houston Through the magic of insulin, there is hope for the Broncos. Jay Cutler has regained 35 pounds and all of his strength, and he may need every ounce of both to carry his team this season.
Following their 19-16 loss to the Houston Texans in their preseason opener Saturday night at Reliant Stadium, the Broncos flew home with plenty of questions and confidence Cutler can be their answer.
“Every quarterback in the league feels like the offense is on their shoulders,” Cutler said. “You’re the triggerman. You’re making the decisions out there. There’s pressure.”
It took a few minutes for a Broncos team loaded with new, young players to get acclimated to the new season. The Broncos’ defense lost two linebackers, Boss Bailey and Louis Green, to injuries within its first seven plays. On offense, the Broncos’ two inexperienced offensive tackles, Ryan Harris and rookie Ryan Clady, were off to humbling starts.
And on the other side of the Broncos’ preseason is the frightening reality of playing the first two regular-season games, maybe three, without star wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who will be serving a suspension.
Maybe Cutler is all the Broncos will need. As always, Cutler was splendid in his first preseason game. After his offensive line was blown up in the first drive, Cutler calmly led the Broncos on a 12-play, 74-yard touchdown march on his second and final series.
Cutler was 8-for-10 passing for 59 yards, missing only on two long throws, then finished off his night by scrambling left, tucking the ball away near the goal line and jumping in for a 15-yard touchdown run.
“He did a good job keeping us together out there after a couple of those penalties, where sometimes you can shut down,” Marshall said. “He just has a presence in the huddle and when he’s out there, he keeps moving that ball. We feed off him.”
As a leader, Cutler can take a blunt approach.
“He came over after we scored,” said Harris, who was flagged for four penalties in his first professional game at right tackle, “and asked me if I had settled down yet.”
Cutler’s performance was needed in a first half when Bailey (sprained ankle) and Green (neck) were carted off the field because of injuries, the defense gave up points on its first three series and the team’s new kicker, Matt Prater, missed a 30-yard field goal.
At least Cutler was ready. However the third-year quarterback spends his summers, he should copyright his routine. In his first NFL preseason game of 2006, Cutler completed 16-of-22 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown against the Detroit Lions. In his 2007 preseason opener at San Francisco, Cutler completed one pass for 24 yards and scrambled 16 yards to the 1 in leading the Broncos on a 67-yard touchdown drive in his only series.
Saturday against the Texans, Cutler methodically and sharply threw short passes that turned into nice gains. Add up his three preseason openers and Cutler is 25-for-34 for 275 yards, zero interceptions and a 125.8 passer rating, plus his two rushes for 31 yards.
“It’s just preseason,” Cutler said. “You’re playing a bland offense against a vanilla defense. You can’t put much stock into that.”
Nor can it be denied Cutler knows how to get ready for exhibition openers. Not that he wasn’t challenged this year. In mid-April, Cutler was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, a disease that makes him insulin-dependent the rest of his life.
Scary as that sounds, Cutler has acknowledged the diagnosis of his disease has been a short-term blessing. Four months of treatments later, Cutler is the least of the Broncos’ problems.
Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com
