Cutler isn't broken. Good for him, what about The Chiefs?
Cutler's leg bruised, not broken
November 6, 2007
Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler doesn't have the fracture in his left leg he feared he did.
An MRI exam Monday was negative, but coach Mike Shanahan said he didn't know whether Cutler would practice this week or play Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
''He doesn't have a stress fracture, which is a positive,'' Shanahan said. ''The X-rays were negative, the MRI was negative, so we'll see how sore he is. Right now, he's quite sore. And we'll get a chance to see how he feels on Wednesday.''
Cutler took a helmet to his lower leg, which was badly bruised, in the first half Sunday against the Detroit Lions. He was carted off the field, and he said he feared his leg was broken. He declined to speak with reporters Monday.
''You never know for sure until you get an MRI if there's a stress fracture,'' Shanahan said. ''There's no stress fracture. It's badly bruised. We'll see what the recovery time is.''
Patrick Ramsey replaced Cutler, and Shanahan said he would start against the Chiefs if Cutler can't go.
The Chiefs probably will be short-handed in that game, with running back Larry Johnson likely to miss at least a couple of weeks with a sprained right foot suffered in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
''They're running some more tests,'' coach Herm Edwards said. ''He came in to get treatment, but they took an MRI and are still studying it. We won't know for sure until probably [today] sometime exactly what the severity is, if he's going to be out and, if so, how long.''
BENGALS' JOHNSON 'FINE': Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Johnson walked stiffly into the trainer's room, showing the effects of a strained muscle in his neck suffered Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.
But coach Marvin Lewis said Johnson, who declined to speak with reporters, might play Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens if the neck continues to heal.
''He's fine,'' Lewis said.
It sure didn't look like it when Johnson was hit by the Bills' Donte Whitner while trying to make a diving catch in the closing minutes. He lay on his chest for several minutes before being carted off the field. A test at a Buffalo hospital found no serious injury, and Johnson flew back to Cincinnati with the team.
MORE INJURIES: Carolina Panthers quarterback David Carr suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, and coach John Fox said his status for the game Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons is uncertain. Carr already was playing in place of Jake Delhomme, who is out for the season after having surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow.
• • Tests showed Minnesota Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson was recovering well from the concussion that knocked him out of the game Sunday against the San Diego Chargers in the second quarter. Coach Brad Childress said Jackson's condition will continue to be monitored and said it was too early to say whether he would play Sunday against the Packers.
• • Packers safety Nick Collins will miss several games with a sprained ligament in his left knee suffered while making an awkward tackle in the third quarter Sunday against the Chiefs.
• • St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little will have surgery this week to repair a torn ligament in his left big toe and will miss the rest of the season.
TANK ACTIVATED: The Dallas Cowboys activated former Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson after he completed an eight-game suspension for violating the NFL's conduct policy with repeated brushes with the law. He will play his first game with them Sunday against the New York Giants.
Coach Wade Phillips said Johnson had been added to the 53-man roster after having been on the reserve-suspended list since signing a two-year contract with the Cowboys on Sept. 19.
ONE FINE DAY: The NFL fined Washington Redskins safety LaRon Landry and Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey one game check each for illegal hits Sunday. Landry was fined $16,764 for making helmet-to-helmet contact with New York Jets quarterback Kellen Clemens, and Ramsey was fined $21,176 for spearing Cowboys running back Julius Jones.
PACK REWARDS LEE: Packers tight end Donald Lee signed a four-year contract extension worth just less than $12 million, agent Brian Levy said. Lee, who has caught 29 passes for 382 yards and a touchdown this season, has become an integral part of the Packers' offense with fellow tight end Bubba Franks out indefinitely with a knee injury.
RATING GAME: The much-anticipated game between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts earned the highest overnight rating for a regular-season game on a Sunday afternoon in at least 20 years.
The game drew a 22.5 rating and a 39 share for CBS in the largest markets in the country. That is the highest overnight rating since 1987, which is as far back as CBS' records go. The previous high was a 22.2/41 for the Cowboys-San Francisco 49ers game on Nov. 10, 1996.
Sun-Times wires
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/footb...flnt06.article
