When the Broncos make their next Super Bowl appearance, the starting quarterback will be Brady Quinn.

And the time for Denver to rejoin the NFL elite could be closer than we think.

So don’t let the dawn of a football revival at Dove Valley catch you crying those same stale tears for Mike Shanahan, Jay Cutler and the ghosts of Broncos past.

Maybe this Josh McDaniels guy knows a little about football after all.

Let me be the first to state these truths that will soon become self-evident to doubting Broncomaniacs everywhere:

There are good reasons why Quinn is a young player McDaniels so coveted that he kept up the pursuit for a year until getting his man.

Kyle Orton will lose his job as a starter before 2010 is done.

While QBs get everybody all a Twitter, the most crucial acquisition of the McDaniels era is nose tackle Jamal Williams.

Although San Diego gunslinger Philip Rivers remains the fastest draw in the wild AFC West, Denver finally has acquired a quarterback who can give a team built on strong defense a chance to do real damage in the playoffs.

McDaniels intends to win big while 31-year-old cornerback Champ Bailey is still young enough to enjoy it.

Let the quarterback competition and controversy begin. The Broncos will be a stronger team for it.

“I’ll put it this way: I think every quarterback on our roster wants to play,” Quinn said Monday, fewer than 24 hours after being acquired from Cleveland in trade.

The deal cost the Broncos little more than the acknowledgment it was probably healthier for all concerned if Peyton Hillis was allowed to seek an NFL coach as gaga about his potential as the Colorado fanatics who worshiped every inch of the 397 yards gained on the ground by Hillis during his brief Denver career.

The rap against Quinn is he looks better with his uniform off than on. He’s certainly sexier in a bathing suit than Jay Cutler, even if you’re talking about the ripped bodybuilder rather than the Bears’ pouty quarterback.

The former Notre Dame star runs better than anybody who has played QB in Denver since Jake Plummer darted out of town and tends to float deep passes more often than you would expect from inspecting Quinn’s 6-foot-3, 235-pound frame.

But here’s what I’m guessing McDaniels sees in Quinn: a winner.

In his final three years at Notre Dame, Quinn won 25-of-37 games for what recently has become the funniest program on NBC this side of “30 Rock.”

In the three years since Quinn has been gone, the Fighting Irish have gone 16-21, despite the presence of quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who, for reasons understood only by Mel Kiper, is somehow projected as a top-10 pick in the NFL draft.

As an 18-year-old, Quinn made his first start for the Irish at Purdue, where the nationally ranked Boilermakers were led by Orton. That was way back in 2003. But the personalities and styles of the two quarterbacks haven’t changed much.

Quinn chucked the football 59 times for 297 yards and four interceptions. Orton was a young game-manager in training, passing for 127 yards on 12 attempts in a Purdue victory.

Seven years later, Quinn should beat Orton when the stakes are much higher: Two quarterbacks. One NFL starting job.

Sure, experience will give Orton a distinct advantage going into training camp. But, over the course of 16 games, here’s betting the talent of Quinn will win out.

It is true that Quinn has not done anything worth talking about in the NFL.

When did he get the chance, though? If the Browns weren’t letting Quinn rot on the bench, they used him primarily as a scapegoat, whereas a smart franchise might have concentrated on the development of a first-round draft choice.

I asked Quinn what he has learned in three years of hard knocks as a pro.

“You’ve got to be flexible,” he replied. “You’ve got to be a jack of all trades and not just a one-trick pony.”

Here’s the deal: The Broncos are going to win with defense. The nose tackle is what puts the mean in a 3-4 defense. If Williams can stay healthy while playing the season at age 34, then Denver can bump off San Diego for the division title.

Quinn won’t make anybody forget John Elway.

But the new quarterback in town gives McDaniels the chance to think forward instead of run from the past.

Rather than being known as the impetuous coach who threw Cutler to the curb, McDaniels now can become the miracle worker who rescued Quinn from the dumpster.

Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053 or mkiszla@denverpost.com