Nov 18, 2008 5:31 pm US/Mountain
Cutler & Tatum Bell Talk About The RB's Return
Bell Was Working As Cell Phone Salesman In Aurora Mall
By Matthew J. Buettner, cbs4denver.com
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Jay Cutler and Tatum Bell on CBS4's Qwest Jay Cutler Live!
CBS
After rallying the short-handed Denver Broncos to a 24-20 win over the Atlanta Falcons on the road, quarterback Jay Cutler discussed the team's fourth quarter comeback on his CBS4 show Qwest Jay Cutler Live! He also invited newly acquired running back and former Bronco Tatum Bell to be his guest.
The Broncos beat Atlanta in dramatic fashion as the team won for the second straight week with a late-game comeback. Two weeks ago, Cutler rallied the team in the fourth quarter to beat the Cleveland Browns 34-30 on the road. Just as impressive, the Broncos were the first team to beat Atlanta at home all season.
Cutler said it's good to know he doesn't have to carry the team on his shoulders.
"When you go into a game and you know your defense is going to play very well and stop the run and 20, 21, 24, 28 points is going to win a game, it makes you feel good," Cutler said. "You don't have to go out there and put up 40 or 45. The defense made it happen when we need them to."
It also helps when the offense doesn't turn the ball over, Cutler said.
The team pulled out the victory despite a long list of injuries that included star cornerback Champ Bailey and all three projected starters at linebacker. The well-documented injury problem at running back was another concern after the team lost a total of five running backs for the season. Head coach Mike Shanahan divided the carries among fullback Peyton Hillis and newly acquired backs P.J. Pope and Bell. The three backs combined for 113 yards on 21 carries.
In a Broncos' first, Spencer Larsen started at both middle linebacker and fullback, the first player in team history to play both sides of the ball.
"I called him Deion," Cutler said, referring to Deion Sanders. "He was in our goal line package and he came over and I said, 'Welcome to the offense, Deion.'"
Shanahan wanted to keep the Larsen move to offense a secret, so he practiced offensive plays when the media wasn't around.
"(Larsen) and Peyton are kind of the same mold. They just go out there and get it done."
Cutler said it was strange playing with all the new faces on the field.
"What do you say about the defense, I don't even know who's out there on defense, you know. Spencer's out there, we've got different linebackers everywhere; don't know who's in the backfield; I mean Tatum's back there, P.J., Peyton," Cutler joked. "But we have the same core; it all boils down to the offensive line, we've still got all five of those guys since Day 1 of training camp."
Cutler also praised the play of rookie tackle Ryan Clady, who once again did an outstanding job pass blocking.
"You can say that about all five of those guys. Obviously for a rookie to come in there at left tackle, at that position, with some of the talent of defensive ends that we play; to be able to shut guys down, it speaks a lot about him and what kind of talent he has."
For the past couple of weeks in practice, Shanahan has decided to put the players in pads and go full contact. Cutler said he and some defensive players discussed the move with each other.
"We sat down and talked about it and came to the conclusion that going to pads and just getting a little bit tougher … (it) just helped everyone out … and it's paid off."
Bell was first a Bronco as a rookie in 2004 when he was taken by the team in the second round of the NFL draft. In March 2007, he was traded to the Detroit Lions with offensive tackle George Foster for cornerback Dre' Bly. Bell was released by the Lions at the beginning of the 2008 season after the team signed running back Rudi Johnson. Bell re-signed with the Broncos on Nov. 1. He had been working as a cell phone salesman at the Aurora Mall.
Bell said he was a little nervous on his first carry against the Falcons.
"I know what's expected of me, so I definitely went in there with a chip on my shoulder, trying to get the job done," Bell said.
Bell, who has been known to lose costly fumbles, held onto the ball tight and was given the opportunity to run in a fourth quarter key series and picked up the first down.
"In the huddle, Cutler and B. Marsh; all they kept saying was, 'Tatum, don't fumble the ball.' I was like, 'Shut up. I got this. I got this,'" Bell joked. "I felt happy to just be back out there."
Though Cutler wasn't around for Bell's heyday on the team, he said he was well aware of Bell's explosiveness.
"When we were in the market for a running back, I mentioned Tatum, he knows the system," Cutler said. "We signed someone else, but then a couple days later we signed Tatum and I couldn't be happier. He understands what we are trying to accomplish."
Bell said he kept working out in his off-time in the hopes he'd get back onto a team.
"I wasn't in the best shape possible, but I feel like I was able to play," Bell said. "It's just hard trying to simulate football shape running on your own. I feel like I had a good week of practice. I was in better shape than I thought I was."
Bell hopes to get more playing time next week when the Oakland Raiders come to Denver.
The Raiders seem to be a mess. Owner Al Davis recently fired head coach Lane Kiffin and star players such as cornerback Deangelo Hall were cut from the team. But Cutler said teams like that shouldn't be overlooked.
"I think we ran into this type of game in Week 4 when we went to Kansas City," Cutler said. "We were feeling good about ourselves and went to Kansas City, didn't play our best ball and lost."
The Raiders nearly beat a Miami Dolphins team last week that beat the Broncos three weeks ago in Denver.
"Their defense is good," Cutler said. "They've got a lot of talent over there. They've got a lot of good guys that I respect … we've just got to be careful and make sure we take care of ourselves."
The Raiders come to Invesco Field at Mile High Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:05 p.m.
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