Before they settle in as backups to Kurt Warner and Jake Plummer, respectively, to start the regular season, the two rookies and future franchise quarterbacks get to show their stuff when the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos meet in their preseason finale on Thursday night.

``The draft and all that hype is behind us now,'' Cutler said. ``It's a team game, and hopefully we'll go out there and win the game.''

Leinart unexpectedly fell to Arizona's 10th pick in the dra

DENVER (AP) -Gerard Warren was in a jovial mood as he gingerly walked off the practice field on Tuesday.

The dislocated left big toe was still bothering him, but the Denver Broncos defensive lineman wanted to give the toe a test run. It passed inspection.

``It's feeling a lot better than it did a few weeks ago,'' Warren said in a loud, booming voice for everyone to hear.

The last time the Broncos saw Warren on the practice field he was lying on the ground, screaming in pain. He injured the toe on Aug

DENVER (AP) -The only certainty in the Denver Broncos' offensive backfield is that Ron Dayne has his work cut out for him this week as he tries to make the roster after missing most of training camp.

The former Heisman Trophy winner was the projected starter when camp began but he quickly lost that status to undrafted rookie Mike Bell and then got hurt in the first preseason game.

He sat out 12 days of practice and two games with turf toe, and so it would appear his only hope now is to have a monster g

DENVER (AP) -The time away from football actually went by fast for Javon Walker.

Taking a year off from all the hits rejuvenated the Denver Broncos wide receiver, even if he had to endure rehabbing a torn ligament in his right knee.

Still, Walker was eager to make that initial reception for Denver. So eager, in fact, that he got a little excited when it finally happened.

When Walker hauled in a 16-yard catch during the Broncos' 17-14 win over Houston on Sunday, he sat on the turf for a moment - to ma

DENVER (AP) -Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan and his son, Kyle, the Houston Texans' wide receivers coach, were careful not to say too much to each other on the eve of their preseason matchup.

The younger Shanahan said his dad was too sneaky and would undoubtedly pry something out of him, so he wasn't willing to say much more than ``Hey, Dad. See you Sunday night.''

The elder Shanahan said it was his son who was the spy in the family.

``He's pretty good at stealing information. I think he might be

DENVER (AP) -Now that recalcitrant receiver Ashley Lelie is no longer their problem, the Denver Broncos will spend the next several months answering two key questions:

-Are they better without him?

-Are they better off without him?

``It's tough to know right now,'' Denver defensive end Courtney Brown said. ``Time will tell us and him.''

The NFL's leader in yards per catch the last two seasons could have provided the Broncos with a high-octane trio by teaming with former Pro Bowl receivers Rod Smith

DENVER (AP) -Elvis Dumervil enjoys hearing he can't do something. The Denver Broncos rookie has been told that his entire life.

The latest chapter is that he can't play on the defensive line because he's not tall or big enough.

Dumervil, generously listed at 5-foot-11 and 250 pounds, thrives on proving skeptics wrong.

``I'm fighting for those guys who are undersized in this world and need somebody to look up to,'' Dumervil said. ``They told me I couldn't make it to the NFL. Well, I'm here now.''

Th

Droughns is accused of throwing his wife, Kellie, to the ground and onto a bed before throwing her outside and locking the door during a May 12 altercation at their suburban Denver home.

Droughns, who played for the Denver Broncos until a trade last year, could get six to 18 months in jail if convicted of assault, and up to six months if convicted of harassment.

Days before his arrest on the domestic charges, a jury in the Cleveland suburb of Medina acquitted Droughns of dr

DENVER (AP) -For a guy who led the Denver Broncos to the cusp of the Super Bowl seven months ago, Jake Plummer sure has had a quiet camp.

Almost all the attention has been on prized rookie quarterback Jay Cutler, who is drawing rave reviews for his arm strength and accuracy but who will be carrying a clipboard when the regular season begins in three weeks.

Plummer will be the one carrying the franchise's hopes of winning its first title since John Elway retired with two rings following the 1999 season.

``I'm not so much worried about Alex as I am about Joe,'' Olson said. ``That's going to be a great test for him.''

The game matches a pair of former offensive coordinators just beginning as head coaches. Kubiak was with the Denver Broncos from 2003-05 while Scott Linehan ran the Miami Dolphins' offense last season and the Minnesota Vikings' offense the three years before that.

Both teams displayed balance in their preseason opener. Linehan hired former Saints head coach Jim Haslett