Broncos’ Quinn has to get better

Associated Press

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.

Brady Quinn was brought into Denver to push incumbent Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton for the starting job.

Instead, he’s fending off rookie Tim Tebow for the backup role.

Quinn, who was acquired from Cleveland in the offseason, looked confused at times in coach Josh McDaniels’ complicated system during the preseason opener Sunday night at Cincinnati.

It’s just one performance, behind a makeshift offensive line and with a hodgepodge of receivers he’s still getting to know.

But the rushed throws, misreads and interception returned for a 24-yard touchdown weren’t exactly the kind of early impressions he wanted to make.

Watching the replay in the film room certainly wasn’t any better.

“Obviously, I could’ve done some things better here and there,” Quinn said Tuesday. “But that’s why we come out here to practice, that’s why we’re working on it. ... Things are never always as bad as they look and never as good as they look on film.”

While Quinn struggled, Orton looked cool and confident in the pocket, leading the Broncos on two long scoring drives that ended with TD passes.

Hardly a surprise there.

Orton has looked that solid, that comfortable all training camp, firmly placing his stamp on the starting spot.

His mastery of the offense is unmatched by a wide margin. Then again, being in Year 2 of the system, that should be the case.

“Feeling great with it right now,” Orton said.

That was hardly the case last summer, when Orton struggled with picking up the nuances of the system. There are no CliffsNotes available for this offense, only intense cramming.

Precisely what Quinn is undergoing now.

“It’s a tough offense to learn, no question about it,” Orton said. “The more you’re into it, the better it gets. He’s just at a starting point right now.”

Quinn completed 6 of 16 passes for 68 yards against the Bengals.

He insisted he wasn’t pressing or thinking too much on the field. And he’s definitely not reading anything into the performances of Orton and Tebow.

“I think the biggest thing is you have to kind of control the things that you do out there,” Quinn said. “We’re all working toward the same goal.”