Last year, after the Broncos played the Titans in Nashville, Denver quarterback Kyle Orton called the Tennessee defense cheap. “You always hear about how tough they are and all that stuff,” Orton said. “I don’t think they’re tough, I think they’re cheap. And it was one of the cheapest games I’ve ever seen out of some of those players.”
Orton specifically called out Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan, accusing him of punching offensive lineman Chris Kuper while his helmet was off. Finnegan responded by inviting Orton to come back to town, presumably so that Finnegan could punch Orton while his helmet was off.
Nearly a year later, Orton is returning to Nashville, but not because he’s choosing to do it. His work is taking him there, again, given that the scheduling gods have decided to send the Broncos back to Tennessee.
For now, Orton has opted not to dust off the “cheap” comments.
“It was a physical game; it’ll be a physical game this coming week,” Orton said Wednesday, via comments distributed by the Broncos. “They’re a good defensive football team, so it’ll be a tough test for our offense to travel to a tough place to play a good defense and do whatever we have to do to win.”
So is Orton looking forward to getting reacquainted with Finnegan? “I’m looking forward to seeing them all,” Orton said. “It was a good game; he’s a good player.”
That’s not what Orton said last year, specifically calling Finnegan something other than a good player. “If that’s the type of player Cortland Finnegan wants to be, well then he’s a cheap player, not a good player,” Orton said last October.
In a weekend featuring a bunch of compelling rivalry games (Packers-Bears, Giants-Eagles, Redskins-Cowboys, Patriots-Bills, Falcons-Bucs), don’t go to sleep on the Broncos and the Titans.