Coach John Fox has yet to name the Denver Broncos' starting quarterback. But that will change Tuesday.
Fox said he'll wait until another day to announce whether his starting quarterback will be Kyle Orton or Tim Tebow. Fox gave his players the day off Monday and didn't want to let everyone else know before Tebow, Orton and their teammates find out. Besides, the coach insisted, even he didn't know the answer yet.
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Fox demurred when asked at his Monday news conference which quarterback gives him the best chance to win -- the standard he has been fond of invoking ever since Orton won the job coming out of training camp.
"That's something that we'll evaluate. We'll meet. I don't have the team in and with all due respect for what you guys do, the way we'll operate is we'll communicate with the people involved and the team long before we announce it to you guys," Fox told a roomful of reporters. "So, that won't be happening today because we don't see the team until tomorrow."
A quarterback change from Orton to Tebow would surprise few, given the way the latter nearly led a fourth-quarter comeback in Sunday's 29-24 loss to the San Diego Chargers. Given the way the pro-Tebow supporters roared when he ran on to Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Given the way that public pressure mounts each time Orton falters or the Broncos lose.
Or all of the above.
But one of the things Fox and the organization must decide is if they can put the genie back in the bottle if they determine Orton is the better option despite his declining play and nine turnovers.
"You know, that's a tough spot to put me in especially (because) we haven't made an announcement yet," Fox said. "So, whether the genie's in or out, we'll just have to wait."
If Tebow stays under center, the Broncos will have to customize their offense to his dramatically different skill set. Not only is he a lefty and Orton a righty, but Tebow is much more mobile but not nearly as precise a passer. The Broncos would have to design a very different game plan for Tebow than they would for Orton, and just last week, Fox noted how difficult it would be to have his team learn two different offenses.
There's also the issue of the locker-room dynamic.
"I mean, you evaluate everything," Fox said. "When you make decisions, in your heart and your mind, it's what's best for the football team. So, whatever direction we go, that will be the No. 1 thing in mind."
If the omnipresent Tebow mania feels suffocating from the outside, imagine being Orton.
"I'm a P.E. major, so I really don't know about all that," Fox said after the game when asked about the pressure on Orton. "You'd have to ask Kyle."
Orton, whose stat line Sunday read six-of-13 passing for 34 yards with one interception, seems to already have lost his job in the court of public opinion. He was somewhat defiant on how much that matters.
"People's opinion don't matter to me, man," Orton said. "I left that a long time ago. I've been through that before. I'm just frustrated with the way we were playing, myself included."
So, Orton is frustrated. The Tebow Fan Club is frustrated. The Broncos are 1-4, and with a hot mess of a quarterback situation on his plate, it's a good bet Fox is as well.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
