ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Brandon Marshall spent his offseason rehabbing his sliced-up arm and his tattered public image. Jay Cutler’s off time was consumed with learning how to manage his newly diagnosed diabetes.
After Marshall put his arm through a television set while horsing around on vacation, Cutler chided him publicly, famously declaring, “He’s not my favorite person right now.”
Shortly thereafter, Cutler was in the news himself after his diagnosis.
Marshall missed the opener while serving a suspension for a series of off-the-field misdeeds but came back in Week 2 and caught 18 passes.
It was the beginning of a breakout season for the duo that was drafted in 2006.
Both overcame their ordeals this season with stellar performances that earned them Pro Bowl honors.
“There are a lot of guys out there that deserve it,” Cutler said Wednesday. “It’s something special.”
The two have turned into quite a tandem for the Broncos, who can wrap up the AFC West with a win over Buffalo on Sunday or a loss or tie by San Diego at Tampa Bay.
Cutler leads the AFC in passing with 3,851 yards, numbers that are on pace to break the team mark. It’s a record held not by John Elway but by his predecessor, Jake Plummer, who threw for 4,089 yards in 2004.
Marshall has hauled in 88 passes so far and could join Rod Smith as the only receiver in team history to haul in 100 passes in back-to-back seasons.
“I’m very thankful for this honor,” Marshall said. “I’ve called everyone in my phone.”
Marshall missed most of the team’s offseason workouts after a freak accident last March at a resort in Orlando, Fla., landed him in the operating room for surgery on his right arm. He cut an artery, vein, nerve, two tendons and three muscles in the mishap.
The mercurial wideout also found himself in hot water with the league after a series of arrests in a year’s span. Marshall was summoned to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s office in New York in July and given a three-game suspension that was later reduced to a single game.
Now, he’s a Pro Bowler, ranking seventh among receivers in the NFL with 1,081 yards.
“The news came today, and it was like Christmas came early,” Marshall said on his blog. “I’ve thought about it and imagined what it would feel like, but now that it’s real it feels even better than I imagined. When I think of what it means to me, the one word that keeps coming to mind is ‘thankful.'”
Cutler was struggling at this time a year ago, dropping weight, feeling easily fatigued and losing arm strength.
He couldn’t figure out what was going on.
Then, last March, he found out he had diabetes, requiring insulin shots to regulate his blood sugar levels.
With his diabetes now under control, he’s been a highly effective quarterback, throwing for at least 300 yards six times this season and even declaring two months ago that he had a stronger arm than Elway.
“Just about everything you see you like,” said Buffalo coach Dick Jauron, whose team faces the Broncos on Sunday. “He’s got command presence. Nothing seems to rattle him.”
Not even a depleted backfield.
The Broncos have gone through a bevy of backs this season, placing five on injured reserve. Cutler doesn’t even look who’s carrying the ball anymore.
Whether it’s Tatum Bell, Selvin Young or P.J. Pope, Cutler doesn’t care, as long as they can alleviate some of the pressure off the passing game.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do this week, who’s going to be back there,” he said. “Hopefully, we get the running game going and it opens things up for us.”
His dominant offensive line is dinged up, too.
That’s a concern.
Guard Chris Kuper fractured his left hand at Carolina on Sunday, while Ryan Clady injured his ankle. Both are optimistic they can play Sunday.
Cutler certainly hopes they heal fast as the offensive line has allowed only 11 sacks this season, tied for the second-lowest total in the league.
But that, in Kuper’s opinion, is more of a testament to Cutler’s footwork than the line’s protection.
“If one of us gets beat, he can get out of the pocket and make a play happen,” Kuper said. “He’s helped us out a ton. He’s played great.”
So has Clady, a rookie out of Boise State, and veteran center Casey Wiegmann, who has filled in this season for Tom Nalen after Nalen was placed on injured reserve with a balky left knee.
They were two notable Pro Bowl snubs off a line that’s kept things secure for Cutler.
“I just know Ryan Clady has had a heck of a year,” coach Mike Shanahan said. “We’ve had a bunch of players that have played exceptionally well. But you can’t worry about that.
“It was obviously a nice award for Brandon, a nice award for Cutler—very well deserved for both guys.”
