Broncos coach downplays Brady Quinn’s comments about Tim Tebow

Will Brady Quinn’s mildly critical comments about Tim Tebow have an effect on Denver’s decision on whether to re-sign the former Notre Dame quarterback?

“No,” Broncos Coach John Fox said Thursday at the NFL scouting combine. “I already know the relationship. I know [Brady] was a great teammate to Tim. We still like Brady.”

That doesn’t mean Quinn, a free agent, is coming back, of course. But Fox didn’t seem rattled about the quarterback’s recent remarks in a GQ magazine article by Mike Silver.

In the story, Quinn questions Tebow’s humility: “If you look at it as a whole, there’s a lot of things that just don’t seem very humble to me. When I get that opportunity, I’ll continue to lead not necessarily by trying to get in front of the camera and praying but by praying with my teammates, you know?”

Also, Quinn also suggests it was fan pressure that caused the Broncos to buckle and start Tebow, even though Quinn had been No. 2 on the depth chart behind the injured Kyle Orton.

“Early in the season, there was a game when Kyle got hurt and the coaches were calling for me to go in, but Kyle got up and finished the game out,” Quinn said. “So I was the second-string guy. Then, a few weeks later, they decided to put Tim in. I felt like the fans had a lot to do with that. Just ’cause they were chanting his name. There was a big calling for him. No, I didn’t have any billboards. That would have been nice.”

Said Fox on Thursday: “Knowing their relationship, knowing both Brady and Tim very well myself, sometimes things get lost in translation. I know their relationship is very close. They have a lot of respect for each other. They’re very good teammates with each other. That’s kind of what I know. It’s hard for me to stay up with all the comments.”

This is a league-mandated down time for players, so coaches cannot organize or supervise workouts. Still, Fox is well aware of the work Tebow did on his own last week with UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone in Westwood.

“We’re excited about the fact he’s out working out and I think he’ll be better for that,” Fox said. “That’s just the kind of young man he is.”

At the moment, Tebow is the starter. But the Broncos are giving no guarantees that he’ll hang on to that job by the time the season starts.

“He’s going to do everything in his power to get better every day,” Fox said. “And we’ll see where that brings us.”

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-- Sam Farmer in Indianapolis