Cutler, McDaniels not thrilled to see each so soon

DENVER (AP)—Jay Cutler(notes) and Josh McDaniels aren’t exactly eager to see each other Sunday night when the Chicago Bears visit the Denver Broncos in the summer’s most anticipated preseason game.

Or is it a grudge match?

Both men have gone out of their way to declare that the business at hand— getting ready for the regular season—is infinitely more important than revisiting the discord that led to Cutler being sent to the Bears for Kyle Orton(notes) in a blockbuster trade.

“There are not two people out there playing on Sunday night,” McDaniels said.

A cage match, however, might not get any better ratings or higher interest than this otherwise meaningless game, where all eyes will be on the Pro Bowl passer and the rookie head coach who couldn’t get along.

Don’t expect hugs and handshakes.

“I’m not going to seek him out,” Cutler declared.

Would McDaniels have anything to say to him anyway?

“I doubt it,” McDaniels said.

Here’s something both men agree on: this game isn’t about them. Although, they’ll have a hard time convincing the sold-out stadium or the national television audience.

“It’s another great opportunity for us to fix things that we haven’t done well,” McDaniels insisted. “I think if you make too much of the game or an opponent in the preseason, you’re kind of missing the point.”

“It’s a preseason game,” Cutler concurred. “We’ve got to keep that in perspective.”

OK, this game is about starters getting their final tuneup for their respective openers and about players on the bubble making one last case to win a job.

But the intriguing subplot is the reluctant reunion between two hardheaded men whose paths barely crossed in Denver before a messy divorce handed the Bears their first franchise quarterback since Sid Luckman 60 years ago and gave the Broncos a fresh start and a handful of high draft picks.

Despite his acrimonious departure from Denver, Cutler, who felt the circle of trust was broken when McDaniels talked about trading him for Matt Cassel(notes), said he feels both sides are happier now that they’re apart.

And, for good measure, he said he thinks McDaniels will be a successful coach in the NFL.

“Just the brief amount of time I was able to spend with him, he’s impressive,” Cutler said. “He knows a lot about offenses, he knows a lot about getting guys open and scoring points, as everyone’s seen when he was in New England, so I think they’re going to be fine.”

Cutler said he expects a rude reception from Broncos fans, and he might get less than a warm welcome from some of his former teammates, as well.

“In practice, you never really got to hit him,” defensive end Kenny Peterson(notes) said. “But now you’ve actually got a chance, if you can get to him, to lay your body on him a little bit.”

Or a lot.

“It definitely would be nice to get Jay on the ground, give the fans something to cheer about and something to look forward to,” Broncos linebacker Mario Haggan(notes) said.

Cutler certainly expects lots of pressure from his old peers.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s the third preseason game, so offenses and defenses are adding a little bit more and a little bit more and some different wrinkles out there,” Cutler said. “So, we’re just going to be on our toes and be prepared for anything.”

One former teammate Cutler won’t see across the field is receiver Brandon Marshall(notes), another Pro Bowl superstar who isn’t getting along with the new 33-year-old coach who replaced Mike Shanahan.

Marshall also wants a trade, but he was suspended over detrimental conduct, the last straw a churlish display of unprofessional behavior at practice Wednesday, when he batted down a pass thrown to him and punted a ball after a warmup drill instead of handing it to the ball boy, among other acts of defiance.

When video of Marshall’s behavior went viral, the receiver went on ESPN for a mea culpa Thursday night. But McDaniels informed him Friday morning he was done with his act for the rest of the preseason.

“Hopefully this hits home with him and when he comes back in two weeks he’ll be ready to play and help us win some games,” teammate Brandon Stokley(notes) said.

While Cutler’s return to Denver is grabbing the headlines, he won’t be the only quarterback facing his former team. In a subplot to the subplot, Orton makes his home debut at Invesco Field, where he was booed by a small but vocal crowd over his poor performance in a scrimmage three weeks ago.

This is a town, after all, where Hall of Famer John Elway still casts a long shadow and the standards for quarterbacks are a mile high.

“It’s tough. I feel bad for Kyle,” Cutler said. “I think he’s going to pull through in the long run. Offensively, they’ve got a lot of good players. They’ve got a great offensive line. They’ve got good receivers. And Josh McDaniels is a good offensive mind.”

But Cutler has moved on, and for one night he returns to Denver in a stark reminder of what was and what could have been.