Brady Quinn to Denver

On Sunday Night, the Broncos acquired QB Brady Quinn from the Browns in exchange for FB Peyton Hillis, a 6th round pick in 2011, and a conditional pick in 2012 that will be no higher then a 4th or a 5th round selection. Bascially, the Broncos gave up nothing to get a 3rd year QB who was a first round pick only three years ago. At first, I was very upset about the move until I saw what Denver gave up, which is basically nothing. Yes, I was among the Broncos fans that loved Peyton Hillis, but the reality is that Hillis simply doesn't fit into Josh McDaniels' offensive scheme. Hillis is a good runner and a good pass receiver, but he is not a good blocker and pass protector, and the Broncos don't employ too many traditional two-back, I formation sets. Spencer Larsen is a more effective blocker, and so Hillis was expendable. The Broncos didn't even have to touch this year's draft, so this deal was a good move from that standpoint. I always liked Brady Quinn, but I never thought he was a franchise QB; however, he never really got a fair shot in Cleveland. Quinn didn't play at all in 2007 behind Derek Anderson, he started 3 games in 2008, and he played in 8 games in 2009. He was on a really bad team, so maybe the change of scenery will help stimulate his career. Throw in the fact that he is familar with McDaniels' offense and concepts because Quinn played for Charlie Weis at Notre Dame. From these standpoints: Young first round QB, offensive familiarity, and not giving up really anything this move was a win-win for Denver.

The reason why I don't like the move is because this doesn't really give the Broncos a long-term answer at QB. In my mind the Broncos need to draft one of the big four QBs in this draft: Sam Bradford, Jimmy Clausen, Colt McCoy, or the Tim Tebow. Personally, I've been on the Tebow bandwagon all season long, and I was really hoping that Denver would take Tebow, and I wouldn't care if it was in the second round. The Broncos need to give their fans a reason for hope, and they need to build around a potential franchise QB. A lot of NFL experts and critics might not agree with me, but Tebow would be a great fit in Denver. Plus, he would immediately give the Broncos some juice and a much needed jolt for a franchise that has gotten stale over the past four seasons. The Quinn move in my mind seems to negate the idea of Denver drafting any QB in this draft. Maybe if Tebow fell to them in the fourth round, then they might bite, but Tebow isn't falling into the fourth round, and it looks like Denver is not going to select a QB. I would love to see it happen, and if it does then I hope it is Tebow, but it looks like the Broncos will go to training camp with Kyle Orton as the starter, Brady Quinn as the backup, and Tom Brandstater as the 3rd QB. If that's the case, then Quinn has the higher upside and the most potential.