Spirals come off the glove as if the glove wasn't needed. Other quarterbacks may put more zip on their passes, but for what he has, Kyle Orton doesn't appear to have lost one mph. Orton has taken virtually all the snaps with the Denver Broncos' first-team offense this week since he returned to practice Tuesday with the right index finger injury he suffered in a preseason game Aug. 30. Speaking of those snaps, center Casey Wiegmann has not altered his consistently firm deliveries to accommodate his quarterback's mangled finger. 'I've been playing center since fourth grade, so I wouldn't know how to change,' Wiegmann said. 'There's been no problems. It shows that he wants to play. There's a lot of people that want to sit out and take their time and get back.' Barring any complications between now and kickoff, Orton will be the Broncos' starting quarterback Sunday in the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. 'We'll see Sunday,' Orton said. 'But no, there hasn't been any problems.' Which is no small surprise considering a national television audience saw Orton wave his bloody finger toward the Broncos' sideline only 12 days ago during a preseason game against the Chicago Bears. While making a throw late in the first half, Orton's digit was contorted, dislocated and slashed by the left paw of onrushing defensive end Adewale Ogunleye. The index finger is arguably the most important to a quarterback because it's the last one to leave the ball, the finger that spins the spiral, the finger that most controls accuracy. 'It's something where the quarterback would be in danger of not playing because of that injury,' said Broncos tight end Daniel Graham. 'But the ball he's throwing is still the same. There's been no difference.' Orton admits the finger still hurts. It throbs. But pain isn't the issue. The real problem is the stitches needed to close the wound. The bandage protects the stitches and the glove protects the bandage. Orton said those high-tech passing gloves almost create too much suction for his liking, but no NFL player can perform on Sunday without making some kind of adjustment or physical sacrifice. It may behoove Orton to let a long pass rip, just in case the Bengals stack the box with eight defenders. Even when his finger isn't sutured, Orton hasn't been considered much of a deep thrower. His strengths have been managing the game, leading the huddle, overcoming adversity, and winning games. He has a career 21-12 record as a starter. 'He's got a lot of respect from us, and a lot of credit for being able to play with that type of injury,' said Broncos receiver Eddie Royal. 'It's a tough injury for a quarterback, but he's a tough guy. You want a quarterback like that.' Backup quarterback Chris Simms also is recovered enough from his left ankle sprain to play Sunday. And given the delicate nature of Orton's finger, no one should be surprised if Simms gets his first meaningful snaps in three years. But all preparations for the Bengals have started with Orton at quarterback, as has been the case since the final days of summer minicamp. 'Not much is going to affect him, and that's good to have in your quarterback,' said Broncos receiver Brandon Stokley. 'You're going to have some plays that don't go right and some quarterbacks get down and take the whole offense with him. He's not one of those guys.' 