On December 12, 2010, the Arizona Cardinals dismantled the Denver Broncos, 43-13.
The defensive coordinator for the Cardinals that day was Bill Davis. The Broncos starter at quarterback was Kyle Orton.
Orton was 19-of-41 for 166 yards with three interceptions in the loss.
Three years later, Davis is preparing for Orton, although under much different circumstances. Davis is now the defensive coordinator for the Eagles. Orton is a backup for the Dallas Cowboys, who could be thrust into action because of a back injury to Tony Romo.
The stakes are also much higher as the winning team claims the NFC East division. The loser's season comes to an end. Davis is not banking on that result three years ago when game planning this week for the Cowboys.
"I know Kyle Orton is a highly efficient quarterback. He started (69) games in the NFL. He has a great presence and sees the field well. He's always distributed the ball equally to the open guys," Davis said.
"Kyle Orton is a great system quarterback in that he understands the coverage and what position in the routes, and he does a great job of getting the ball out of his hands and accurately throwing to the open guy. So we've got a great challenge no matter who the quarterback is. But Kyle Orton can start for a lot of teams in the NFL.
The news of Romo's injury didn't cause Davis to drastically alter the game plan because he said the offense is the same no matter who is throwing the ball.
"It does more when the quarterbacks are vastly different. When there is one athletic runner that wants to run instead of throw. But I think these two quarterbacks are similar," Davis said.
"Tony Romo probably extends the play more than most in the NFL. That is one of the talents that he has is when the initial play is broken down to improvise. But both of them, even Tony is running the offense efficiently. Thirty touchdowns and a few interceptions, so he was having a great year. If he's healthy, we're ready for his best. And if Orton is the quarterback, then we're ready for their best. We'll give them ours."
