Broncos’ receiver Javon Walker practiced Wednesday for the first time since his knee acted up during Denver’s loss to Jacksonville in Game 3. Walker later underwent arthroscopic surgery on the knee.
“If there’s no setback by the end of the week, he should be ready to go,” coach Mike Shanahan said Walker’s participance in Sunday’s game in Chicago.
In Walker’s absence, Brandon Marshall has emerged as the Broncos’ No. 1 receiver. Not only is the 6-4, 222-pound Marshall on pace for 88 catches and 1,200 yards, he made a pivotal block on Andre Hall’s 62-yard touchdown run.
“Do I like blocking? I don’t like blocking,” Marshall said. “I don’t like contact. But I’ve got to do it because those guys are back there blocking for me.”
Cutler and Rex. The Broncos’ Jay Cutler and the Bears’ Rex Grossman each grew up in Indiana and played quarterback in the Southeastern Conference.
Among their differences: Cutler is considered an up-and-coming talent, while Grossman no longer is. Perhaps no quarterback has been more widely criticized the past year than Grossman. As a quarterback himself, Cutler empathizes.
“He’s had a rough go at it,” Cutler said. “It’s tough. He went to the Super Bowl and they’re still all over him. He had a lot of doubts about him coming into this year even though they did make a run at it this year. So it’s a tough business. Quarterback is a tough position.”
How does Grossman shrug off what people say about him?
“If you don’t turn it on, you don’t hear it,” he said Wednesday in a conference call with the Denver media.
Footnotes. It hasn’t been easy for Shanahan to go home again. He grew up in the Chicago suburb of Franklin Park, Ill., but Sunday will be his first regular-season game at Soldier Field as a head coach. Punt returner Glenn Martinez sat out practice with an ankle injury. Another special teamer, Paul Smith, again was sidelined with a calf injury Backup quarterback Brian Griese returned Wednesday from his shoulder injury, but several key players didn’t practice, including receiver Bernard Berrian (toe), linebacker Lance Briggs (knee), defensive tackle Tommie Harris (knee), and cornerbacks Ricky Manning Jr. (sick) and Nathan Vasher (groin).
Mike Klis, The Denver Post
