That he never had a winning season at Vanderbilt, a high- end, private university doing its Football business in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference.

That he never played in a bowl game.

That he never experienced the kind of win-or-it's-over game he will play Sunday for the Broncos in San Diego, where the winner will earn the AFC West title and the playoff spot that goes with it.

"I know it was out there, that it's out there," Cutler said. "And, no, I don't buy it. My senior year, we beat some teams. There were a couple we didn't get there in the fourth quarter, but I thought we were always competitive, stayed in to the end.

"Some of that stuff was just the draft, you know. There is so much coverage and the time from the end of the season to the draft is so long, they build you way up, put you on the pedestal, then tear you down and push you off the pedestal. Build you up, knock you down and you just hope by the time the draft comes around, you're back on the rise."

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said winning games certainly is part of the evaluation of a quarterback but that where the quarterback played, whom he played against and the kinds of players he had around him have to be factored in as well.

"You had better say that about (Hall of Famer John) Elway then, too," Shanahan said. "Take a look at Elway; played at Stanford, never in a bowl game. Cal-Stanford maybe that's a half bowl game every year. But honestly, I don't pay any attention to that.

"What has to do with a quarterback's success is the team, and the people who look at quarterbacks like Jay playing somewhere like Vanderbilt judging it only on wins just don't know what they're looking at."

Cutler's 4,210 passing yards this season already is the franchise's single-season record - it's third in the NFL this season - as is his 351 completions. And he just was named to his first Pro Bowl.

He also has compiled the numbers as the Broncos have put seven running backs on injured reserve, including five who have started at least one game this year.

But as the Broncos have tried to refurbish their roster since the 2005 AFC Championship Game loss, Cutler now is 17-19 as a starter. He hasn't yet played in a playoff game, though Sunday is as close to one as a regular-season game can be.

Asked what kind of year he believed Cutler has had to this point, Shanahan said, "incredible."

"People have no idea, but we're 8-7, so it's a so-so year to some people," he said. "But if you understood the position and how he has played at the level he's performed at with what's happened on our offense. Backs just don't run, they do things in the passing game. We've put a lot of pressure on his shoulders, and he's responded."

Cutler is 1-3 against the Chargers in his career, with the win coming in September. He has thrown six touchdowns - four of those were in the September game - and four interceptions in those starts.

Be ready

Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson might be on pace for a career low in rushing - he has 1,014 yards rushing this season - and he might have only two 100-yard rushing games this season, but Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey believes the offense still starts with the five-time Pro Bowl selection.

"You can lose sight of that with how well they pass the ball, and lose track of their run," Bailey said. "We're definitely conscious of what L.T. can do in this league. He's one year removed from a great season; you can't forget what he can do. This year hasn't been one of his best years as far as numbers. Obviously, he's still effective because of what he makes defenses do."

Chargers coach Norv Turner said that despite the fact Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers leads the league in touchdown passes (32), he has been surprised defenses still are stacking the line of scrimmage to stop Tomlinson.

"We've got to keep on finding ways to give him some space to work. We've seen a lot of eight-man fronts," Turner said. "As crazy as it sounds, as much as we've thrown the ball, as many big plays as we've made, people are still focusing in and saying, 'Hey, we've got to stop L.T. and see what happens after that.' "

"I think he's the best back in the business. Obviously, he's been hampered with injuries here and there," Shanahan said. "Got a lot of respect for him."

The Broncos have a little more information with former Chargers fullback Andrew Pinnock on the roster.

Numbers game

11 rushing touchdowns Tomlinson has scored against the Broncos in the past seven games combined. The total includes six in the two meetings in 2006.

Staying put

With former Raiders coach Lane Kiffin having taken the University of Tennessee job and Broncos quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates a former Vols quarterback - Bates' father Jim also coached at the school - Kiffin has tried to make overtures in recent weeks to hire Bates away from the Broncos.

But Bates told Kiffin he wants to stay with the Broncos.

It is expected the Broncos soon will formally extend Bates' deal, which has one more year left on it, and are close to completing the paperwork on the extension.

Bates is in his first season as the Broncos' play-caller.

"I think Jeremy has done a great job," Cutler said.

"With all of the things we've had happen on offense, I think Jeremy's been great at making adjustments, getting us into things where we can move the ball. We work great together."

Etc.

* The Broncos didn't hold anyone out of practice Friday. Left tackle Ryan Clady (ankle), guard Chris Kuper (hand) and tight end Daniel Graham (ankle) all participated fully.

* Asked about the readiness of a running back corps that had two more players put on injured reserve earlier in the week, Shanahan said, "Nobody's allowed to walk past the running backs room. Danger zone."

* Shanahan also said he doesn't "really pay attention" to all the back-and-forth between the Broncos and Chargers this week, but he did acknowledge he had seen that San Diego linebacker Matt Wilhelm had called Cutler "a punk."

"I read that quote," Shanahan said.

"Hey, to each his own. Everybody handles himself differently."

* Chargers nose tackle Jamal Williams was asked recently to pick any player in the league who likely wouldn't make the Pro Bowl but should. Williams picked Broncos center Casey Wiegmann.

He said it

"I don't like anybody I play, I don't like them any less than I like the Raiders, the Chiefs, the Bucs, anybody. You play against me, I don't like you."

Broncos cornerback Bailey, on the rivalry with the Chargers.

INFOBOX

Cutler vs. San Diego

The rundown of Jay Cutler's starts against the Chargers:

Date Com-Att-Yd-TD-Int Result

9/14/08 36-50-350-4-1 W, 39-38

1 0/7/07 23-36-232-0-1 L, 41-3

1 2/24/07 14-32-155-0-2 L, 23-3

1 2/10/06 17-30-188-2-0 L, 48-20