Working this job has taken me to a fair amount of schools in the area over the past four and a half years. But never had a trek to grammar school arisen so suddenly and unexpectedly as Friday’s jaunt through a 16-mile thicket of traffic to Columbine Elementary School on Denver’s east side.
Let’s face facts — the presence of every television station in the Denver market, along with the Rocky Mountain News, The (Colorado Springs) Gazette, the Associated Press and two representatives from our site — wasn’t because Jay Cutler was going to help students read Fox in Socks in what would become a bilingual lesson in the simple wisdom of Dr. Seuss’ works.
Before — and after — his reading lesson, Cutler acquiesced to interviews regarding the Friday morning reports on NFL.com and NFL Network regarding Jake Plummer’s future.
Cutler, however, heard news from another source — fellow Broncos quarterback Preston Parsons, who has known Plummer for nearly five years.
“Preston is the first one who told me that it’s official, Jake’s retiring,” Cutler said.
“Jake has obviously expressed interest at the end of the year that he wants to possibly move on and get away from football. I kind of always felt that he might do that. But you never know with Jake. He’s still a competitor. He’s going to miss football. You never know what’s going to happen.”
What did happen Friday was the finalization of the trade for cornerback Dré Bly.
It’s impossible to ignore the parallel shaping up in the secondary with the Broncos and the one that new assistant Jim Bates helmed in Miami for five successful seasons. Bates had a pair of Pro Bowlers on the corners in South Florida with Patrick Surtain and Sam Madison.
Between Bly and Champ Bailey, Denver’s corners possess nine Pro Bowls. With Domonique Foxworth also in the mix at cornerback, the cornerback corps now possesses the same kind of depth it had before Darrent Williams’ death on New Year’s morning.
Tags: 2006 Season Review, Dre Bly, Jake Plummer, Jay Cutler, Quarterbacks
I hope Andrew reads this….
Forgive the layoff, it’s hard to keep football motivation during the long offseason, especially when your season officially ends after week 17. It’s nice to see Peyton Manning get a Brady off his back, and we’re torn over the Bears losing…on the one hand we can’t stand the Bears, on the other hand, it would have been nice to see the coach who stood by his struggling starting QB win it all despite media and fan pressure.
It’s also another sad loss as Damien Nash fatally succumbed to a heart ailment a little over a week ago.
Still, there was a smart trade made as Denver picked up cornerback Dre’ Bly in exchange for Tatum Bell and George Foster. If this were still Jake’s team, we’d like this trade a lot. Bly is a very capable corner who’s been stuck in the crappy Lions’ system. He should flourish in Champ Country.
But let’s talk about the big one…reports everywhere are saying Jake Plummer was about to be traded to Tampa Bay for junk, and in response the Snake decided he would rather hang em up and retire rather than deal with another “maybe, maybe not, we’ll see” QB controversy. We can’t blame the Snake for his stance, though we will certainly be devastated if he follows through with his threat and sits out 2007.
Jake would probably…PROBABLY have managed to start in Tampa, but we all know there would be a huge backlash from local media and fans hoping that Chris Simms would recover from a ruptured spleen to NFL success. With essentially the preseason favorite for Comeback Player of the Year waiting in the wings, why would Jake want to go to Tampa? There’s simply no way for him to stroll into town and be accepted…if he succeeds, he’s the d**k veteran who c**kblocked the comeback kid, and if he fails, he’s Jake the Mistake and he has to sit on the sidelines for a team that probably won’t even make the playoffs.
The Broncos are continuing to show disrespect for Jake by not simply releasing him like he wanted in the first place. Well, good for them. They can go fight with the Raiders over Jeff Garcia (and logic says there’s no way Garcia takes a job backing up Cutler over easily–EASILY–being the starter in Oakland.) Meanwhile Jake, who would like a chance to try for that Oakland job as well as a couple of others, has to sit on his hands and maybe miss the season simply because the Broncos are once again choosing to d**k him around by making it impossible for him to seek a starting job elsewhere.
Football is a business, yes. Broncos managament is simply trying to get some value for their property (which, in a sense, is how they view all of their players up and down the roster.) Of course they don’t want to be left completely empty-handed. But it also seems like they’re trying not to embarrass themselves by keeping Jake out of the AFC and even more hopefully on the sidelines. The Broncos already gave Jake a bum deal this past year and they now look to trade him into pretty much the same situation…fighting for a job with a kid who already has fan opinion on his side. Well, Jake isn’t willing to settle for that crap and neither are we, the Snake Faithful. Stop the stupidity, Denver! Work out a trade with a better-suited team or just release the guy already so that next year we can watch somebody…
LET PLUMMER PLAY!!!
That is probably the most one sided trade ever
That is probably the most one sided trade ever. The Broncos trade a thousand yard running back who is only 26 years old, a starting right tackle who is 26 years old, and a fifth round pick for a 29 year old cornerback who will more than likely lose his job to Foxworth within two to three years. Tatum Bell has probably eight years left in the NFL. George Foster probably has ten years left. Bly more than likely has about three. Plus we are sending a fifth round draft pick there, too. I got pissed when at first I thought it was Bell and Foster for Bly and a Detroit 5th round pick. Then I re-read it to make sure it was not that one sided. I was wrong, it was worse. I recognize that cap room probably played a role in this decision and neither player had produced well, but it was common knowledge that the Lions were desperate to get rid of Bly. That trade should have been to the tune of Bell and Foster for Bly and a second round pick, or Bly and a third and fourth round pick.
And now Jake Plummer. Here’s the problem: he clearly does not want to play for Tampa because he does not want to suffer the humiliation of being benched in favor of Chris Simms, probably the third worst starting quarterback in the NFL behind Frye and Losman. It would have been a great trade, though. Tampa gets a good quarterback for a while and we get a good draft pick out of it. However, Plummer does not want to go there, so I propose they call him up and see if there is a team he is willing to go to (maybe Arizona where he went to college and probably has ties there). Then negotiate a trade for ANYTHING, a sixth round pick if necessary. Cuz when Plummer retires, we get SQUAT for it besies cap room.
And Patrick Kerney is a terrible idea. He wants a ton of money and for a defense that rotates it’s defenders all the time, that’s not worth the $8 million a year that he wants.
As a season ticket holder I expect the staff (Mike Shanahan) to try and win every game. I don’t pay to watch him walk away from the season to put Cutler in and screw Jake. Get it together Mike or the fans will be looking for you to go next. Jay better figure out pretty quick that a strong arm isn’t enough and if we are walking away from a vet like Jake for an unproven rookie he has some growing up to do.
Now I try not to make it a habit to bash other Bronco fans but bowang is simply out of place to say this. I’m not a season ticket holder as it would be quite expensive to fly to Denver from California 8 times a season but I watched every game LIVE from my own home and in some cases rewatched from my TIVO just to see how bad the team played at times last year and in particular how bad Jake played. One thing was evident with every game Jake under-performed. You season ticket holders let it be known you weren’t happy with his efforts. So though Mike made the decision to replace Jake as the starter, you people who pay his bills basically made the decision for him. I realize, we as a large fan base will never be 100% in agreement but it seems to me you’re one of the few who felt Jake gave/gives us a better chance to win. If you truly expect Mike to try to win every game, you should be very excited about this coming season. Jake was never going to be successful with you season ticket holders booing him play after play. And let’s be honest, he may have been a 10 year vet but he never matured and made the same rookie mistakes Jay is making, but Jake did it on a more consistent basis!
As a true fan of the Broncos and of Jake Plummer, I have to say this is total disrespect for Shananhan to literally through him away for scraps. 5 rounder folks? Jake is so much better than that. Even if he righteously lost his starting job, you still get collateral for him. More and more, its obvious that It was personal. Oh well, who am I? A nobody. All I can say is I wish the best for Jake and thanks for the memories. A retirement is so much better than be insulted by the organization.
Disrespectful? Shanahan is honoring Jakes wish by finding a new team for him. If Jake was truly a team player, he’d want to stay on the team that revived his career and groom a young player. Since he only cares about himself, as evidenced by threatening retirement thus thwarting a trade to a team with a great head coach and young offensive talent, shows just how selfish he really is. The fact that we were getting something other than a 12 pack of Coors Light in return is amazing. I enjoyed the Jake years but he was the future of the franchise. The fact is, he was a stop gap until Mike did find the future, which he did last season. Jay Cutler is no Brian Griese. He will have the city of Denver forgetting Plummer in a matter of months.
I enjoyed the Jake years but he was NOT the future of the franchise. The fact is, he was a stop gap until Mike did find the future, which he did last season.
Where does this leave the Broncos in terms of the cap
plummer was the best qb for the job when denver was able to pound the ball, he wasn’t brought here to groom young guys or any of that nonsense, he was brought here for his ability to lead a team and create plays. basically he was run out of town by a bunch of lunatic fans who for some reason never stop to ask about the receivers, tes and rbs inability to get open and catch the ball on a regular basis. face it broncos have assemled the receiving cast based on their blocking abilities, the broncos were primarily a run team and plummer was a mobile qb.
outside of walker, i cant think of 1 team that has receivers who struggle in the passing game more than denver’s have. lelie, mccaffrey, smith, watts, adams, carswell, tatum bell, nate jackson, triandos luke… etc these guys all have at least 1 glaring weakness. usually speed and/or hands. i guess lelie was the only true threat to stretch a defense but he’d fall down and misjudge the ball all the time.
plummer defenitely did not have the benefit of a moss, owens, chambers, holt or steve smith.
if someone had grabbed a few passes and shook a couple defenders once in a while plummer could have racked up some huge numbers, you could even make the arguement that even a donte stallworth could have made the difference between a superbowl ring and loss to pitt in the championship game.
were moving away from that a little now and need a more poised pocket passer to get the ball out a little quicker and more accurate since the offense will shift from a heavy playaction/run game to a more balanced attack. look for denver to suprise with a big play running back AND a big play wr.
ahman green and terrell owens, or maybe randy moss and adrian peterson and we win the superbowl THIS YEAR.
with nash passing away and bell getting traded, somebody proven is coming to town.
maybe brandon marshall steps up or kirkus gets some action and shows he can handle the position but we need a big play guy, even if he comes with a big mouth.
i remember 1 game plummer had 3 or 4 picks and all but 1 of them was touched first by a bronco receiver, and after the game he humbly took the blame. i was a big time plummer supporter but i admit cutler is a better fit for the gameplan and personnel we have right now, and he did a good job but dont go ahead and call him our future just yet.
Guys let us move on! Plummer got the srew job this year…..I was defending him all year but i think that letting him go was the best move. What he decides to do is up to him. The past is the past. We got a conditional pick out of a guy who might never play again. We got a pro bowl corner back from a fumbling running back who was never consistant, and from a lineam who got benched for under performing. We won that deal by far. Now we need oline- dline, safety, and a running back….. Welll one step at a time.
Jake was a Loser in Phoenix, and nobody else wanted him when Denver brought him in. He was mistake prone. Instead of improving each year, Shanahan was very clear that they had to Dummy Down the offense for Plummer. He didn’t learn. He didn’t progress. He could throw on the run, and that is all he could do. He could not survey the field and pick apart a defense. He was excitable. He played like a rookie in his 10th season. Denver’s scoring average went UP with Cutler at the helm. Even though the first 2 defense’s Cutler faced led their conference in sacks. He was a bad quarterback on a good team and the Denver Broncos won games in spite of his bad play at quarterback. Drew Brees had the pressure of a high draft pick nipping at his heals in San Diego and all he did was prove his worth with a pro bowl season. Mark Schlereth called him a big cry baby for complaining about Cutler being there. It is football. It is competition. Jake can’t take the heat. Cutler is far superior in every way. Every retired q.b. on espn and other shows marveled at the precision throws Cutler makes all around the field. Plummer couldn’t make any.
If Plummer was worth anything, teams would’ve been knocking down the door to get him. It isn’t easy to find a good NFL quarterback. One offer for a fourth round pick PROVES how worthless he is. Nice guy, fine. Terrible quarterback. Nobody else wanted him because they know he isn’t any good. He is the Olandis Gary of quarterbacks. Looks mighty good on a good team, good offense, exposed as not very good when going elsewhere. He was a losing quarterback on a winning team. A 4th round pick!? Worthless.
There were many OTHER offers beyond the Tampa Bay one. That’s the one MIKE decided to entertain for a number of reasons…ONE he was trying to ship Jake out of the AFC. Two, he did not want to give Kubiak to Jake, not matter what conference Kubiak was in. THREE he simply did not respect Jake as a player or a person. All MIKE had to do was cut Jake, that’s what Jake asked for, to be CUT. Therefore he could go out and shop himself, he would have ended up on the Raiders or the Texans…and one thing MIKE would not allow was for Jake to come back and shove the mistake Shanahan made in his face. God how sweet it would have been to see Jake come back into Denver and knock them out of the playoffs. In any event, MIKE is next, don’t worry. 2 or 3 more years with no super bowl appearence and it will be clear to Denver management that it was a guy named John Elway w/ MAJOR help from a guy named Terrell Davis that won Denver superbowls, not MIKE SHANAHAN…..
to the guy saying Rod Smith and Ed Mcaffrey “struggled to get open” all the time? are you high or retarded? Maybe youve forgotten the 100 catch years they both had, or when Smith was pretty much the only offense we had one year even on two bad ankles. Please tell me youre 16 yrs old and dont remember those days, because while Rod isnt the force he used to be, he’s still an excellent reciever
Nothing like a lot vibrant fans but let’s call the facts the facts. Jake had a better winning percentage this year then Jay. Jake had a great year last year and brought Denver to the AFC championship. This is a team sport and I think Jake took the brunt of a lot of underperformance. The defensive play calling was conservative, the rushing production was weak, I saw a lot of dropped balls even when Jay was passing. It’s true we have to move and I truely hope Jay is all he’s cracked up to be. I don’t mind eating crow but as of yet he’s an unproven guy with some solid raw skill.
and one last comment to my point about trying to win everygame. I expect we are trying to win every game. If that’s not the goal then why play?
I have to agree with Mike Shanahan pullng Jake last year and starting Cutler knowing it could have taken us to where it did. OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS. Now Cutler comes into this coming season knowing what to expect in the league, no questions at all. he will be ready and as far as plummer goes in my head, I can give two sh*** what he does. just like homeboy rott tamer says he was a stop gap. thanks go to him for the wins (cause he did win more then he lost) and all the great roll out passes he completed, good luck snake. and as far as Bly we’ll see what happens there, i do know one thing his name alone will cause qbs to throw more towoards My Boy CHAMP and we all know how that goes. So hell yeah shanny nice move.
To anyone who doesn’t support Cutler and are Denver fans y’all don’t have a clew man.
this guy is going to be something special mark my words. I haven’t seen something so sweet in our backfield since #7 so i am definetlly stoked on this guy. oh yeah and F*** LetPlummerPlay you dont know what your talking about Shanny is the s*** and is a ftball genius your about as stupid as they come dissing him.
Big Worm, are you out of your mind? Mike Shanahan was NOTHING before John Elway….guess what, Mike Shanahan is NOTHING after John Elway. Between Sundquist, Bolan and Shanahan Denver doesn’t have a CLUE! They are lost in the afterglow of Elway still. It will take a WHOLE shake up to get this team straight again. Fire Sundquist, Fire Shanahan and start all over. Jay Cutler the real deal? Sweetest thing since Elway, wow, what DISRESPECT to your favorite son Elway. Elway was a GIANT, A LEGEND someone who won in the pros and in college….SO far Jay LOST A LOT in college, 4 years he kept his losing record and now in the pros its the same thing, 2 wins, 3 losses…..Same ole thing for Jay.
Mark my words, Jay Cutler will be forgotten just like Griese. So call me out when Jay makes it to the AFC championship, or when he carries a lowly team like the 98 Cardinals into a playoff victory against the almighty 90’s COWBOYS>…. For goodness sake, all CUTLER had to do was beat the 49ers to make the playoffs and HE FAILED miserably! And what do Denver fans do……. THEY BOO HIM when he calls a timeout because the 49er defense CONFUSED the poor boy. Denver fans will hopefully learn a lesson from this disaster. I have never seen a city boo their players so quickly and frequent as the city of Denver, guess that’s why DENVER will never be known as a GREAT sports city….Poor MELO, he ought to get himself traded.
I don’t understand how anyone who has watched football at least once in their life can honestly say the Broncos should have kept Jake Plummer in at the end of the year. Jake Plummer is good enough to be a starting quarterback in the league, no doubt about it. However, Cutler is a younger more improved Plummer. He has a stronger arm and he is much more accurate. He moves in the pocket and on bootlegs just as well as Plummer does. The only difference is that once Cutler got some experience he did not do stupid things like throw a left handed pass from his end zone. His quarterback rating was better than Plummer’s, which I think is pretty good considering he was used to running with the second team offense the whole year and did not have the opportunity to work with Walker and Smith much in practice. As far as him calling a timeout when he saw something on the defense he did not like, name me one quarterback who has never called a timeout because they saw something that they did not like and knew the play was not going to work. Can anyone? As far as Plummer being traded for only a 4th or 5th round pick, he is 32 or 33 years old, he probably will only play for another two or three years. Would you be willing to trade anything higher for a guy who is more than likely not even going to finish his contract as a player? Don’t forget that there are decent quarterbacks who have gone later in the draft than that. Brady was a sixth rounder, so was Bruce Gradkowski. Brad Johnson was a ninth rounder, and Trent Green was right around there as well. I am honestly surprised that they were up to a fourth rounder for Plummer seeing as how that is what Steve McNair went for last year when he was dealt to the Ravens.
Scoreboard folks, record book facts show that Jake got the job done. The playcalling and offensive player support was weak last year. The media, written press pundits wanted Jake gone because he didn’t give them the sound bite. Jake won the PAC 10 in college, so BroncoFan_In_AZ must have some heat stroke or sand in their eyes. Jake has the single season passing record in Bronco history books to date. Jake has pressure instinct that comes with years of experience, why was he called the snake-good moves. I hate to see him go but he is gone at this time. Good Luck and Many Successes in your future Jake!
Some of the bloggers are in the fog and some are stuck in the snow bank. Jay has a lot of talent. It took Peyton Manning many years to win a Super Bowl. The Colts had to get the other pieces of the team to fire off at the same time with the same intensity. Mike Shanahan and Mr. Bolen are making the coaching and impact player changes that will compliment Jay’s talent and ability. Intensity and commitment by all the players, coaches and staff will make the difference between a winning or losing 2007. My old coach told us we got beat, didn’t loose. We, the fans and the team need to commit to the positive Vince Lombardi attitude of beating everybody we play on every play. The recent signings of impact players and impact coaches are positive and can earn Denver the Lombardi Trophy. We have many of the pieces and now the team needs to be a team and make the fit for winning.
Yes, the Broncos won more games with Plummer under center, but that was also because the defense wasn’t giving up 28 points per game (140 in Cutler’s starts). Plummer simply was not getting it done. The offense was more productive, I don’t understand how anyone can argue with statistics. Plummer’s rating for the year was a dismal 68.8. Cutler’s rating was 88.5 as a rookie. Had he had the proper game starting experience, I am sure that number would have risen. Unfortunately there are a bunch of uneducated fans out there whothink they know everything about football yet know absolutely nothing about a football team. Keep trying to argue that Shanahan did the wrong thing if it makes you feel better and gives you something to do. The fact is is that Cutler was a better quarterback at the time and he got the job done. All you people are going to be the same ones next year saying “Man that kid is awesome! They should have started him all of last year too!”
I don’t know why you are bashing Shanahan. He gives a QB 3 years to get their act together. Jake didn’t do it and it was obvious he wasn’t interested any more. As far as Jay losing to the 49’s, he is still a baby. You guys will swallow your tongue if Mike and Jay lead us to the Super Bowl! So shut up! Give the boy a chance. Mike is a great coach. Why do we still have a lot of the same guys? Think!!