Cutler to have MRI on injured leg Monday

Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News

Published November 4, 2007 at midnight

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DETROIT — Looks can be deceiving, as Jay Cutler proved Sunday afternoon.

After a demoralizing 44-7 loss, the Broncos starting quarterback was walking stiff-legged but without much of a limp as he exited the field and navigated the lengthy uphill tunnel to the visitors locker room.

He seemed OK, too, going up the stairs to his postgame news conference.

But Cutler admitted the underlying pain he was experiencing in his left fibula was being hidden and he's "a little nervous" about the magnetic resonance imaging exam he'll receive today.

"It hurts now," Cutler said. "It hurts to put weight on it. It hurts to run."

X-rays were negative, which could rule out a broken leg — or not.

"Actually, I'm happy it's not broken," Cutler said when asked whether the initial diagnosis was comforting. "But there could be a hairline (fracture) in there. We'll have to see. Hopefully, it's just a bruise and I'll be able to go next week."

The Broncos (3-5) were trailing 6-0 early during the second quarter when Cutler dropped back to pass and immediately was stalked by massive Lions tackle Shaun Rogers, who cleanly beat Broncos center Chris Myers.

Cutler tried to spin out of trouble, but Rogers grabbed him up high and rag-dolled the quarterback toward the turf. As Cutler was going down, another defender's helmet struck the outside of his left leg, which was pinned against another defensive lineman.

Cutler began to walk off the field gingerly but then went down in a heap. But on that count, it wasn't as bad as it might have first appeared as backup Patrick Ramsey quickly began preparing for his first action in a Broncos uniform.

"They wanted me to go down," Cutler said. "I had time to get off the field, but they wanted . . . to give Patrick a chance to warm up."

The Broncos offense during the next six series punted three times, ran out the clock to end the first half, lost a fumble for a touchdown and stalled inside the Lions 5-yard line.

Two plays later, Detroit had a 30-0 lead.

The Broncos narrowly avoided their first shutout in 237 regular-season games on a Ramsey- to-Brandon Stokley 2-yard touchdown pass with 2:31 remaining.

"Anytime the star quarterback goes down, it's hard," Broncos running back Travis Henry said. "The backup doesn't get that many reps."

Cutler was starting his 13th NFL game and had played 723 of a possible 732 snaps entering the game since he was inserted into the lineup Dec. 3. He missed three-plus series during the second quarter of last year's season finale against the San Francisco 49ers after he suffered a concussion on a sack, but that's it.

"Honestly, I'm approaching this the way I always approach it: Prepare to play," said Ramsey, who finished 29-of-46 for 262 yards, one touchdown and one interception in nearly three quarters of relief. "It's a different challenge in front of you if you are starting a game, if, in fact, Jay is unable to go. But it's the same thing for me. I'm going to know our offense and prepare the best I can."

Cutler was taken to the locker room almost immediately after suffering the injury but returned while the Broncos were warming up for the second half.

Assistant athletic trainer Corey Oshikoya accompanied him and carried the quarterback's pads and jersey, while someone else had brought out Cutler's helmet.

As the third quarter kickoff loomed, Cutler found his helmet on the sideline and paired it with his pads, then stuffed them behind the bench.

So while the announcement of a "lower-leg contusion" in the press box had listed Cutler's return as questionable, it was clear his day was done, and perhaps more.

Cutler's body language only reinforced that notion. He often stood alone near the 30-yard bench dividing line with his arms crossed and a blank stare on his face. He later moved to the offensive end of the field for a closer look but rarely interacted with teammates as the blowout reached its merciful conclusion.

"It was tough. It was tough," Cutler said, repeating his words for emphasis. "To be with those guys and be the starting quarterback and to just watch them play and watch plays go by, it's hard. I wanted to be in there, but, obviously, I couldn't."

Cutler finished 3-of-4 for 20 yards in his brief outing. He has completed 144-of-219 passes for 1,690 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions on a season that quickly has adopted a disastrous feel overall.

Just Thursday, the Broncos lost rookie first-round pick Jarvis Moss to a broken right ankle and found out their all-time leading receiver, Rod Smith, might never return.

They were added to a list of season-ending injuries that already included guard Ben Hamilton, center Tom Nalen, defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban and a long- term absence of receiver Javon Walker because of right knee surgery.

The Broncos, and especially Cutler, are holding their collective breath the list doesn't get any longer.

rasizerl@RockyMountainNews.com

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