"As the Broncos began their first practice in preparation for Sunday's game at Oakland, only two of the team's three quarterbacks held footballs in their hands.

And starter Kyle Orton wasn't one of them.

For the first time all year, Orton stood to the side and watched as Tim Tebow and Brady Quinn threw passes in individual quarterback drills during the short portion of practice that is open to the media. Orton was officially listed as a "limited" participant because of a rib injury on the team's injury report.

"Just taking it really day to day," Orton said. "I was sore coming out of the game, for sure. I keep on getting the treatment and will try to be as healthy as I can."

As if the clock on Tebow Time weren't spinning fast enough, Orton's uncertain health could only accelerate it.

Not that Orton is listening.

About an hour after interim head coach Eric Studesville reaffirmed his comments from earlier in the week that Orton remains the starter despite back-to-back poor games and the team's 3-10 record, Orton held his weekly Wednesday media conference.

In a six-minute session, Orton gave a verbal stiff-arm to the calls from media and fans to play Tebow.

"I don't listen to it. I mean, I guess their opinion doesn't have any factor in the way I play. I don't think it has any factor on the way my teammates think of me, so that's pretty much how I go about it," Orton said. "I don't take it personally, at all. The guys that see me in here every day, they see the way I play, they see me in the huddle, they hear me in the huddle. Their opinions matter, but the other people? Not at all."

Orton received treatment on the left side of his torso late in the third quarter of Sunday's loss to the Cardinals. He sat on the bench and then stood on the sideline, pain and frustration visible on his face, for the span of one Arizona drive before re-entering the game."