CUTLER RETURNS TO DENVER FOR FIRST TIME SINCE TRADE AS BRONCOS HOST BEARS ON "SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL"

"It will be a big part of our broadcast conversations, but I'll start you off by saying that I was stunned." � Collinsworth on Cutler Trade

"For a preseason game this is probably as good as it gets." � Michaels

NEW YORK � Aug. 27, 2009 � "NBC Sunday Night Football" preseason continues this Sunday as the Denver Broncos host their former quarterback Jay Cutler and his new team the Chicago Bears. Coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET.

Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, the new SNF booth duo, will have the call from Denver, with Andrea Kremer handling the reporting duties. For Michaels and Collinsworth, this will be their fourth game together in the booth having previously called last year's Pro Bowl and the Seahawks-Bucs regular season game and this year's preseason opener, the Hall of Fame Game.

MICHAELS ON THIS MATCHUP: "I can't think of a preseason game, in all of the years I've been doing primetime football, where you're going to have, at least at the outset of the game, this kind of intrigue. What's kind of reaction is Cutler going to get? How will he react back? For a preseason game this is probably as good as it gets."

COLLINSWORTH ON THIS MATCHUP: "The third preseason game is the one you want to watch, it's the dress rehearsal. It is more important for the Denver Broncos in some ways. Jay Cutler is the man in Chicago. If Jay Cutler throws 17 interceptions in this game he's still going to be the man in Chicago. For the Broncos, Orton had a rough first start with the three interceptions, but the one thing that's been very consistent is that this offense has moved up and down the field. They have put up a bunch of yards and then made mistakes when they get down around the red zone, but this offense of Josh McDaniels and Kyle Orton is working exceptionally well on many occasions and in many of these drives. It would not surprise me at all to see the Denver Broncos at home have a big day offensively in this game."

COLLINSWORTH ON CUTLER TRADED TO BEARS: "Stunned. It will be a big part of our broadcast conversations, but I'll start you off by saying that I was stunned. You don't see a guy that can do the things that Jay Cutler can do at 25 years of age being traded. You just don't. I would like to know more details about it. We're obviously going to be out there asking the questions and my guess is we're not going to hear much of anything from the principles involved. I hope they tell me what really happened and the details of it, but if they don't give me the details I'll give you my opinion of it and we'll see how we go from there."

The "NBC Sunday Night Football" regular season begins Thursday, Sept. 10 with the Super Bowl Champion Steelers hosting the AFC South champion Titans. In the first "NBC Sunday Night Football" contest of the season, on Sept. 13, the Green Bay Packers will host their longtime rival the Bears.

2009 "NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL" SCHEDULE

Pre Season
Sun. Aug. 30 � Chicago Bears at Denver Broncos, 8 p.m.

Regular Season - Football Night in America begins every Sunday at 7 p.m. ET
Thurs. Sept. 10 NFL Kickoff Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sun. Sept. 13 Week 1 Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
Sun. Sept. 20 Week 2 New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
Sun. Sept. 27 Week 3 Indianapolis Colts at Arizona Cardinals
Sun. Oct. 4 Week 4 San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sun. Oct. 11 Week 5 Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans
Sun. Oct. 18 Week 6 Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons
Sun. Oct. 25 Week 7 Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants
Sun. Nov. 1 Week 8 NO SNF GAME (Football Night airs 7-8 p.m.)
Sun. Nov. 8 Week 9 Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Sun. Nov. 15 Week 10 New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts
Sun. Nov. 22 *Week 11 Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears
Sun. Nov. 29 *Week 12 Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens
Sun. Dec. 6 *Week 13 New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins
Sun. Dec. 13 *Week 14 Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants
Sun. Dec. 20 *Week 15 Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers
Sun. Dec. 27 *Week 16 Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins
Sun. Jan. 3 *Week 17 TBA

*Flex Week

HIGHLIGHTS OF "NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL" SCHEDULE

� All 12 NFL playoff teams from last season are featured.

� Fourteen of NBC's 16 scheduled games involve at least one playoff team from last season.

� Giants at Cowboys opens the $1.2 billion Dallas Cowboys Stadium, "the 8th Wonder of the World." It's a rematch of the most viewed game ever on "Sunday Night Football."

� Three appearances a piece from six marquee teams: this year's Super Bowl champion Steelers, last year's Super Bowl champion Giants plus Dallas, Indianapolis, Chicago and Philadelphia.

� Six games involving one of the Manning brothers, Peyton and Eli.

� Quarterback duels between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, Peyton and Kurt Warner, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger and Donovan McNabb and Jay Cutler.

� Four matchups among bitter NFC East rivals: Giants-Cowboys, Cowboys-Eagles, Eagles-Giants and Cowboys-Redskins.

� A rematch of last year's hard-hitting AFC Championship game between Pittsburgh and Baltimore and last year's AFC divisional playoff game between the Steelers and the Chargers.