Jay Cutler was back on the practice field Wednesday as the Broncos returned to work 37 1/2 hours after the humbling 23-3 defeat at San Diego, but the left knee that he hurt during the game left him “a little limited” as the Broncos went through a two-hour session on a clear, frigid day at team headquarters.
“I’ll be ready to roll (Thursday),” he said.
After being sacked just 17 times in the season’s first 13 games, Cutler has been tagged for nine sacks in the last two games — both of which saw tight end Daniel Graham hindered by a high ankle sprain he suffered on the opening offensive series of Denver’s 31-13 loss at Houston.
Between the hits Cutler has absorbed the last two weeks and the grind of playing the lengthiest season of his football life, Cutler acknowledged he was “worn down” physically, independent of the now ailing knee for which he must compensate.
“(The knee) is a little banged up,” Cutler said, “but I’ll be ready by Sunday, no problem.”
Cutler was sacked four times in the first half Monday night and was hurried on numerous other occasions. On three occasions Cutler kept the football and ran, gaining a team-leading 42 yards — a healthy 14.0-yards-per-carry average.
Cutler has not missed a start since being promoted onto the first team in Week 13 of the 2006 season.
ALSO OF NOTE:
Graham, wide receiver Brandon Stokley and linebacker Ian Gold all did not practice Wednesday with their injuries … Wide receiver Javon Walker saw limited work … Defensive end John Engelberger (shoulder), safety John Lynch (back), defensive tackle Steven Harris (knee) and center Chris Myers (ankle) were all listed on the injury report but practiced fully.
Tags: Jay Cutler, Quarterbacks
Thanks Mason,
Hope Santa was good to you and hope you had a Merry Christmas!!
I know he’ll finish this season off strong even though he’s got frustration written all over him. I really believe that next year is going to be a HUGE breakthrough for him. I don’t want to feel sorry for him b/c I know he doesn’t want sympathy from anyone but I just want to see him do well with this team, he deserves it. It may not show that he’s done a good job with a 6-9 record so far not knowing if we’ll get one more win but no one can deny that he’s greatly improved. He’s already got better numbers than Elway’s first year so let that speak for itself. Cutler is never going to be John Elway but in certain areas Cutler is a mirror reflection of the greatest QB this club has ever seen (or that I’ve seen in the NFL – to me no one’s better than Elway!) And I know that puts huge pressure on Cutler but you can’t come into the Mile High City and expect to play QB and not get put in the shadow of the great #7.
I think once our guys get a well-deserved break (offseason) hopefully Cutler will have calmed down and become more relaxed – to me it seems as though most every time he played he wasn’t relaxed and he rightfully has his reasons for that. How could he be relaxed if his offensive line isn’t giving him the protection he need to make accurate and solid passes and plays?? Well, I’m going to hop off this frustration train for awhile and just keep my faith in Cutler that he’ll do much better on Sunday and that the offense will show up to do their jobs. That goes for our defense, special teams and coaches, too.
GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!
07,
half of the team is already on that well-deserved break. At least it certainly looked that way on Monday night when half the team never showed up.
Cutler has every right to be frustrated, the play calling is atrocious, the running game never materialized and the O-line stood around and watched him get chased, knocked down and sacked all night long.
There need to be some answers for all of that from the coaching staff. Whether it’s personnel changes (players AND coaches), different practice regimens, new captains, sprints for blown assignments or whatever, the next time the team goes on the field, everyone should have only one thing on their mind; winning.
There are a whole lot of problems in Broncoland, and a frustrated young QB is the very least of them. It would do this team a world of good if Cutler would step up and rip into everyone who is not playing like they want to win on every single down. And that includes the coaching staff. Play the game like you want to win, or don’t play.
John Elway is the perfect example that even the most talented QB in the world can’t win every game by himself, and I am sure there were times when he was frustrated too. Many of us recall the seasons when he truly was without a supporting cast. There were some amazing heroics in there, but he also got beaten up a lot as well.
It should not be a coin toss as to whether the whole team will show up to play on game day, and, as fans, it’s a little disheartening when we have to have “faith” the offense, defense, special teams and coaches will show up and do their jobs.
This team does have talent, but they have not consistently put it to use.
i really think jay will have a big year next year he will have a good line and have great games . denver let him be jay cutler i think this will be good enough is this league. lets watch him get better every year i just hope every player and fan feels the way i do. lets get back to winning games and having fun. im really excited about the future of our team!!!
I hate hearing about Jay having any sort of trouble with anything. It’s good to hear that he won’t yet miss a game. But the o-line has got to protect better so that he doesn’t have to miss any games. And I hope that the length of the season gets easier on him as he spends time in the NFL.
I’m excited for the future because of Cutler.
The loss was bad enough, and I am glad at least he can walk! Shanahan should fine the entire offensive line for letting the kid take the beating he has…I know everyone is on the defense kick for the draft, but Cutler is the franchise player now, Shanahan needs to protect him! Take care of defense in free agency and add maybe a decent center or guard, then use the draft to get this kid weapons and protection. Lepsis, Pears and Myers are not getting the job done, the guards at least have done well enough for starting for the first time and Graham has proven to be worth his weight in money. We need athletic hawgs upfront now, to help the run game and more so just to protect Cutler…the line should be ashamed for the beatings he is beginning to take! We also should find a way to get Henry out of town, get a better halfback, bring in some help at receiver!
Culter, Marshall and Scheffler need help, they are the offense right now!
Andrew:
Someone called dare2bme posed some pretty good questions yesterday. I don’t know if you saw them or not, but in case you missed them I copied. Please give a shot at answers. Thanks.
dare2bme Says:
December 26th, 2007 at 11:19 am
Mason,
I haven’t and don’t usually post during the season, but I’ve got a few questions and you seem like the right guy to answer them.
1) There have been many complaints about Shanahan and his “President of Football Operations” role. Is this something that Sundquist and Bolen may address?
2) The Broncos have several outstanding players on both sides of the ball, but seem to have glaring weaknesses in consistency on offense and stopping the run on defense. Are these player or coaching failures?
3) I’m a “fan”-atic, so I can’t always see clearly, but it seems that, though Shanahan has put together a long run of above average teams, he has lost that intangible feeling you get from the top-tier coaches. Is it just the result of a bad season, or is there something happening between coach and player that we, the fans, can’t see.
4) We’re looking at the 10-15th draft choice this year, if we lose our final game…I sure hope we go hard at the linebacker position (sorry, more of a statement than a question).
From Foxworth’s blog:
“I look forward to next season and I look forward to hopefully getting as many guys in the secondary back as we can and playing for Coach Slowik and Coach Shanahan and putting together a much better product and living up to or surpassing our potential next year rather than falling short like we did so many times this year. ”
HMMMMMM….no mention of bates? Think that shows that the PLAYERS have no faith in his scheme or his decisions to have shanny cut guys. BRING BACK COYER!!!!
Firstfan: Mason works for the team, dude … somehow I don’t think he can answer those questions.
This year has been a huge dissapointment. I think the oline and dline are the biggest problem on the team. Our o-line is horrible, Cutler has been sacked around 9 times in the last two games. That should never happen. We seriously need to address this in free agency this year. Hopefully Alan Faneca will leave Pittsburgh and we could pick him up. He would be a great addition to shore up that line. We need to invest some money to protect Cutler so he can do his thing. If he actually had time to throw he would be a top 5 QB in the league, even up there with Manning and Brady. Now for our D-line, I think we have the DE in Dumerville and Crowder and we will get back Moss next year who was progressing well this year before he got injured. Dumerville is amazing, we need to give that guy some money and keep him around for a long time. As far as the DT Marcus Thomas is progressing nicely but we need another big DT to shore up that horrible run defense from this year. There are some great DT prospects in next years draft. I also think we need help in The LB department. Williams is playing good at MLB but needs to step up and be the emotional leader of the team the way Al Wilson was. If he can’t we should bring back Wilson and move DJ back OLB.
As far as this season goes, Yea it was a dissapointment but we had a lot of injuries and we have a lot of young talent that is developing. I Love Brandon Marshall, the kid is a beast. Coming into the week there were only 7 recievers in the league with more yards and they are all huge names. He is already a top tier reciever and consider this is only his second year and recievers are know for exploding their 3rd year in the league. Imagine how long Marshall and Cutler will hook up over the next 10 years. Marshall totally should have gone to the pro bowl he has 92 catches on the year and aroung 1300 yards w/ around 500 of those coming from YAC(yards after Catch). If you do not think that is pro bowl material you are crazy. I think we could use a speed WR to give Cutler the down field threat.
That was just me ranting but i have a couple of questions for you Mason.
1. What areas do you think we will address in free agency? And possibly names of free agents we could pick up?
2. What positions should we address in the Draft?
Thanks
3.
oh one more thing we better sign Foxworth to a multi year deal in the offseason. He will be a restricted free agent but in the SD game he was delivering some big hits and playing with passion. We really need to keep him around incare Bailey or Bly gets hurt.
I understand the frustration, but I was getting REALLY sick of watching Cutler and Scheffler asking for a flag on every play. There was one play where number 88 was signaling for a flag while the play was still developing! Remember what high school and/or Pop Warner coaches always taught? Worry about playing, not about officiating. And, while I love 07′s enthusiasm about Cutler, I have to disagree that Cutler has better numbers than Elway’s first year. He’s got Elway beat everywhere except the ol’ Win/Loss record. Finally, the one area where Jay let us all down…..he should have walked over to Rivers and hit him square in the mouth. Hopefully next time…
This year has been a real disapointment not only for the fans, the team too. I would of really like to see the Broncs in the playoffs. But looking at the game Monday and the this year games, we were not even close to a playoffs team. You look at the teams in the playoffs they just look so much better. Rivers was even hurt he still tourched us with big plays. We could not even get the ball down field on a punt. So i’m kinda glad we did make the playoffs. We have alot of guys hurt that need some time to heal. so not making the playoffs isn’t great, but it will help us all the next year. There a good core to work with. I see Cutler only getting better. Our O line well need alot help But our receiving core has the potential to be one of the best in the league. So yet I’m disapointed with this year. I’m happy with next year coming up.
vegas,
I know how you feel, but it really is the job of the defense to pop that jackass rivers in the mouth. And knock his punk ass down and chase him all over the field and hit him so hard the ball comes loose. Repeatedly.
If Jay walks over there and kicks his ass, he’ll get suspended and we’ll have a real problem on offense.
The defense had every opportunity to knock his sorry, stupid ass around; they just did not get the job done.
If his jersey had been covered in grass stains and dirt and he was tired from running for his life and getting the snot knocked out of him, he would have kept his mouth shut.
And I am sooooooo looking forward to that happening to him, again and again and again.
I agree the players should play the game and let the guys on the sidelines yell at the blind zebras; not that it will do any good, but it’s better than nothing. I know I was yelling at the TV on many occasions on Monday.
On the other hand, if the play is still going and you’re standing around lobbying the refs, you’re not doing your job.
And that, my friends and fellow Broncomaniacs, indicates a failure by the coaching staff. It’s their job to get the players ready to play and ensure that they play well. If not, put someone else in. And if a player thinks it’s his job to ask the ref for a flag, sit his ass down and ask him to show you that play in the playbook.
this season was a bust from the beginning
Sore knee? Meaningless game?
SIT HIM DOWN. Jeez, this seasons been chock full of enough bad coaching decisions, we don’t need one that could potentially give Cutler a real injury.
It’s obvious now (the down-by-23 field goal on the SD 5 ABSOLUTELY clinched it, as he was just avoiding a shutout for record-keeping purposes) that everyone’s beloved genius Shanahan is taking a dive for draft position. If you’re going to play gutless football, at least pull Cutler at halftime next week. Minnesota has a good front line though…I’d just sit him altogether.
If we have the same staff back next year, it’s going to be painful to be a Broncos fan.
If we have the same coaching staff back next year I will kick myself in the *uts. Time to start a new era. I said at the begining of the year we looked like a 6 win team and you guys laughed at me. Who’s laughing now. It was evident from preseason. All I kept hearing was we will get better. Now we still suck and I hear lets end it on a positive note. I guess our coaching staff thinks 7 wins is a positive? Please bring in someone especially someone that knows defense. Shannys play calling is a joke and when he kicked a field goal down by 23 I would of came down and canned his %ss right there.
West Coast,
If we have the same coaching staff next year kicking yourself in the nuts will be infinitely more pleasurable than watching the games. Think about it, except for some pretty bush league jockeying with time outs — and the fact that sea bass is an absolute moron and horrible kicker — the lame-ass faiders beat us twice this year. Give the coaches time to perfect that system and we’ll have high draft picks forever.
If bates is still employed by the Broncos on January 15, I’m going to go cheer for the Texans.
To call this season painful is to woefully understate the agony. I sincerely hope Darrent is not watching this “tribute.”
I’m having a drink to the good old days when Denver played like they wanted to win.
Vegasbronco42, I hate to break it to you but I’ve seen multiple times when a Broncos game is on and the commentator will constantly bring up and compare teh two guys, the statistics speak for themselves. But yeah he needs to get more wins than losses but he also needs an offense to help him out. Cutler can’t win games by himself, he’s not a one man show… if he’s not getting the protection from the O-line that he needs, touchdowns are not going to happen perfect example was the game on Monday. Cutler needs a team that is going help him win.
And I’m glad that Cutler didn’t even say a word to Rivers after the game. He showed his professionalism, class and respect. Its practically impossible to have respect for someone like Rivers for what he did but the fact that Jay didn’t even go up to him showed he’s better than being a jerk. All Rivers did was make a complete fool of himself and he’s nothing but genuine butthole. Cutler’s got class and professionalism… something Rivers knows nothing of.
GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!
ok before this season, the teams i hated most were oakland, new england, KC, then the chargers
now its chargers, NE, oakland, Kc
and i cant wait for the patriots to hopefully play the chargers in the playoffs so i can see rivers cry like a baby when they get there butts kicked and i hope rivers gets planted every single time he throws the ball
also hopefully the jags can play them, and shut rivers up
Jay had the most rushing yards on the team, enough said on that.
broncoinexile: I agree come on “D” can you hook us up with at least one big hit on Rivers. Then go up stairs and lay out the anouncers.
John I saw the look on your face on the bench, come on brother give us one more year. Your fans still love you.
We definately need work on our core. O-Line and D-Line. I think if we protect Jay next year and keep our WR healthy (why are all of them getting injured, has any one tested the water at Dove Valley) we could have a great year.
I say let Henry go smoke dope some where else. Get someone in their with some heart.
Mason thanks for your great blogs.
I think the running game needs to not only be revamped but completely overhauled. Selvin Young is a nice 3rd down or long yardage back to have as an option, but this team desperately needs a guy that can tote the rock 20+ times a game. Henry obviously can’t stay healthy, that’s been the story of his career. My hope is to snag a stud in the 2nd round. D.J. has more than proven he can play MLB, he just needs to get some help around him. Taking the best LB in the first round would be a nice start and the kid from USC should be there when Denvers pick comes. I would like to see some veteran DT’s signed in the offseason, Haynesworth will be too costly but there should be some other options.
While everybody is talking about how much the Broncos need to rebuild I think we might be forgeting that while we have alot of young talent we “have” to win now. Guys like Champ Bailey, Dre Bly, John Lynch, Ian Gold, Tom Nalen, etc. aren’t getting any younger. With the exception of John Lynch and Tom Nalen the others don’t have rings and are winding down on their careers. Selvin Young is looking like a good back that can become a feature back with work, the broncos just need to get Travis Henry out of the way.
And what about the high expectations for our “shutdown” corners. Champ Bailey is still the best but Dre Bly has not panned out at all. Teams have gone at him and taken advantage of him all year. Examples of this the Raiders game when Jerry Porter who isn’t even that good burned Dre. And When Jay Cutler, who lead us down the field for the score to tie the broncos up with the Packers. What happened? Dre Bly got scorched for a 82 yard bomb by a Wideout he saw before twice a year when he was with the Lions.
Can somebody enlighten me on why the Broncos cut their best LB Al Wilson who was a pro bowler I believe, when they cut him? Then they disturbed D.J Williams development by switching him to the vocal and emotional leader of the defense, MLB, when he’s clearly not ready and not that kind of player. They do need to put him back at LOLB where he was developing into one if not the best.
This is so ridiculous at this point. Yeah, meaningless game completely but throw Cutler in there anyway. Maybe this time they’ll hurt him so bad he wont return ever. How stupid is Mike Shanahan. Cutler has taken enough of a beating all year, let him rest.
More stupid was Shanahan kicking a field goal at the end of the 3rd, while EVERYONE watching knew he only did that to keep his damn no shut-out streak alive. doesn’t anyone on here start to see that Shanahan and his decisions are not good for this team?
Cutler gives us the best chance to win said Shanahan….Well now that Cutler has gone 8wins and 12 losses in just over a year, I think Jake’s 39wins and 15losses says a bit more about WHO GAVE DENVER THE BEST CHANCE TO WIN!
now Let Plummer Play, If you think Plummer would have gave us a better shot to win you are crazy. Cutler has more talent in one finger than plummer has in his whole body. Yea Plummer had a good win to loss percentage but he also had a lot better team around him. If you do not like Cutler then you are not a true Bronco fan and you should just go away!!!
lpp, how many games has Jake won this year?
He was playing with a better team with better coaching when he won those games. Jake never played on a Denver team whose defense gave up 40 points multiple times in a season. I don’t recall the O-line folding up and letting him get sacked 9 times in two games either. And for those of us who watched, he was on a major downhill slide when he got benched.
And do you know what happened then?
HE RETIRED.
GO PLAY CATCH IN HIS BACK YARD.
If Jake wanted to play and had the heart to play and wanted to win, he could have played for several other teams in the league. But, HE RETIRED.
Unless you really are Jake in disguise, I have not seen nor heard anything from Jake suggesting he is the least bit displeased with his decision, TO RETIRE.
If he watched the beating our O-line stood by and watched Jay get the last two weeks, he probably thinks it was the smartest thing he ever did.
TO RETIRE.
Plummer may have been benched last year, but the decision not to come back was his. HE RETIRED.
However, as much as it pains me to say this, I do agree with you about the bogus field goal. I like Elam and I know he always comes through, but you’re down by 3 scores and in the red zone and you kick a field goal?
That’s a sad sad sad statement.
if you look at any of the top QBs in the NFL right now, they have a great offensive line and are rarely sacked. I wish our offensive line wasn’t so beat up this year (nalen, hamilton) and it forced players to play in positions they never have before. A healthy offseason and good draft and the Broncos WILL be one of the top teams next year.
Selvin Young isn’t built to carry the load, plain and simple. Walker looks broken, time to find another wide out. Pears is simply awful, no other way to put it. Why do so many people keep asking about Al Wilson, do you NOT pay attention to the team? Futhermore, can anyone explain why Shanny can either have a good draft or a good free agent freenzy but never both?
Hey, for all of you who constantly say Jake retired, and is NEVER coming back, would someone please fax, or email me the copy of his retirement papers submitted to the NFL?
Oh and if you have a HARD TIME finding them, I’ll understand. But in any event, the only point that pained me greatly here was when someone said Jake had BETTER PLAYERS and BETTER COACHING!
HE HAD MIKE SHANAHAN COACHING!!!!!!!!!!!! True Kubiak was there for a while too, but THE LEADER he was not.
You talk about how no DENVER DEFENSE allowed 40 points, guess what, SHANAHAN FIRED THE DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR that never allowed those 40 points….
You guys are insane to continually say Shanahan knows what he’s doing, he DOES NOT know much and benching Jake was simply the beginning of the end for Shanny.
LPP…
Way out of line. I will give you the credit that it’s time for Shanny to go. He was a great coach with TD and Elway but he clearly has lost it. As far as the team goes….This is the worst Bronco team I have seen since I can remember. We need help at many positions and especially with our coaching staff. As a Bronco Fan first I am allright with change as long as it improves our team. As for Cutler, he is one of the very few bright spots on our entire team. He has no line, no back and his main receiver is in his 2nd year. Plummer always had all 3. Plummer was an average QB even in his prime. Cutler is a special QB and will lead our team to many many victories. Talk about the team as you wish but I am proud that he is behind center.
If Shanahan is to leave, who takes his place? He does more than one thing so I think it might be easier said than done. Maybe working to his strenghts and bringing in someone for his weaknesses…?
waaaaaaaaah!
lpp, pick a new rant, the old one is boring.
Elway had a much better win/loss record than Jake could ever dream of, yet I don’t like his chances this year if he had been playing.
Change your id to “fireshanahannow” and you’ll get more support. But give up on this “Jake is the second coming” nonsense.
At his best he was an average QB, put under pressure and he made dumb mistakes. And after 10 years in the league, you’re not supposed to do that.
If what you’re saying is that Jake “retired” to get out of playing for the Broncos so he can stage his “comeback” tour in 2008, good luck. Who is going to want a so-so QB that’s been out of the game for a year? He would have been better off asking for (and getting) a trade to another team.
OK so kc and oakland might hire him, does not mean he’ll have a great year. Even so, I think the man took his money and his health and went home.
Andrew:
Can you ask Shanny did he really think that telling his player, “If you don’t go out there and give it your best and do your best a whole game, that you might not be around next year” was to be used as a motivator for them? He can be serious. This seems to be one of the bonehead comments of the year. I’mn surprised the players even showed for the game. If anything in that game, I saw players playing for personal pride, in lieu of poor leadership from top to bottom.
There comes a time when leaders stand up and account for their inability to get the job done. Shanny did some of this stating that Houston’s coaches outcoahced him and his coaches, he also stated that he did not prepare them team. But this seemed more coach-talk than sincerity, when is the main problem with this team this year anyway. THERE IS NO TRUST FROM TOP TO BOTTOM. It started with Al Wilson’s release. Here is a tough and fine leader of your team, that really was a leader of the whole team, that they released while dealing with a neck injury. No rehab-RELEASE. So if they do that to a proven leader, then others don’t stand a chance. Other players were released at times that seemed unnecessary, yet players brought in Simeon and Sam, collected over 4 million, yet others players busting their tail, but the team won’t pay or play them. The free-agency was a bust, with over $30 million in bonuses, yet Graham did not get a pass thrown to him in every game, Travis injury and off-the-field problems, and Bly?
So this is not about X”s/O’s. THis is a problem of how coaches have lost the favor of their team and the team will not leave it on the field for them. A General in the Army will never tell his superiors or soldiers, “I did not prepare you for battle,” instead they’d show passion and emotion to the death. This is the problem with this team.
So now the coach plans to fire and hire again. Oh yeah, this will really solve the problem. It’ll be just like starting over. So the only way for Shanny to really show how to gell this team and get their trust, is to show trust, and the time is not next year- the time is SUNDAY! So get motivated dude.
charles
WhiteHoss, I see your point about not risking injury to Cutler but the Broncos absolutely need to do everything they can to win this week. They need to get their pride back and end the season on a good note for all the fans. The team has 6 months to heal and that would cover most any injury. Plus any game that Cutler plays in gives him one more game of experience.
I also see the point about not yelling at the refs and worrying about what you can control. But lobbying with the refs is part of the game. Anyone who watches a Patriots game when things are not going to well for them can see Brady will YELL right in the ref’s face.
As for the Chargers and Rivers, I too am glad Cutler took the high road. But I’m also glad Bailey stepped up and stuck up for his QB. We’ll see how this rivaly plays out over the next few years but I did lose some respect for the Chargers. We’ll see how good they are if god forbid LT gets hurt. They’ve been awfully lucky with the injury bug this season. I think LT is the only elite RB that hasn’t missed a game this season due to injury.
People NEED to let the Al Wilson thing go. I loved him as a Bronco and would be thrilled to have him back on the team but Al Wilson is not able to play football anymore. We cut him because he could not get medically cleared to play. If we made a mistake in releasing him then why hasn’t he been signed by another team all season? I do not know if Al will ever play again. If he can then I hope its with the Broncos. If not I hope he can take some sort of position with the Broncos. But everyone has to understand we didn’t just wake up one day and decide to get rid of our pro bowler who is the heart of the defense for no reason.
As for Plummer, I liked him and was sad to see him go. But its not a conspiracy to get him out of the league. He’s more than welcome to show up in Tampa and join them in the playoffs. Jeff Garcia has had some injury issues of late and I’m sure the Bucs wouldn’t mind an insurance QB. So if Plummer hasn’t ventured over there by now he isn’t. I can only guess there is 2 reasons why Plummer hasn’t sent in his retirement papers. One, that he wants the Bucs to cut him so that he can be able to find the team he wants to sign with and play for on his own. Or two, he’d delaying the paperwork for financial reasons. Since I really don’t see much interest at all in him coming back then I’m guessing its all about legal and financial matters.
Lets not forget Plummer had a career QB rating of 74.6 and a dismal rating of 68.8 last season. Cutler already has a career QB rating of 87. That right there shows the Broncos went in the right direction.
Everyone that wants Shanahan fired, please give a realistic solution of who the Broncos should hire as coach. Explain how their system would fit in with our existing talent and how we’d be more competitive next season with the change. Until then I don’t want to hear any more whining about Shanahan.
I know a lot of things need to change in the offseason and I’d love to see some of them happen sooner than later. But I want to see the changes happen now, not a revolving door of players next season. Thats one of the things that hurt the Broncos the worst this season (plus injuries). This team had no identity because it was constantly changing week to week.
Everyone keep the faith. Remember the Steelers were 6-10 in 2003, went 15-1 in 2004 and then won the Super Bowl in 2005. Bad seasons happen to a lot of good teams. We have great talent in place and with some better decision making we can go a long way next year.
07, You aren’t breaking anything to me. I understand that Cutler’s stats compared to Elway’s at the same point are better. My point is: the ONLY stat that matters is WINS. Do you think Elway, or Cutler, would prefer a win with 10 yards passing or a loss with 500 yards? I’m sure both would take the win, hence Elway having the better stat that matters. Also, I agree with you that Cutler is not and should not be a one man show. All of your comments are always how Cutler is the only one worthwhile on this team, and I think you give him a free pass. He makes just as many mistakes as everyone else, and I don’t see why we turn a blind eye to those. Yes he is good, and yes he will get much better, but he is part of a TEAM, and he should not get a free pass when the TEAM struggles this much. That brings us back to my original point. Whenever you watched Elway (except maybe in a Super Bowl or two), you NEVER got the impression he was going to let the team be out of a game. On Monday night the whole TEAM…including Saint Cutler…looked totally out of it by the time the 3rd quarter rolled around.
Also, regarding my comment about players asking for a flag, I agree that it happens all the time in the NFL. On every play you will see some player asking for a flag. On one stretch Monday night, though, I saw the same Bronco signalling for a flag on 4 straight plays. The last one while the play was still developing, and he might have been able to make a catch had he concentrated on the catch first and lobbying the ref afterward. Even if the refs suck, at some point you have to realize you might not get the call and at least attempt to make the play…….
I agree with everything that tigervixxxen said except the Al Wilson issue. My stance is in line with ncheel2′s when I say that cutting your biggest leaders scarred the rest of the team into a submission. Here you have someone who layed it all on the line every given sunday for your franchise and once he gets injured you get rid of him like some useless toy. Now I understand clearing cap space and the business part of the game but couldn’t they have kept him around to tutor young D.J Williams into the emotional as well as physical aspects of MLB.
And Mike Shanahan is a genius so I don’t know where these auto-matic dismissal demands are coming from just because of one bad year. He did pick out the gems that shaped and carried John Elway like TD and Shannon Sharpe. He’s doing the same for Jay Cutler. It took time then just as it will now. He’s already picked out gems like Brandon Marshall who was a 4th rounder and Selvin Young. Now I know people doubt his ability to carry the load but if you were around when Terell Davis was a young late round pick, weren’t people having the same doubts. That Chiefs defense has alot of stars on it and Selvin ran all over them. Mike Shanahan has picked out the obvious future stars like Elway and now Cutler, just as he has picked out those late round studs who have proven themselves.
How many playoff games has Shanny wom in 9 years? ONE
Need I say more?
Ok West Coast, what coach will be available to us that has won more than one playoff game as a head coach in the last 9 years? And I really don’t look at that stat as something meaningful to begin with. We ran into the Colts 2 of those years. Shanahan has one of the best winning records of all coaches active right now. I don’t see all those 9 seasons as bad seasons at all. 2 losing seasons in 13 years is not a bad record.
Broncostil, so you are saying that the Broncos should have kept Al Wilson on the active roster knowing he couldn’t play all season just for leadership skills? Then why did Elway, McCaffrey, Mobley, Atwater, Sharpe or any of the other great leaders ever retire? We could have kept them on the payroll and used their invaluable locker room presence. Al was not just injured. His career is OVER! Until he plays another down of football in his career you can’t prove me otherwise. But yes, if he is willing I would be more than thrilled to see him hired as the linebackers coach.
tigervixxxen: I’m on board with what you have to say.
All I’m saying is does any one know the status of Al, I know he had neck issues last year so we had to let him go. If I’m not mistaken he played games after that injury occured that year, so has he healed, is there any chance we could get him back. If so lets do it. I love DJ but he doesn’t seem to be the emotional leader Al was. More than anything that is what we need on the “D” we need to pick someone up with that “X” factor.
We had a rough game aganist San Diego but I did see one thing I liked. It was nice to see Jay get emotional. I think he is a more emotionally reserved guy, but it was nice to know he does have those emotions. This guy has heart and ge plays to win. We definatley need to franchise him and Marshall. Jay and Scheffler have a special connection too. I would keep Scheff around for a long time too.
I have to agree with LPP on one thing. Jake Plumer was a very good quarterback. If you look at the stats, then Plummer was 27th ALL TIME in pass completions and about 3th ALL TIME in passing yards. Although I think that Shanahan should be givemore time, every coach has had losing seasons every once in a while.
sorry i meant 30th in passing yards not 3rd
If I’m not mistaken Al did have neck troubles all year but the injury got worse after the Bengals game and he did not play in the season finale against the Niners. He did not get signed by any team this entire season, I think thats pretty indicative about his health and career. What team wouldn’t want a player of his caliber on their team? And 31 teams passed on the opportunity to sign him? What I don’t know is his status right now. I don’t know if he’s working towards a return or signing with another team. I don’t know if he’s planing on retiring. I don’t know if he would even be interested in a position as a coach or mentor for the Broncos. I agree with you that if we can get him back on the team we should. I think this is an excellent question for either Andrew or someone at the Post, maybe they can fill us in on what the deal with Al is now.
I agree with you about Cutler, Marshall and Scheffler. I’d love to see them play for the Broncos for a long, long time.
I guarantee that Kubiak would rather have Jake there than Scrub Rosenthals. Jake will play for Texans after Tampa releases him. Nobody is willing to trade for Jake, when they can get him for free eventually. Tampa knows this, that is why they didn’t release him. Jake ain’t Elway but veteran, proven QB’s ain’t easy to come by these days. He will play again when he gets bored sitting around and needs the $$$.
We released AL for financial reasons, and we knew nobody else could sign him (health). Now we can restructure his contract IF he is able or decides to play again.
Tigervixxxen, what I’m saying is that it was extremely cut throat and it was the only thing the Broncos have ever done that it was distasteful to me. And your example of Atwater and Elway was irrelevant because those guys playing days were over because of age and being emotionally done with the game. You can’t tell me that you know Al Wilson’s playing days are done. I’m just saying that they should have kept him for what he did for them all these years and that his leadership despite not playing is invaluable.
Ok, so you mean that because of what Al had done for the Broncos you would have rather seen him retire on his own terms than get cut from the team? Well I see that point, it was a shock to see him cut like that and yes it should have been handled better. But my point is he obviously was not in the proper physical condition to play this season so its a moot point. Every day I see people whining about Al Wilson not being on the team anymore and they don’t understand that he can’t play anymore. I don’t know if thats a permenant condition of his or something he can come back from but I don’t think its me making assumptions to say he was never in good enough shape to play this season. Last I heard he still hadn’t gotten medical clearance to come back. No team is going to touch a player that is not medically cleared. Maybe its a situation that should have been handled like Rod Smith, a seriously injured veteran that was given time to heal and see if he can play again. But maybe something the doctors told the Broncos that Rod would have a chance and Al wouldn’t. I don’t know. But the Broncos have to make tough decisions and I’d rather have them spend their money on players who can contribute. I’d love to hear more about the situation and what really went down and an update on what Al’s status is right now. Until then we have to assume that Al’s playing days are over until you see him on the field again.
Im sure as you all know, Cutler only started 5 games last year, so this is pretty much his first full season as a starter, and everyone knows game speed is way diff. then practice speed. If you look at other QBs that are in their 1st or 2nd year, like Vince Young (Tenn.), T. Jackson (Minn.), and Etc.Etc. Cutler is by far miles ahead of them to becoming a complete QB, just check the numbers and the big plays Cutler has made late in games. He is going to be a quality QB, and denver needs to start building around him and a 1-2 punch with Young and Henry in the backfield and Walker and Marshall as his receiving core, theve got a great chance to be among the NFLs great teams. I wish denver still had Kubiak instead of watching him go to Houston
NHTSA: Auto Safety Starts At Home
How a person acts in the society is basically the attitude that he has been taught at home.