QBER/Week 6: J.C. Superstar Who? All Orton Does Is Win Football Games

(Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

(QBER is short for Quarterback Efficiency Rating, a more comprehensive, easily understood rating system that I devised to place the emphasis where it belongs—the ability of a quarterback to advance the ball, avoid negative plays, and score touchdowns in comparison to his peers. A rating of 100.0 is the league average.)

It was then Philadelphia Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan who once said of a wide receiver years ago, “Lemme tell you, all Cris Carter does is catch touchdown passes.” Much the same can be said of Kyle Orton, the Denver Broncos quarterback who doesn’t do much more than win football games.

That the Broncos are off to a 6-0  start rates as one of the surprises of the early season, but maybe it shouldn’t come as a complete and total shock. In three seasons with the Chicago Bears, Orton had a 21-12 record as a starter despite fairly average talent around him, further proof that the best QB isn't necessarily the one that throws the tightest spirals but manages the best game.

Orton never had the full support of team management, however, which was stuck on Rex Grossman from the start. When the Broncos made Jay Cutler available last summer, Orton was kicked to the curb.

Months later, the trade appears to be a steal— for the Broncos, not the Bears. Orton may have a low glitz factor, but his QBER ranks No. 5 overall, three places higher than his NFL passer rating.

What separates Orton from the pack is his remarkable consistency, as his rating has never been lower than 132.0 in any week. And while Cutler continues to be a turnover machine— among qualifiers, only Kerry Collins, Jake Delhomme, and Mark Sanchez give up the ball at a higher rate— the man he replaced has been guilty of only one such mistake in 208 pass plays.

So lemme tell you, unlike a certain wide receiver, don’t expect Orton to be released any time soon.

The QBER leaders after Week Six of the regular season:

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