It wasn’t all planning that helped Tony Scheffler score twice on Sunday.
“One of them was a play that I was kind of in the wrong spot and ended up scrambling with Jay (Cutler) and it ended up being a touchdown,” Scheffler admitted. “But it’s just the way it worked out yesterday.”
Scheffler’s numbers have skyrocketed since the Broncos inserted Cutler into the starting lineup; he had six catches for 67 yards in the season’s first 11 games and has four for 81 and two touchdowns in the last two. The two developed a rapport as training-camp roommates and on-field collaborators during the preseason, but Head Coach Mike Shanahan believes that Scheffler’s recent production isn’t due to Cutler’s ascension.
“It is just coincidence,” Shanahan said.
“I don’t know what it is,” Scheffler added. “The coaches put in a game plan that maybe suits me and Jay being out there together.”
Cutler has utilized the tight ends frequently in his two starts. Denver’s tight ends combined for an average of 2.4 receptions, 22.8 yards and 0.1 touchdowns per game in the season’s first 11 games; they’ve collectivel posted 4.0 receptions, 61.0 yards and 1.5 touchdowns a week in Cutler’s two starts.
But Scheffler has been the most productive of all at the position the last two weeks — in terms of receptions and yardage.
“Tony has done some good things in the last couple of weeks; (he was) given the opportunity to play and he took advantage of it,” Shanahan said. “It is nice to see him make those plays, especially for a young kid.”
And especially heartening considering Scheffler was scratched from the active roster for three weeks in November.
“It’s huge,” Scheffler said. “It gives me something to hang my hat on. Up until that point I really hadn’t had anything coming off the inactive list and all that sort of thing. It really gives you something to hang your hat on and try to build on that next week.”
Tags: Jay Cutler, Tony Scheffler
The newest connection? 1 td and one lucky catch constitutes a new CONNECTION?
THE CHICAGO BEARS ARE A REAL TEAM!
Rex Grossman just bounced back from a pretty horrible stretch where his defense had to carry him–though they did lose a game to a pretty good New England team. This included one of the worst games by any quarterback all year; 3 INTs, 0 TDs, 34 passing yards, and 6-19 completions–a QB rating of 1.3. But through it all, Lovie Smith and indeed the entire Bears team backed him…”Rex Grossman is our starting quarterback.”
So last night against the Rams, Grossman answered the out-and-out confidence of his coaches and teammates by playing a very good game; 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 200 yards on 13-23 passing. His teammates pumped fists, cheered loudly, and patted Rex on the back with every positive gain and the Bears re-established themselves as THE team to beat in the NFC. Quarterback controversy? Please.
Compare this to the Broncos, who feebly backed Jake Plummer for about 1/4 of a season while they “secretly” hinted towards Jay Cutler. It caused a ripple of uncertainty that now looks to keep the Broncos home during the playoffs for the first time since before the Plummer Era. No playoff money. No chance to step up and shine. Nothing but a mid-level draft pick.
So you say, “Well, the Bears have terrible backups.” Sure, 3rd-stringer Kyle Orton is in no way an improvement, but Brian Griese is a 9-year NFL veteran who, despite what you may think, has indeed had several successful seasons, throwing 20 TDs against 11 INTs in Tampa only 2 years ago and even in DENVER in 2000, when he threw 19 TDs against only 4 INTs in just 10 games.
You think Brian Griese, underwhelming as his overall career has been, is really a worse choice than an untested rookie from a weaker college program like Jay Cutler? No, he isn’t. And Grossman’s teammates still wanted Rex in there, despite having a couple of games that would have gotten Jake Plummer killed in Denver. I don’t mean booed–I mean KILLED, like shot from a bell tower with a rifle.
How do you think the Broncos felt (or at least, if they’re really a TEAM and not just a roster SHOULD HAVE felt) about the season-long QB controversy that ended with a desperation move by the head coach when the division still seemed winnable? The probably didn’t feel too confident in their coach’s strategies anymore. They probably felt like they’d wasted their season trying to do something they were now being told they weren’t capable of without the help of their magical rookie–who turned out to be depressingly average.
The Bears gave Rex Grossman their unanimous vote of confidence in the face of adversity and it’s looking more and more like the right choice. Consequently, it’s making Shanahan look like the Emperor who had no clothes.
But that’s just one little horsie’s opinion.
Yeah the Bears stood by thier QB Rex Grossman after he had the worst QB Rating in NFL History but they were 10-2 through it all not 7-4. He hadn’t lost to a team like St. Louis that couldn’t score a TD on his D. He was winning despite being horrible, PLUMMER WAS LOSING!!! That is the difference between the Bears and The Broncos The bears were still winning despite having a QB be absolutely horrible. If the Broncos would have been winning Plummer would still have been the starter he lost and if we are going to lose the real Rookie can lose just like the Vet except he will be a little funner to watch because he has more potential. Lets face it Cutler will be better than Plummer ever was. He’ll throw more TD’s and win more games he just need expierence which he is getting and he is keeping us in the games the Defense is just letting the team down.
The bears didn’t give Rex their unanimous confidence either, yeah they said he was their QB but Griese was getting 50% of the reps in practice last week. YEah they stood by him this past game and put the pressure on him to succeed and he came through. If he would have struggled this last game you might have saw a qb change in the near future for the bears. Also, they are 11-2 and the bears special teams and defense is winning them games too, unlike the Broncos special teams consistently disappoints and don’t produce anything but bad field position.
I think Shanahan made the right choice and it had to be made. I like Plummer but he just wasn’t playing good. To many inconsistency’s in his game this year that lead him to the bench. I think the time was then to look towards the future and play Cutler. The losing isn’t because of Plummer, however Plummer did have some to do with it.
Its all relative there LetPlummerPlay. The rookie is averaging 2 TD’s per game and it happens that the last two were to the same player. Circus catch or not, he still caught them. Last I checked, the six points are still in the books. Nuff said about that.
Oh yeah, the Bears are a loyal stand up team who couldn’t wait last year to put Rex in for Orton, who while not spectactular managed to get the team to the playoffs and was denied the opportunity to finish what he started. Snap out it. The NFL is a business. The Bears standing behind Rex isn’t any different then Denver’s switch to Cutler or the Steelers riding out the season with Big Ben who has 20 INT to 10 TD’s. The common theme here is future potential. The Bears are sticking with Rex because he is their best prospective future QB, the Steelers already know that Big Ben is their future QB (provided he leaves the crotchrocket in the garage), Denver has moved to Cutler because he is their best prospective future QB. If the Bears had a better option, they would have taken it.
Do you still post on the New England/Dallas websites with your login LetBledsoePlay username? Who are you trying to fool?
As a side note, what kind of sadistic “horsie” fan are you? Maybe you converted over when Plummer signed with the Broncos? To even mention The Greaser’s name on this blog after the pain and suffering with him as a Bronco QB is short of aggravated assult with a blunt weapon. The Bears better hope that Grease got rid of his dog. Bad doggie.
Face the facts, Denver has waited for Plummer to bounce back since the AFC Championship last year. Plummer over this season has regressed far enough that Cutler simply couldn’t do any worse. And to this point that is how it has played out, Cutler has not performed any worse then Plummer. When your starting veteran QB at 7-4 is 28th in the league statistically, who’s keeping company with Gradowski (rookie), Young (rookie), Leinart (rookie), Warner (yanked) and Bledsoe (yanked) maybe its time to put the rookie in and lets see what happens.
The seven wins that Denver has is mostly fools gold. If Denver had to start their schedule over, they would be 3-6 or maybe 4-5 coming into the San Diego game instead of 7-2. They could not beat New England, Baltimore, Kansas City@home or potentially the Steelers or Browns at this point in the season. Those teams have continuted to improve after losing to Denver while Denver has declined at the seasons halfway point. After seeing the Broncos escape Oakland with a 4th quarter comeback, the absolute embarassment against San Diego followed by the pathetic showing against Kansas City, it makes me shake my head in wonder at those who think this team was going to make some noise in the playoffs with Plummer? How about a big ole resounding thud in the first round?
Making the playoff’s could still be Denver’s fate with Cutler under center, although likely with the same thud. But the experience that Cutler will receive to build toward the future has more potential value for the future then riding the snake off into the sunset on his career here in Denver.
I think that catch that tony caught in the touchdown was the best catch of the game, not deven hester running it back on the Broncos. I mean wow come on he can run with a ball my little brother can do that. But that catch tony made was amazing he was literally horizontal and had two defenders on him, but because hes such the great player that he is he came out with the ball for a denver broncos touchdown. Dont get me wrong i think the bears are a great team but the broncos should not have lost that game. So i say we’ll get them next time around.