Tim Tebow: 3 Reasons John Fox Made Right Call by Keeping Kyle Orton as Starter

According to Mike Klis of the Denver Post Denver Broncos head coach John Fox gave starting quarterback Kyle Orton a vote of confidence following the team's 23-20 season-opening loss to the rival Oakland Raiders last night. Fox made the announcement despite fans clamoring for backup Tim Tebow to get a look.

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"We came up a little short. There were plenty of reasons why. It wasn't just the quarterback by any stretch. Kyle is our starting quarterback and I don't think too many guys are firing all their guys because their team happened to lose in week one."

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Orton threw for 304 yards and a touchdown in the game, but the Denver offense was out of sync for most of the game. Much of this was due to the lack of a proper running game, but aside from a few spurts the Broncos looked sloppy on offense.

Orton started most of last season before giving way to Tebow in the season's final three games. Tebow performed admirably and appeared to be the favorite to start in 2011. The Broncos apparently made Orton trade bait, but decided to keep him when a deal couldn't be reached.

Fox then tabbed Orton as the starter and Tebow fell all the way to third on the depth chart at one point during the preseason behind Orton and Brady Quinn. Despite his often-criticized style of play the Tebow train is picking up steam again. Fox made the right decision sticking with Orton, though, and here's why.

Denver Will Be Playing From Behind

The Broncos don't appear to have a team capable of contending this season. That was abundantly clear in their loss to Oakland. With that in mind, Denver is likely to be playing from behind quite a bit this season. While that may be a good thing for a quarterback statistically, it allows opposing defenses to pin their ears back and attack the passer.

While Tebow's athleticism might come in handy in those situations, his experience will cause him to make tons of mistakes. Orton may not be the most mobile quarterback, and he'll get sacked and hit a fair amount of times, but he is capable of making quick decisions and getting rid of the ball intelligently.

Starting Tebow would be putting him into a position to fail. It's a much better idea to go with a veteran quarterback who has seen every defensive trick in the book. If Denver gets involved in a shootout where a pass-heavy offense is needed, then Orton is the guy who can be successful, not Tebow.

Lack of a Running Game

With John Fox at the helm, it was assumed that the Denver Broncos would make painstaking efforts to improve the running game. Fox featured a very run-heavy offense in Carolina and made temporary stars out of the likes of Stephen Davis, DeShaun Foster, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. On Monday night, however, the Broncos abandoned the run just like they did so often last season.

Granted Knowshon Moreno and Willis McGahee weren't particularly effective in limited carries on Monday, they didn't receive the opportunity to get into the flow of the game. Instead, Orton threw nearly 50 times and took plenty of abuse due to the lack of an efficient ground game.

If the Broncos continue to disregard the running game, then Tebow would have absolutely no chance of success if given the opportunity. Defenses are never off balance against the Broncos because all they do is pass, pass and pass some more. Tebow can't be counted on to throw over 40 times per game and hold up, but Orton can for the time being.

Orton Gives Them a Better Chance to Win

While the Broncos may not have a legitimate shot at winning the AFC West or making the playoffs, abandoning all hope this early in the season sends the wrong message to fans. The Broncos owe it to their fanbase to trot out their best lineup week in and week out until it has become apparent that the playoffs are no longer plausible.

At this point, Orton is simply a better option than Tebow. He is superior as a quarterback in terms of arm strength and accuracy and in his understanding of NFL defenses. The only area in which Tebow shines brighter is his ability to make things happen outside the pocket, but that simply isn't enough.

If Denver continues to struggle, then Tebow will get his opportunity soon enough. As long as the Broncos are in contention, though, playing Orton is a no-brainer. At some point the organization has to see what it has in Tebow, but save that for December, not September.