ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Brady Quinn was brought in to push incumbent Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton for the starting job. Instead, Quinn is fending off rookie Tim Tebow for the backup role.
Quinn, acquired from the Cleveland Browns during the offseason, looked confused at times in Broncos 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, the misreads and the interception returned for a 24-yard touchdown weren't exactly the kind of early impressions that Quinn 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 of training camp, firmly placing his stamp on the starting spot.
Orton's mastery of Denver's offense is unmatched by a wide margin. It's his second year in the system, so he should be comfortable in it.
"Feeling great with it right now," Orton said.
That was hardly the case last summer, when Orton struggled picking up the nuances. There are no CliffsNotes available for this offense, only intense cramming.
Precisely what Quinn is going through 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."
Even Tebow looked to have a better grasp of the system, although it was largely against third-stringers. The former University of Florida star completed 8 of 13 passes for 105 yards, numbers that could've been even more impressive had Matthew Willis hauled in a long passthat bounced off his facemask.
Or could've been worse had Tebow's fourth-quarter fumble -- returned for a Cincinnati TD -- not been reversed by replay.
Tebow's night was punctuated by a run up the middle on the final play, a bruising 7-yard TD rumble that was reminiscent of so many during his time with the Gators.
"It was a great play," said Quinn, the Browns' 2007 first-round draft pick after a standout career at Notre Dame. "He did a great job running it in."
Tebow was besieged by autograph seekers after the game -- in his own locker room, no less. Two media members asked him to sign some items before being booted by the Broncos' public-relations staff.
Tebow simply shrugged off the episode.
Quinn is trying to do the same with his lackluster performance. He 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."
Although Tebow is making a hard charge to become the backup, Quinn isn't taking an adversarial stance. He's there to support Tebow, offering any advice the first-round pick might need.
They're in the same predicament, after all, both brushing up on quite a foreign system.
"The terminology, I'm somewhat familiar with," Quinn said. "It's something that, here and there, having a little experience in the NFL, I can kind of give him some advice."
After practice Tuesday, Quinn slipped off his shoulder pads and sauntered over to the far sideline to sign autographs.
Usually, it's Tebow among the fans, penning his name on as many of his top-selling jerseys as he can. But Quinn has become just as accessible and almost as big of a crowd favorite.
Almost.
Quinn still is trailing Tebow in popularity -- like everyone else -- and the gap for the backup role might be closing as well. Quinn very well could be designated the third QB on game days, especially if the Broncos incorporate specialty packages for Tebow.
To boost his stock, Quinn realizes he needs to keep absorbing that intricate offense.
"You've got to try to move on and try to get better each day," he said.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press