"Brady Quinn was the Broncos' starting quarterback Thursday. Hold the mayhem! So was Tim Tebow?.

No, it wasn't just another episode of As The QB Turns at Dove Valley. Rather, Quinn and Tebow closed out the final team drills of Broncos' practice after Kyle Orton left the field, then the team's Dove Valley complex, for what Broncos head coach John Fox called a personal issue.

"He was excused," Fox said. He did not elaborate.

Orton's wife, Bridget, is pregnant with the couple's first child. Orton is expected to play in Saturday night's game against Seattle.

Quinn and Tebow were each a little choppy at first, going against the first-string defense, but gathered themselves a bit after getting a handful of snaps.

"It was a little adjustment there after Kyle left," Fox said. "It's a next-man-up approach, whether it's for personal reasons or any other reason. Whether second, third or fourth on the depth chart, you're one, two, three plays away from being the guy," Fox said. "So you always have got to be prepared for that.

"The season brings all kinds of interesting paths, and you've got to be ready for them. . . . We struggled for a minute. Then once we settled, we did all right.""