EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP)—The eye-popping strength in Jay Cutler’s right arm
has earned him lots of flattering comparisons, as well as lofty expectations.

“He’s very talented,” Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. “He has a
great future. He has everything that you look for in a quarterback. He’s just
getting better every game.”

Cutler also doesn’t lack confidence. The third-year Broncos quarterback
recently boasted he thinks he has a stronger arm than John Elway in his heyday,
a borderline sacrilegious statement in Denver. In fact, Cutler said, he’d bet on
his arm over anybody else’s in the league.

Yes, even Brett Favre.

“Yeah I think so,” Cutler said, laughing. “What is Brett? Is he 40 yet?
Thirty-nine, soon to be 40? I think he may have given me a run back in his 20s,
but I think I got him now.”

Cutler’s mix of swagger, playmaking arm strength and scrambling ability have
some likening him to a young Favre.

“I can see the comparisons,” said Favre, who shares the same agent with
Cutler. “He’s probably a little more advanced as far as being in a passing
offense when he came into the league as I was. From a physical standpoint, I see
us doing a lot of the same things at that age.”

The two will square off Sunday for the second time in their careers when the
Broncos (6-5) visit the Jets (8-3) at the Meadowlands.

“I have a long way to go,” Cutler said of the comparisons to Favre.
“You’re talking about Brett Favre, one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever
play the game. He’s accomplished a lot throughout his career. I’m just kind of
getting started. We’ll see. Hopefully I’m still a starter five to 10 years from
now.”

Cutler certainly has his career off to a nice beginning, and the comparisons
to Favre aren’t outrageous. Through their first 32 starts, their numbers are
close, with Cutler actually better. Cutler is 624-of-1,010 for 7,534 yards, 48
touchdowns and 31 interceptions, while Favre was 667-of-1,072 for 6,995 yards,
39 TDs and 39 INTs.

“I grew up a Bears fan, so I watched a lot of Brett Favre growing up,”
said Cutler, who leads the AFC with 3,036 yards passing. “I still admire the
way he plays and the things that he’s able to do on the field. He sees the field
extremely well, better than most, and makes throws that a lot of guys probably
wouldn’t attempt. A lot of times, he fits it in there.”

That’s something that’s also been said of Cutler, who’s one of the most
dangerous passers in the league when he’s scrambling.

“He makes a lot of plays on the run and makes a lot of athletic defensive
players miss,” Jets coach Eric Mangini said.

Cutler has also been knocked for maybe taking too many chances—another
similarity between him and Favre—as evidenced by his 12 interceptions. He
scoffed at the notion that he’s been asked to work on his discipline.

“Not really,” Cutler said smugly.

“We’re kind of having trouble running the ball,” he added. “We’ve been
having turnovers early in the game, getting down late and having to make some
plays through the air and put some balls in some tight spots.”

Favre, then with Green Bay, beat Cutler and the Broncos in overtime last
year in their only other meeting.

“The guy can be pretty darn good,” Favre said. “Barring some injury,
he’ll have a great career.”

Despite a mediocre record and a disappointing 31-10 loss to Oakland last
Sunday, Denver leads the AFC West by two games. The Broncos’ biggest strength
has been the offense, ranked third overall in the NFL.

“I definitely think that we will have our hands full this week,” Jets nose
tackle Kris Jenkins said. “It’s going to be another week where we have to have
a big performance.”

New York’s defense has held five opponents under 50 yards rushing, and
hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher this season while ranking third against the
run. The Broncos have gone through a handful of running backs this season, with
rookie fullback Peyton Hillis the latest to get the bulk of the carries.

“We’re young and we still have a lot of injuries we’re battling with,”
Cutler said. “It’s kind of a roller coaster ride right now.”

Cutler does have two terrific wide receivers with Brandon Marshall (67
catches, 887 yards) and rookie Eddie Royal (58, 673), although Royal has missed
practice time with a toe injury. Still, the Jets know Cutler is capable of
throwing or running—he has 143 yards rushing—at any time.

“He’s very tough,” cornerback Darrelle Revis said. “We know they throw
the ball 60 percent of the time. I think he’s more of a threat running. He’s a
great running quarterback and he can extend plays.”

Meanwhile, the Jets have won five straight and are coming off two emotional
road victories at New England and Tennessee to firmly establish themselves as
one of the AFC’s elite teams. Favre’s efficient management of the offense has
been key. He has five touchdowns and one interception in the last three games
while balancing the running and passing games.

“If you’re a defensive coordinator, you’re scratching your head going,
‘What do I do?”’ Favre said. “We’re going to run it until you stop it, but
we’ll also mix in the quick passing game, screens, things like that.”

With recent talk in the media of a possible New York-New York Super Bowl,
the Jets are not concerned about any sort of letdown.

“We can’t assume that we are just that good that we are going to walk
through everything,” Jenkins said. “I think the past has shown a lot of good
teams that let a season go because they started feeling themselves a little bit
too much.”