Tom Brandstater (Brand-stay-ter).

Learn the name, Bronco fans, because the rookie sixth-round pick out of Fresno State will be your opening day starting quarterback pending a roster move by the team.

Although the team has not issued a formal statement as to the duration starting quarterback Kyle Orton will spend healing a dislocated index knuckle, the Denver Post did report that Orton’s injury will require extensive stitching as the bone that was dislocated cut his skin all the way down to the bone on his throwing index finger.

Not so great.

To top it off with a cherry, the second highest paid backup quarterback in the NFL, Chris Simms, will be out indefinitely with a high ankle sprain to start the season.

That leaves Brandstater and recently signed quarterback Ingle Martin, who is probably the worst player on Madden 10 with a game rating of 35.

Brandstater is leaps and bounds ahead of Martin in terms of learning the offense, so he figures to get the opening day start unless the Broncos bring in someone else who is ready to play against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Normally, starters do not participate in the fourth preseason game, but that will not likely be the case with Brandstater who needs a little more time getting comfortable with the offense.

At least if Brandstater takes the field against the Bengals, he has a solid vote of confidence from his head coach, Josh McDaniels.

“Tom Brandstater has done a nice job of learning our offense,” McDaniels said after the team’s 27-17 loss to Chicago. “He knows what to do.  If needed he will go in there and play.”

If only he knew.

This will not be the first time a sixth-round pick named Tom took over for a team struggling with health issues at the quarterback position, and we all know how that turned out.

While Broncos fans will certainly not be at ease with Brandstater under center for the entire regular season, he is perfectly capable of doing what it seems as though every quarterback on the Broncos’ roster has been doing all preseason long, and that is throwing a lot of short passes, screen passes, and handing the ball off to the running back.

Brandstater at a Glance (Statistics Courtesy of the Denver Broncos’ Official Web Site)

• a quarterback who started for three seasons at Fresno State University, finishing his career ranked fifth in school history in completions (584), sixth in passing yards (6,857), and seventh in touchdown passes (47)
• accounted for 55 total touchdowns (47 passing, eight rushing) at Fresno State and was a first-team Academic All-Western Athletic Conference pick during each of his final three collegiate seasons
• totaled the fourth-most passing yards in the WAC with a career-high 2,664 yards along with a personal-best 18 touchdown passes as a senior for Fresno State in 2008
• ranked 23rd in the nation and fourth in the WAC in passer rating (140.5) as a junior in 2007, completing a personal-best 62.6 percent of his passes for 2,654 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions

Obviously, we’re not in Fresno anymore, but at 6’5″, 223 pounds and with the pedigree that Brandstater brings with him, if he knows the offense like head coach Josh McDaniels claims he does, the Broncos and their fans can definitely make do in their season opener against the Bengals.

If fellow rookie and running back Knowshon Moreno can get back on the field in time for the opener, and wide receiver Brandon Marshall learns the offense, Brandstater will not have to be any kind of hero.

What a better dream for a rookie quarterback than:

1. an offensive line that only allowed 11.5 sacks in 2008
2. the top running back in the draft in Moreno and a great dual threat in free agent acquisition Correll Buckhalter
3. an emerging star and quadruple threat in fullback/tight end/running back/kick returner Peyton Hillis
4. a receiving core of Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokley, Chad Jackson, Brandon Lloyd, and Kenny McKinley
5. safety valves at tight end in Tony Scheffler, Daniel Graham, and Richard Quinn
6. a defense that appears to be playing some inspired football, to say the least
7. a head coach that has confidence in you
8. your first game is against the Bengals

Now, I am not going to come out and say that Brandstater is going to lead Denver to the Super Bowl. But I will say that having as many weapons and options as Brandstater has, it will be hard for him to mess this up unless he is absolutely so inaccurate that the receivers and running backs are simply unable to field any of his passes.

Broncos fans figured Brandstater could be their own version of Tom Brady maybe somewhere three years or so down the road, and they may get a glimpse into the future when the Broncos open their season on the road in Cincinnati.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

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