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While Leinart sits looking for more money, Jay Cutler, who some believe is better, makes a fine start for Denver.
Cutler impressive, but Lions edge Broncos
NFL wire reports
DETROIT (Aug. 11, 2006) -- Rod Marinelli remembers scurrying along the sideline before The Star-Spangled Banner, making sure the Lions were standing and holding their helmets properly.
Before Marinelli knew it, his debut as a head coach at any level was over.
Each of the Lions' quarterbacks -- Jon Kitna, Dan Orlovsky and Josh McCown -- led scoring drives and Detroit's defense caused three turnovers in a 20-13 victory against the Denver Broncos.
"I love to win," said Marinelli, a former defensive line coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "If we're playing marbles, I'm going to get you."
Third-string quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt drove Denver deep into Detroit territory in the final minute, but on a fourth-and-goal at the 9 his pass behind David Kircus was dropped.
"You couldn't have a better way to finish," Marinelli said. "I like pressure."
Kircus, a former Lions receiver competing for a spot on Denver's roster, had six catches for 76 yards and a score. But he only lamented his final opportunity.
"Any time you get a chance for the ball, have it touch your hand in the end zone on the last play of the game, it's heartbreaking when you don't bring it in," he said.
Even though his team lost, Broncos safety John Lynch was happy to see one of his former coaches get a chance to lead a team.
"This opportunity has been long overdue," Lynch said. "He was a defensive line coach with the Bucs, but he was more than that to guys on both sides of the ball. He's a special coach, and a great guy."
Damian Gregory (93) and Claude Harriott gang up on Denver's Bradlee Van Pelt.
The Lions led 10-0 early in the second quarter and, after losing the lead, went back ahead 17-13 midway through the third. Artose Pinner's 2-yard run was the go-ahead score, set up by Mike Williams' 24-yard catch from McCown. After Denver's third turnover, Matt Prater's field goal early in the fourth quarter gave Detroit a 20-13 lead.
Jay Cutler had a solid debut for the Broncos. The 11th pick in the draft was 16-for-22 for 192 yards and a touchdown.
"He played well, executed the offense," Denver coach Mike Shanahan said. "Both teams were very vanilla in their approach, so you don't get too excited. But a guy's got to go out there and perform, and I thought he showed a lot of poise."
Both starting quarterbacks, Kitna and Denver's Jake Plummer, played only one series and each moved the ball about 60 yards.
Kitna, signed as a free agent to replace Joey Harrington, converted consecutive third downs with an 18-yard pass to Roy Williams and a 10-yard run to set up Jason Hanson's 36-yard field goal.
Plummer got the Broncos past midfield with a 16-yard pass to Darius Watts, then Mike Bell fumbled two plays later -- less than a week after the undrafted rookie moved past Tatum Bell and Ron Dayne to become the No. 1 running back.
"We didn't like the fumble, but that's typical of young guys in the NFL," Shanahan said. "It's similar to what Clinton Portis went through as a rookie. That's why you play those guys in these situations."
Marinelli said earlier in the week McCown would be the second quarterback to play, but Orlovsky took snaps after the coaching staff decided to change plans. The second-year pro made a 24-yard pass to Corey Bradford on his first play and ended his first possession with a good read and accurate toss to running back Arlen Harris for a 20-yard TD and a 10-0 lead.
Cutler took advantage of a turnover by threading a pass through a zone to Tony Scheffler for a 15-yard gain, which set up Jason Elam's 36-yard kick. With 44 seconds left in the half, Cutler threw three passes for 27 yards and Tatum Bell had a 15-yard run before Elam made another field goal to make it 10-6 at halftime.
Tatum Bell finished with 26 yards on five carries and Mike Bell had 20 yards on seven rushes.
Denver went ahead 13-10 early in the third quarter. Cutler looked right and threw left to a wide-open Kircus.
The Lions had 16 players inactive, including five starters on defense and two first-string linemen on offense.
Denver had seven inactives, including receivers Javon Walker (knee) and Rod Smith (hamstring), cornerback Champ Bailey -- coming off a season slowed by shoulder and hamstring injuries -- and defensive end Courtney Brown, whose latest knee surgery was Aug. 9.
GAME NOTES:
After an impressive training camp and one reception for 9 yards, Broncos rookie WR Brandon Marshall left the game in the first half with a strained right knee. Shanahan said he didn't think the injury was serious.
Detroit TE Casey FitzSimmons, who had moved past Marcus Pollard on the depth chart, might be out for two weeks with an injured left wrist.
Box Score
TEAM1 2 3 4 Final Oakland737623San Fransisco 00077
The Good
This was not the same offense we've seen the last two preseason games. All three quarterbacks played well. Brooks finally played like a starting Quarterback completing 10 of 17 passses for 125 yards and a touchdown and busting off a 25 yard run. He also threw one interception in the end zone. Andrew Walter completed 8 of 10 passes for 99 yards and led the team to a touchdown on the first drive of the second half.
Michael Huff intercepted an Alex Smith pass and returned it 44 yards before being tackled by Smith. Huff has played very well this preseason.
The Offensive Line played well. Brooks had plenty of time to throw the ball on most plays and they made very few mistakes. Hopefully they can continue to improve.
Janokowski made a 24 yard field goal to make his 7 for 7 this preseason. He showed the power of his leg on his kickoffs as well pinning two back for touchbacks.
Shane Lechler punted twice for and average of 46.5 yards per punt. He pinned one inside the 20 and had a long punt of 56 yards.
The Bad
Brooks used 2 of our 3 timeouts in the first quarter. It's not important right now in the preseason but those timeouts could be very valuable in a tight game.
Brooks also threw a few bad passes. I hope he gets those out of his system in the preseason but he is definitely improving.
Lamont Jordan only averaged 3.75 yards per carry. He carried the ball 12 times for 45 yards.
Raiders Top Performers PassingAaron Brooks 125 yards 1 TD RushingReShard Lee49 yards0 TDsReceiving Randal Williams53 yards0 TDs
Next Game
vs. Detroit
Friday, August 25
10:00 PM EST
The Rest of the West
The Giants crushed the Cheifs 17-0 on Thursday night. Trent Green didn't throw too bad but Larry Johnson was only able to gain 8 yards on 4 carries. The Cheifs defense also allowed Eli Manning to complete 11 of 14 passes for 80 yards and a TD. Tiki Barber also gained 22 yards on 5 carries for an average of 4.4 yards per carry. If the Cheifs play this way in the regular season, they may be competing for the bottom of the AFC West.
The Chargers were defeated by the Chicago Bears 3-24. Rivers completed 9 of 14 passes but also threw and interception. San Diego's first team defense gave up a touchdown to Brian Griese threw the air.
The Broncos crushed the Titans 35-10. Jay Cutler and Jake Plummer both played very well and Mike Bell averaged 7.3 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns.
AFC West Preseason StandingsTEAMWinsLossesRaiders30Chargers11Broncos11Cheifs02
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