to take him! He came from the same system that Matt Cassell came from in USC and look what McDaniels did with him. But if he is gone, Denver should go with the shoot out between Orton and Simms and not try and trade for a QB such as Quinn. They need there picks to try and fix other positions that they lack in (i.e. all of defense and maybe a speedy RB), and then draft a QB later in the draft around 4 or 5 and hope McDaniels can mold him into a NFL QB like he did Cassell.