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Broncos-Packers: First-Quarter Notes

October 29th, 2007 - 6:54pm by AndrewOther posts by

6:25 P.M. MDT: Easily the most electric pre-game atmosphere of the season was evident as I walked around the field earlier this hour during warmups. But just like last week, there are plenty of interlopers for the visitors; Packer Nation has infiltrated Broncos Country.

6:26 P.M. MDT: The national anthem comes 14 minutes before kickoff, performed by the horn section from the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Lovely, and easy for most of us with slim vocal ranges to join along in song.

6:29 P.M. MDT: Looks like most of ESPN’s “experts” have the Packers. Well, it turns out to be a four-to-three margin, with Tom Jackson, Steve Young and Stuart Scott casting their votes for Denver.

6:30 P.M. MDT: Cue Hank Williams, Jr. At least that hasn’t changed, although who needs all these guest artists? Just give me Bocephus.

6:33 P.M. MDT: Tony Kornheiser is in mid-paean to Brett Favre. Well, it’s better than him going on the air and implying that Denver was 300 miles from nowhere like he did last year.

6:37 P.M. MDT: Global warming? Twenty-three years ago, these teams met in Denver for Monday Night Football on Oct. 15 and it was 29 degrees with snow. Tonight, it’s a pleasant 63 degrees as kickoff approaches.

6:40 P.M. MDT: Andre Hall touches the football for the first time as a pro, and returns the kickoff to the 18-yard-line, but a personal foul against Paul Smith pushes the Broncos back to their 9-yard-line to begin the drive.

6:42 P.M. MDT: Nice job by Jay Cutler to work out of trouble in the backfield, but Chad Mustard has got to catch that pass … instead of a first down, the Broncos have second-and-10. On the next play, he turns to Daniel Graham, and his surer hands have the Broncos at their 21.

6:43 P.M. MDT: Selvin Young gets his first carry of the night on the game’s third play, picking up three to the left side. Broncos going with multiple-tight end sets so far instead of using the fullback.

6:44 P.M. MDT: Lots of rolling out … Broncos continue it again as Cutler goes left for the first time, and then lasers a shot to Tony Scheffler for 11 … Mike Leach seeing some rare work at tight end as the Broncos have first-and-10 at their 43. Every Broncos tight end on the 53-man roster has already seen action.

6:46 P.M. MDT: Third-and-three … and Cutler is too high for Glenn Martinez, who was tightly covered by Jarrett Bush. Todd Sauerbrun’s punt hits at the 7-yard-line and bounces quickly into the end zone. Gross of 50 yards; net of 30.

6:49 P.M. MDT: Crowd getting some stomping going during the pause … Flashbulbs popping all over the place … Champ Bailey in coverage on Donald Driver on the game’s first play, but lays off; Driver dives forward for four on the flanker screen.

6:50 P.M. MDT: Greg Jennings was open in front of Dre’ Bly, but dropped the pass from Brett Favre … third-and-a-long 6, and the crowd is roaring … Outstanding open-field tackle by Champ Bailey on Ryan Grant, and the Pack goes three-and-out.

6:52 P.M. MDT: The Broncos might just have found their punt returner … nice job by Glenn Martinez to weave his way up a narrow path near the left sideline for 26 yards following Jon Ryan’s 61-yard stratosphere-scraper. Denver takes over at its 40 5:44 into the game.

6:54 P.M. MDT: ESPN yaks about Barrelman … Broncos have second-and-8 … Tony Scheffler starting to split wide … Broncos now work Cecil Sapp into the game … Daniel Graham already has two catches, both for first downs.

6:56 P.M. MDT: Andre Hall makes the first carry of his pro career, gaining a yard to the left side.

6:58 P.M. MDT: Cutler tries to optmistically thread a needle to Brandon Marshall amdist a thicket of canary-yellow helmets … nearly intercepted. That puts the Broncos in third-and nine … and Cutler perfectly drops a cross-field pass to Brandon Stokley, who then absorbs an asteroid of a shot from Atari Bigby. A quartet of flags flood the field, and the Broncos have first-and-goal.

6:59 P.M. MDT: Second-and-goal from the 3, and Selvin Young loses 2 yards as a gross of Packers are on hand as he receives the handoff …

7:00 P.M. MDT: The Atari is broken, evidently; he just grabbed Daniel Graham in the end zone, and the Broncos reboot their goal-line machine at the 1 … and go back to the 5 after Young loses yardage again …

7:02 P.M. MDT: Success … Cutler to Tony Scheffler, touchdown. Cutler is using the rollout frequently and with great effectiveness tonight … and what the heck was Scheffler doing to celebrate that score? Looked like he was doing the breaststroke or something. 7-nil, Broncos.

7:05 P.M. MDT: Tramon Williams bounces off Broncos cover men on the ensuing kickoff return like the ball in Breakout … Packers will start at their 21.

7:07 P.M. MDT: That didn’t last long … Brett Favre finds James Jones, who had gotten one step past Champ Bailey … Bailey dove for the football but couldn’t grab it … Jones cut across the field, eluded Nick Ferguson, James Jones and a falling official — who remains down on the ground — and finished the 79-yard touchdown.

7:08 P.M. MDT: Delay on the field as Jim Howey, the injured official, is treated … 7-6, PAT pending.

7:10 P.M. MDT: A “Go Pack Go” chant filters through the crowd but is quickly booed down … 7-7 after Mason Crosby drills the extra point.

7:14 P.M. MDT: Broncos at midfield after a Packers personal-foul penalty … Green Bay tackes a holding penalty on the next play.

7:14 P.M. MDT: The official injured on the play — back judge Jim Howey — has a strained hamstring and will not return.

7:15 P.M. MDT: The Cutler-to-Stokley connection works again near the left sideline. Broncos at the Pack 31.

7:17 P.M. MDT Chris Kuper might have lost a first-team job after a bad day in practice, but he is a MAN at game time. A terrific block on a screen to Selvin Young allowed the Broncos to move into goal-to-go range.

7:19 P.M. MDT: And an extraordinarily entertaining first quarter has concluded. More in the second-quarter blog.

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Cutler Through 11 Games: So Far, So Good

October 29th, 2007 - 5:53am by AndrewOther posts by

Good morning and good Monday from Colorado, which tonight will merely be the capital of the football world, not the sporting world in general, since the hometown Rockies went down in four games to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night.

Admittedly, it seemed as though the Broncos’ realm went on momentary backburner in the community’s consciousness in deference to the World Series. It’s quite understandable; even Head Coach Mike Shanahan talked of wanting to be able to watch the Rockies’ games when he answered media questions throughout the last few weeks. It wasn’t difficult to get caught up in the extraordinary nature of their run to the World Series — and the 4-0 sweep at the hands of the Red Sox in no way diminishes the magnitude of their accomplishment. Just like the Broncos of ’77 — a comparison made by fellow blogger Jim Saccomano — simply being a part of the season’s final duel made the year a success beyond any observer’s dreams. Other Rockies teams might win the World Series someday, but perhaps none will be as special and magical as this group.

By the way, I did manage to make it to Saturday’s Game 3, but I’ll write about that another time.

Tonight, the Colorado sporting stage belongs to the Broncos, and perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this game between the Broncos and Green Bay Packers is the comparison at quarterback — particularly the parallels that many have drawn between Jay Cutler and Brett Favre.

Stylistically, the comparison is often made, with many considering Cutler of the “gunslinger” ilk of passer personified by Favre. Broncos cornerback Dre’ Bly said that Cutler indeed reminded him of the longtime Packers star, whom he faced twice annually from 2003-06 while playing for the Detroit Lions.

“The one thing about Jay, he might make a mistake, but he’s going to go back out there and throw the football and not let any mistake faze him,” Bly said. “That’s the kind of guy you want behind center — a guy that’s going to give you the opportunity to win and a guy that’s going to give you a chance to make a play.”

But making any comparison of a young quarterback to one whose legacy is already assured and whose resumes are already overflowing is not fair to the younger passers, who a) surely want to establish their own name and identity and b) who already exist under enough pressure by playing in the NFL.

Shanahan expressed a similar sentiment last week.

“You guys (the media) asked me to compare Brian Griese’s arm strength to Joe Montana and I did, so I said Brian Griese is Joe Montana,” Shanahan said last week. “To use a reference like that in front of you guys, I think I’ll stay away from that because all of a sudden Jay Cutler now will be Brett Favre in (Cutler’s) first year as a starter.”

Boiling down the numbers of their first 11 starts, here’s how tonight’s starting quarterbacks stack up:

CUTLER AND FAVRE — THEIR FIRST 11 STARTS
JAY CUTLER, 2006-07
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
318 201 63.2 2,407 16 13 86.0
BRETT FAVRE, 1992
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
360 235 65.3 2,490 14 8 89.0

Pretty comparable. Favre’s slight edge in passer rating owes to his lower interception percentage (2.22 pct. to 4.09 pct.) and higher completion percentage (shown above); Cutler has the advantage in touchdown percentage (5.03 pct. to 3.88 pct.) and yardage per attempt (7.57 yards to 6.92). What isn’t shown above are the quarterbacks’ comeback statistics; Cutler has six game-winning or -tying fourth-quarter/overtime drives in his first 11 starts, while Favre had three (although that does not include a game-winning march against Cincinnati when he entered in relief of Don Majkowski).

These numbers also piqued my curiousity as to how Cutler stacked up with other notable quarterbacks of the past 25 years in their first 11 starts. This is by no means intended to represent a complete list; rather, it is a smattering of quarterbacks who have enjoyed some measure of success — whether in terms of being a long-term starter or significant playoff accomplishment — over the last 20-plus years. Contrast Cutler’s numbers with theirs, and you’ll see that the young passer is off to an above-average start to his career:

SOME NOTABLE QUUARTERBACKS — THEIR FIRST 11 STARTS
TROY AIKMAN, 1989
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
293 155 52.9 1,749 9 18 55.7
DREW BLEDSOE, 1993
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
370 179 48.4 2,069 11 14 59.8
TOM BRADY, 2001
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
320 212 66.3 2,254 16 9 91.6
RANDALL CUNNINGHAM, 1985-87
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
291 153 52.6 1,900 9 14 63.4
TRENT DILFER, 1994-95
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
274 138 50.4 1707 3 12 55.4
BOOMER ESIASON, 1984-85
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
286 159 52.6 2,017 17 10 83.0
JIM EVERETT, 1986-87
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
324 157 48.5 1,869 9 17 53.9
BRETT FAVRE, 1992
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
360 235 65.3 2,490 14 8 89.0
JEFF GARCIA, 1999-2000
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
381 230 60.4 2,633 14 9 83.6
JIM KELLY, 1986
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
317 191 60.3 2,389 15 12 83.7
BERNIE KOSAR, 1985-86
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
271 137 50.6 1,766 9 7 71.7
PEYTON MANNING, 1998
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
407 223 54.8 2,453 16 22 63.4
DAN MARINO, 1983-84
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
312 187 59.9 2,515 24 7 101.9
DONOVAN McNABB, 1999-2000
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
333 184 55.3 1,777 14 10 71.9
STEVE McNAIR, 1995-97
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
292 160 54.8 2,136 12 9 79.1
CARSON PALMER, 2004
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
372 216 58.1 2,313 13 16 70.1
JAKE PLUMMER, 1997-98
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
356 188 52.8 2,475 15 18 68.0
PHILIP RIVERS, 2006
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
331 215 65.0 2,440 15 6 94.5
MARK RYPIEN, 1988-89
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
319 176 55.2 2,735 23 13 90.8
VINNY TESTAVERDE, 1987-88
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
389 185 47.6 2,873 12 21 60.3
KURT WARNER, 1999
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
346 228 65.9 2,862 29 7 111.0
STEVE YOUNG, 1985-86
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
258 135 52.3 1,744 6 10 65.6
AVERAGES
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
327.4 183.8 56.4 2,234.8 13.9 12.2 75.8

So relative to that sample set of quarterbacks in their first 11 games, Cutler had a significantly better completion percentage (6.8 percent, to be exact), more touchdowns, more yardage, and slightly more interceptions (0.8 more than the norm of this group).

Finally, there is the inevitable comparison with the other two quarterbacks in the 2006 first round. In passing numbers, Cutler is at the head of this class:

THE CLASS OF ’06 — FIRST 11 STARTS
JAY CUTLER, 2006-07
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
318 201 63.2 2,407 16 13 86.0
MATT LEINART, 2006
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
368 208 56.5 2,493 11 11 74.9
VINCE YOUNG, 2006
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
277 146 52.7 1,656 9 10 66.7
AVERAGES
ATT. COMP. PCT. YDS. TD INT RATE
320.3 185.0 57.5 2,185.3 12.0 11.3 75.9

Just some numbers to consider, nothing more.

Talk to you from the stadium later today … until then, listen to the pregame podcast and vaya con Dios.

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President Gerald Ford: Nearly an NFLer

December 27th, 2006 - 1:01am by AndrewOther posts by

Imagine if Gerald Ford had been a two-way star for powerhouse University of Michigan teams under the conditions and scrutiny of the 21st Century instead of what existed from 1932-34?

Maybe then he might have foregone a chance to coach at Yale University and eventually attend law school there, opting for $200 a game in the NFL. But we might never have known what kind of service Ford would offer to first his West Michigan Congressional district, and then eventually to the nation at large, during an honorable 28-year stay in Washington, D.C.

Instead, the only time Ford played against an NFL side was in the annual College All-Star Game to kick off the 1935 season; that team of standouts beat the Chicago Bears 5-0. Thirty-nine summers later, the wisdom of his choice crystallized when he became this nation’s 38th President.

The future President Ford came of age in a time when the allure of the NFL wasn’t enough to compel some players to forestall real life for a few more years on the gridiron. A year after Ford bypassed a pair of NFL offers from the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, the league held its first draft. Heisman Trophy winner Jay Berwanger went to the Philadelphia Eagles and signed with them, but saw his rights traded to the Chicago Bears. Berwanger and the Bears couldn’t come to an accord, so he went to work as a foam-rubber salesman before eventually becoming a sportswriter, a Naval officer and an entrepreneur.

(Interestingly enough, Ford tackled Berwanger in a 1934 game between Michigan and the University of Chicago. “When I tackled Jay in the second quarter, I ended up with a bloody cut and I still have the scar to prove it,” the President would later remember.)

To alter the conditions around Ford’s choice from those of the Great Depression to the ones that exist today is to irrevocably change one of the most crucial junctures in American history.

Who knows if the person asked to fill the Oval Office in the wake of Richard Nixon’s resignation would have brought the same kind of dignity and honesty to the office that the former lineman did?

Indeed, Ford went about his job as chief executive in a manner befitting the position at which he excelled four decades before taking the oath of office from Chief Justice Warren Burger in 1974. Much can be discussed about his policies or his actions in the Oval Office; his character and decency, however, was beyond debate and above reproach.

To think, all that might not have happened had he chosen to eschew a shot at law school for an NFL career. He might have become a Pro Football Hall of Famer had he gone to the NFL; his play for the Wolverines certainly offered the potential for greatness on the sport’s loftiest plateau.

But he might not have done nearly as much in his life after football.

To the President who came the closest to playing in the National Football League … rest in peace, and thank you from a still-grateful nation.

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