Posted on 11/28/2006 8:44:57 AM PST by Terpfen
DENVER -- Jay Cutler's been the Denver Broncos' starting quarterback all of one practice and he's already a rattled rookie.
Cutler was playing it cool in his first interview at the podium when fellow rookies Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler began heckling him from the side. Cutler tried to keep from laughing and couldn't.
"I'm excited," Cutler said. "And a little nervous."
The Cutler Era has officially started. Coach Mike Shanahan ended the speculation Monday by elevating the rookie to starting quarterback for the rest of the year, sending Jake Plummer to the bench.
"He's our future, he's our present," Shanahan said.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.espn.go.com ...
NFL ping fodder.
I told you.
Jay Cutler = fresh meat
I'm trying to remember the last time a Super Bowl contending team used their first round draft choice on a quarterback. Normally teams that appear in their conference championship game don't have an issue at that position.
Jake the Snake was struggling, but this is a pretty extreme move. Let's see what the kid's got. Hopefully he has all the standard rookie struggles (as a Bengals fan, I need Denver to completely collapse if we have a chance at the Wild Card--also have to win pretty much every game left, including the bout with Denver--a very tall order).
I can't think of an example either.
It'll be interesting to see how Cutler does with a team that's all but clinched a playoff spot.
The Bengals can do it, but it's a very difficult task. I honestly think they're going to go 8-8.
What bugs me is that the Jets might get that second wild card.
All but clinched? They're third in their own freaking division after having lost to KC (equal records, lose the tiebreaker on divisional record), and Cincinnati, New York, and Jacksonville are all only one game back. Right now, Denver sits in a very precarious 6th seeding in the AFC, which would mean an a**-whipping in San Diego if the playoffs started today.
I was being partially sarcastic. Denver's got a tough schedule, and losing to their divisional opponents really hurt.
Of course, the teams you cited have tough schedules too, New York excepted. Jacksonville can and will choke. Cincinatti's schedule is pretty difficult. Don't leave the Dolphins out of the hunt, especially if the Jets lose a game both to Miami and to someone else.
Denver's got nothing to lose.
Anybody else noticed that the Parcells move seemed to trigger a wave of "let's start the young guy over the seasoned veteran" move? There's no way to prove it, but I bet if Romo had bombed that Gibbs, Shanahan, and the others would have been far more cautious about benching their starter. Of course, Tennessee and Arizona have also done it, but without nearly the publicity or success (so far.) Vince Young continues to improve and get some incredible breaks (the Giants handed them the game three times), and Lienart has performed well, but the Cards are, well, the Cards.
Looking at that least, all of them except Denver made the switch when their season was already heading for the crapper. Dallas has gotten lucky that their change produced some immediate effect (or just luckily coincident with the team's general impriovements or matchups) and that Philly and New York have fallen apart.
Denver is the only team on that list making the switch while already being a serious playoff contender.
I think Dallas and Denver were in similar situations. Both have enough talent that they shouldn't be scrambling for the last playoff slot, but were underperforming on offense. Loss to division rival that puts them in third, and yank the trigger on the old QB. True about the others, they've given up on this year and are looking to the future.
8-8 is very possible. A few weeks ago I thought that was optimistic. They let some games slip away in agonizing fashion (Tampa Bay, San Diego) that really hurt them.
At least the O looks like a juggernaut again. And the D can be good--at least better than dead last. They need to show some heart and play as hard as they did Cleveland. I don't see many shutouts, but they can do better than surrendering 42 points in a half. Although since San Diego also shredded Denver I don't feel quite as bad as I once did.
I think Tony Dungee is staying up late at night praying that Baltimore beats San Diego in the conference semifinals. The Chargers may be the best, or at least most dangerous, team in the NFL right now -- Tomlinson looks unstoppable and Rivers has been a pleasant surprise.
I think that's a fair assessment. Baltimore could be the ones to do it with their monstrous D and opportunistic O. I am really excited for/dreading the Thursday night game between the Ravens and the Bengals. The division is out of reach but Cincy needs to stay on a roll. They can beat them--and would have in Baltimore earlier this season if they hadn't spotted them 14 points. We'll see.
'Bout time. Jake is a good athelete but consistently makes poor decisions. This move is overdue.
Being from Denver and a rabid Bronco fan, I agree....should have been done before the season started IMHO....
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