For McDaniels, this is not any given Sunday

ENGLEWOOD • Josh McDaniels has tried comparing Sunday to his other opening days in the NFL, but he acknowledges there’s a difference.

Before, McDaniels was an assistant. On Sunday, he will take the field as a NFL coach for the first time, leading the Denver Broncos against Cincinnati.

He has thought plenty about his debut.

“You address the squad in the morning meeting,” McDaniels said. “You address the squad before you go out and play. You address the offense and defense separately. You talk to your staff. You go out there and you listen to the national anthem and probably have a fly-over.

“Each one of (those moments) is exciting in its own way. Each one requires some type of preparation, and I am sure each one will bring with it a little bit of a different emotion.”

History is on McDaniels’ side. Excluding interim coaches, Broncos head coaches are 8-0 in their first game with the team.

McDaniels should have a reasonably healthy roster. Quarterbacks Kyle Orton (finger) and Chris Simms (ankle) appear set to go, despite being questionable on the injury report. Guard Chris Kuper (ankle) and receiver Jabar Gaffney (thumb) are also questionable, and there’s a chance their injuries could keep them out of the lineup.

Running back Knowshon Moreno (knee) is the fifth Broncos player listed as questionable, although he said he improved during the week.

“I feel good — I feel really good,” Moreno said. “It just depends how I’m going to take to the speed out there, and I haven’t gotten hit around yet, so we’ll see how it goes. It’ll be OK.”