No. 8 has look of No. 1
http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_15106535
No. 8 has look of No. 1
By Lindsay H. Jones
The Denver Post
Posted: 05/18/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT
There was one Broncos quarterback clearly acting the part of the alpha dog during the first day of the team's voluntary passing camp.
Sorry, Tim Tebow fans. It wasn't the rookie.
Kyle Orton, a 15-game starter for the Broncos last year who passed for 3,802 yards and 21 touchdowns, went through the nearly two-hour practice Monday morning looking like he has no plans to concede his role not to Brady Quinn, not to Tom Brandstater and certainly not to Tebow, a first-round pick.
Orton was the first of the four quarterbacks to take repetitions in individual drills and in the 7-on-7 work against Denver's linebackers and defensive backs. He was followed in line by Quinn, then Brandstater and, finally, Tebow.
"Oh, I'm competing for the job, but I certainly feel like it is my job, and my teammates know that," Orton said. "I'm going to keep on trying to show that to them every single day."
Monday marked the first time all four QBs were together for the first time. They met in the quarterback meeting room, and it went about as you would expect. No hugs or hazing, but it was cordial.
There were introductions, then it was time for work. Tebow, as the rookie, offered to fetch his teammates' playbooks and carry their helmets.
"Tim goes about it the right way," Orton said. "He knows the deal."
But more important than the locker-room hierarchy is the performance in practice, even if it is only May, and that is where Orton believes he has an edge. He is still a relatively new Bronco having arrived here April 2, 2009 yet he is the most senior member of the group, with 48 starts in the NFL.
"It's night and day from the first time I stepped on the field in OTAs (organized team activities) last year," Orton said. "I'm just going to go out and focus on myself, and focus with the wide receivers on everything we have to get down.
"You're able to take that communication to a whole other
level. I'm able to tell all 11 guys on the field what I want them to do at the line. That's a very calming feeling."
Still, the Broncos' offseason additions of Quinn, via a trade with Cleveland in March, and Tebow, with the No. 25 pick in the draft in April, have kept Orton on edge. Coach Josh McDaniels named Orton the Broncos' starter in June 2009. That hasn't changed, but McDaniels admitted Monday the Broncos' quarterback situation is different from last year not just because of sheer numbers, but also because of the quality of the depth.
"I think it's a real competitive situation. They're all eager and also unselfish," McDaniels said. "They know that everybody is going to take reps, and that's what we try to do at every position.
"They have a lot to learn still, and I'm not disappointed in any of them today."
The trick is for McDaniels and his staff, which includes offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and new quarterbacks coach Ben McDaniels, to find a way to tutor all four quarterbacks and split the repetitions so each QB can improve, but also so the starter gets the most work with the first-team offense.
"There are not too many things that they're not getting an opportunity to rep out there, so that's the most important thing that they're getting an opportunity to do that," McDaniels said.
For now that means a fairly even workload, though Tebow must wait his turn. For much of Monday's practice, Tebow stood several yards behind Orton or Quinn and mimicked what the other quarterback was doing, from taking the snap, to a five-step drop then the throwing motion.
"The competition, for me, is learning the playbook and just competing to be the best I can be and not necessarily worrying about anything else," said Tebow, a former Heisman Trophy winner. "I can only worry about what I can control every day."
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com
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