Cutler's great potential matched by confidence

There are times when Phil Simms watches LaDainian Tomlinson run and it almost takes his breath away. But Tomlinson isn't the only player in tomorrow's Chargers-Broncos game about whom Simms can say that.

“You know when you watch LaDainian run sometimes, you say 'oooooo'? ” Simms asked. “The same can be said about Cutler sometimes when he throws it.”

That would be Jay Cutler, the Denver quarterback who will be making just the 10th start of his career tomorrow. The Broncos traded up in the first round a year ago to make the former Vanderbilt star the 11th overall selection, and he started the final five games of his rookie season.

Simms, who won a Super Bowl as the quarterback of the New York Giants and now works as CBS Sports' No. 1 NFL analyst, said Cutler has “a thunderbolt sometimes in that arm.”

And the fact the Broncos have gone 4-5 in Cutler's previous starts, or that he has thrown almost as many interceptions (10) as touchdown passes (13), doesn't bother Simms at all.

“I don't care what his numbers are,” Simms said. “I think greatness is a possibility. We will see. But does he have a chance? Yes.

“He's a much better athlete than people realize. He's tough, he's strong – he's got a swagger to him. I want to go, 'Jay, you're too cocky for a young guy,' but I like it. It's the right kind of swagger. Guys want to follow him.”

Just as the Chargers have entrusted their future at football's most visible position to a young player, the Broncos have done the same with Cutler, who at 24 is a year younger than Philip Rivers. Like Rivers, Cutler has had his moments both good and bad as a starter, and while the two have fairly similar statistics this season – Rivers has one more TD, one more interception and a slightly lower passer rating (82.8-76.0) – the Broncos starter hasn't taken as much heat from fans. Of course, Denver has lost one fewer game, too.

“Jay's been fairly consistent,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. “All quarterbacks are going to go through some growing pains, but you're hoping (they) don't make the same mistakes twice and he's been pretty good about not repeating mistakes.”

The Chargers will be the first team Cutler has faced twice; in his second start last December, he completed 17-of-30 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns. He rallied the Broncos from a 28-3 deficit to within 28-20 before the Chargers pulled away in the fourth quarter.

“It was a tough go at it, especially in my second start,” Cutler said this week. “I've now got a little more experience – not a lot. I think I'm playing better, making better decisions.”

Cutler said he benefited from having the offseason “to go back and look at everything that I did, good and bad. It's coming along gradually. I'm making steps week by week.”

The pressure is always on a quarterback, but especially in Denver, where everyone is compared with John Elway. Cutler said he knew the situation and he said, “You've either got to take ahold of it and grasp it or it's going to eat you up. It's been fun.”

The same could be said by the last three quarterbacks to face the Chargers. They had fun to the point where they completed 67 percent of their passes for an average of 311 yards with eight touchdowns, three interceptions and a 108.1 rating. But Cutler, being politically correct, denied being overeager for tomorrow's game.

“You can't get too excited,” he said. “People are trying to jump off the bandwagon because they've given up points and (lost) games. Those guys are talented; they can make plays. We've got our hands full.”

He added: “You've got to get rid of the ball. Teams have been dropping back and getting rid of the ball and just making some plays. That's what we're going to have to do.”

Travis Henry may be playing for the last time in a while Sunday. Should owners roll with the back if they've got him?

San Diego Chargers (1-3) at Denver Broncos (2-2)

San Diego's offense is 26th in the league in total yards. But (stop me if you've heard this before) that will change Sunday. The Broncos are as good as any franchise at taking what they have at the beginning of a season and rearranging the parts to best effect by midseason, but this year, Gen. George Marshall couldn't reapportion this defensive line effectively. Defensive tackles Sam Adams and Amon Gordon were benched for the Indy game, but Marcus Thomas and Antwon Burton weren't any better. They're the second-worst outfit against the rush. Oh, to be a LaDainian Tomlinson owner this week.

Fantasy Up: Third-and-19. That was the down and distance, after a Shawne Merriman sack, when Damon Huard hit Dwayne Bowe on a little slant that Bowe took to the house, and it encapsulated the Chargers' season to date. The secondary has lapses and can't tackle. The linebackers are injured and can't tackle. Can you believe these guys have allowed 99 points in their past three games? All that said, with Denver's injuries, I might consider using the Chargers D on the road. Matt Wilhelm's return at linebacker could really help. … If Travis Henry really might be out, because of his knee, his ankle or his looming drug suspension, the onus will fall on Jay Cutler. This is the first time I've rated him as a fantasy starter all year. If he doesn't have Javon Walker, we might need to rethink this, but the way to move the ball against San Diego is to throw. … Daniel Graham seemed as if he was everywhere against Indy in Week 4. He got four targets, and he has taken the reins from Tony Scheffler. … Antonio Gates had a combined 12 catches for 152 yards against the Broncos last year.

Fantasy Down: Is this the week Norv Turner gives Philip Rivers less to do? Rivers consistently makes two or three killer bad decisions per game; in Week 4, it was a bizarre checkdown in which Rivers suddenly and unexpectedly left Gates and whipped the ball at LDT, who practically ducked and had the ball bounce off him and fall into Derrick Johnson's arms. You can't use Rivers. … If Henry is cleared to play, you'll start him. If not, Selvin Young might make an interesting last-minute substitute, although the Chargers are still very rough against the run. Either way, with the legal problems Henry faces, Young needs to be owned in every league. … Vincent Jackson dives in my rankings this week. He dropped a sure touchdown that would've changed San Diego's game in Week 4 and admitted to being "distracted" afterward. Not good.