It could be said that quarterback Brady Quinn never has gotten a fair chance to become an NFL starter. It also could be said that Quinn’s rookie-year holdout, aimed at getting him paid a lot more when he became a full-time starter, kept him behind Derek Anderson and thus unable to become the starter in Cleveland when Charlie Frye was traded after one game.
Five years later, Quinn is getting the chance he didn’t get last season when the Broncos gave up on Kyle Orton and set their collective clocks to Tebow Time.
“We’re 1-5,” Quinn tells Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports. “Look, Denver was [1-4] last year when we made that decision – and that’s what it was, a decision – to turn things around.”
As he tries to do in Kansas City what was done in Denver last year, Quinn has quickly won the respect of teammates, including tackle Eric Winston.
“His nickname’s ‘Hercules.’ He’s always working out,” Winston told Silver. “He’s got, what, two percent body fat? Believe me, I’m jealous. He’s not narcissistic about it, but he’s definitely cognizant of it. You see him in the weight room doing extra abs work and planks.”
As the father-in-law of the team’s G.M. would say, this is why Quinn lifts all them weights. Quinn is getting an opportunity to become what he was supposed to be five years ago. If it never works out for Quinn, at least it won’t be because he never got a chance.