A smorgasbord of NFL notes. …
Big kid, Jay Cutler. Big arm, too.
One look at Cutler and you assume the deep ball is going to become a staple of the Broncos’ offense. And you would be right.
“The deep ball is going to be very, very imperative,” said Javon Walker. “Knowing myself and my ability, that’s the nature of my game. If you capitalize on the deep ball, it will make everything else come easier underneath. That’s a big part of my game and obviously, sooner or later, we’ll make it a big part of our game.”
Cutler and Walker have shown they can be a deadly combination. Six games in, Cutler’s 54-yard TD pass to Walker at Arizona last season remains the most impressive throw of his career. …
Dré Bly on the Broncos’ season-opening 15-14 dubya at Buffalo: “It felt good to be on a team that can find a way to win those tight games.” Or any game, for that matter. Fact: Bly spent four seasons with the Lions and never played in back-to-back victories. …
Tom Nalen and Warren Sapp have tangled in the pits for years, but this time there’s a new twist: Sapp won’t have a weight advantage. He’s listed at three bills on the Raiders’ roster, but according to reports out of the Bay Area, he has lost 53 pounds and weighs 285. Nalen is listed at 286. … For the record, I asked Nalen about Sapp’s weight loss, but he wouldn’t give me a comment for the record. He did, however, agree to a tell-all interview on Feb. 30. …
You knew it would happen, and it has. Brandon Stokley, who has lined up in the slot for most of his NFL career, has earned a nickname among his fellow Broncos receivers: the Slot Machine. …
Just the fax: The Raiders are the only NFL team with a winning record on the road. Well, for the time being, anyway. They’ll bring a 174-173-8 road mark into Invesco Field at Mile High. …
Why is Charlie Frye a Seahawk? The Browns’ first four drives of the season resulted in minus-3 yards and a punt, an interception, a punt on fourth-and-20, and a fumble. …
So you walked out on the ledge on opening weekend and the wind blew away your wallet. Fear not, faithful reader. There’s a very good chance the Steelers will cover the over/under today vs. the Bills. How do we know? Because they’ve done it 15 times in their past 16 home games. …
Now that we know the Patriots were cheating, the problem is what we don’t know. Eagles players were wondering aloud the other day why Tom Brady seemed to know when they were going to blitz in the Super Bowl. And they’re not alone. Every team that has lost to the Boys of Belichick is wondering. …
Should the Pats’ three Super Bowl wins have asterisks beside them? We don’t know that they should, but we don’t know that they shouldn’t, either. This much is certain: Bill Belichick‘s legacy just changed forever. …
Add assistant video geek in charge of helping the coaches cheat to the list of worst jobs in sports, just ahead of urine-test sampler. …
Nice kid, Elvis Dumervil. That’s why I just mentioned he’s tied for the league lead with one interception. …
So what did Dumervil do with the ball from his first NFL pick? “I should have kept that ball, but I didn’t,” he said. “Rookie mistake.” …
All right, I admit it. I’m starting to think Jon Kitna wasn’t snorting the sideline when he claimed the Lions would win 10 games. I’m thinking they’ll probably be 2-0 by sunset. Well, maybe. As Bly can attest, they are the Lions. …
And finally, Walker on those 470 yards and 15 measly points last Sunday: “We feel like this offense can be deadly as the season keeps going on.”
Read Jim Armstrong’s Third & Short column on Sundays and the day after Broncos games. He can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
