Brady Quinn: Ignored by Broncos -- but Alicia Sacramone loves him

Brady Quinn drew high praise from his girlfriend, elite gymnast Alicia Sacramone, for catching a flight after Sunday’s game to be by her side during surgery on her ruptured Achilles tendon.

"Best boyfriend award goes to @BQ9 for taking the red eye from Denver to be here for my surgery today … just another reason why I love him," Sacramone tweeted.

Of course, Quinn could have left during the Broncos’ 29-24 loss to the San Diego Chargers and no one would have noticed.

Although Quinn is listed with Tim Tebow as the No. 2 quarterback on the Broncos’ depth chart –- and he was largely thought to be the unofficial backup to starter Kyle Orton going into the season -– Tebow is the one whose name is constantly chanted by frustrated fans in Denver.

And it was Tebow who got the nod to enter the game in the second half to replace the ineffective Orton, leaving Quinn on the sideline to ponder just what he had gotten himself into by signing with Denver before the 2010 season (the former Cleveland Browns starter hasn’t taken a snap during that span).

Coach John Fox probably was doing Quinn a favor. Can you imagine the reaction of the fans if Quinn had jogged onto the field to start the second half instead of Tebow? Oh, the horror!

It’s good to see Quinn is able to keep things in perspective, concerning himself with the well-being of his girlfriend rather than moping about the state of his career. Speaking of Sacramone’s well-being, she has since tweeted that the surgery "went well" but offered no timetable for her recovery.

Sacramone, a team captain for the U.S. at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, tore her Achilles last Thursday while training at the world gymnastics championships in Tokyo. Although she was unable to compete, as a member of the American team, Sacramone will receive her U.S. record 10th world medal after the Americans earned gold Tuesday night.

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-- Chuck Schilken

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Top photo: Brady Quinn. Credit: Ron Chenoy / US Presswire

Bottom photo: Alicia Sacramone. Credit: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images