"The truth of the matter is this: New Bronco Brady Quinn is not a former Cleveland Browns quarterback in so much as he's a former Notre Dame quarterback. That explains much of the Mile High hysteria surrounding Sunday's trade.

Because when it comes to Golden Domers, there is no middle ground. You either love the Fighting Irish or you love to hate them. Just like Duke basketball and Coach K.

If Quinn was from, say, UCLA, there wouldn't be near the buzz surrounding a QB who started a grand total of 12 games in three NFL seasons.

And let's face it, for all of the hype surrounding Notre Dame QBs, their success in the NFL has been decidedly mixed.

The one Irish quarterback who didn't make any all-American teams turned out to be the best NFL quarterback off all time. That would be four-time Super Bowl champion Joe Montana.

The other Notre Dame QBs who went on to the NFL have ranged from good to forgettable:

Joe Theismann: He won a Super Bowl ring and was a gutsy leader for the Redskins."