After more than a month of silence from the Broncos old quarterback, the team’s two new quarterbacks were happy to talk Monday, even about the upcoming battle between them to be the team’s starter.
Kyle Orton, acquired Thursday in the trade that sent Jay Cutler to Chicago, and Chris Simms, who signed March 5 expecting to back-up Cutler, will compete throughout the offseason to replace the disgruntled Pro Bowler.
“The best players are going to play,” Orton said. “I think coach has made that clear for all positions, and quarterback is no different.”
Today’s back-to-back news conferences with Orton first, then Simms, were the first for both quarterbacks since the feud between Cutler and McDaniels began at the start of free agency.
Both players said they are excited to play for McDaniels and learn the offensive system that he brought with him from New England. They spent today working out and watching film together for the first time.
“It’s no secret that the offense of new England the last couple of years has been pretty explosive, won a lot of football games, and as a quarterback and really as a fan or the game and a student of the game, I found it very interesting to be a part of it and learn what he’s been coaching these last few years, because it’s been working,” Simms said. “I would watch it on film and be like, ‘I don’t understand how this is getting open right here’ but now that I get to study it a little, I get to see the mystery behind it all.”
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com
