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Harsh reality
By Charles Robinson, Yahoo! Sports
December 4, 2006
DENVER – Like most rookies in his position, Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler didn't look ready.
Not for the press conference. Not for Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks. And certainly not for what is being thrust on him – the responsibility of being a quarterback who doesn't blow a prime opportunity at a Super Bowl. And yet, reality landed squarely on the shoulders of Cutler and this franchise Sunday with the force of a refrigerator dropped from a fifth-floor window.
No, the 23-20 home loss to the Seahawks wasn't total agony. After all, this is a game the Broncos easily could have won. And yes, this was merely Cutler's first NFL game. But for a team with the loftiest of aspirations, it also finds itself in the most precarious of positions. A harsh reality that suggests with only four games left in the regular season, this team isn't any better off with a rookie at the controls than with Jake Plummer.
Meanwhile, what once was considered an elite AFC team suddenly has lost three straight games and taken on the look of just another playoff hopeful, a hopeful that might have to go forward without Pro Bowl linebacker Al Wilson (carted off with a neck sprain) and finish the season by winning at least three of four just to ensure a shot at a wild-card contest – without a home game in the playoffs.
For exactly those reasons, Sunday's loss was pivotal.
"This says something about both of us," Seahawks safety Ken Hamlin said Sunday. "It says we're starting to get healthy and fly around and make plays again."
And Denver?
"In December, they don't lose at home," Hamlin said. "So for us to come in here and win says something about them, too."
Exactly what it says remains to be seen. But this much became clear: There still is plenty of development ahead for Cutler. The dream of him providing a spark at this stage of the season seems highly unlikely. Legendary coach Bill Walsh once said that even for the greatest young quarterbacks thrust into starting roles, it takes half a season of live action to get their heads straight. Well, the Broncos will have to hope that crash course can be squeezed into the next four games – contests that, unfortunately, they really can't afford to lose.
In such a small space of time and with so much on the line, this has the look of something that's going to be painful. Not that Cutler isn't capable of something special. He had some flickering moments Sunday. But they were outweighed by costly mistakes, notably a second-quarter interception returned by Seattle defensive end Darryl Tapp for a touchdown.
That was Cutler's classic rookie moment, a quarterback keeper that ended with him spinning in the grasp of a defender. Rather than take the sack, Cutler tried to improvise and throw on a designed running play. The result was an ugly pop-up that Tapp snatched out of the air and took 25 yards for the score.
By the end of the day, Cutler finished a rough 10-of-21 passing for 143 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also fumbled twice, losing one. His struggles were punctuated by a running game that put up 181 yards and a defense that held Seattle to a respectable 270 yards.
"I'm a little disappointed in myself," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. "I think we maybe put a little too much in the game plan. [Cutler's first interception] was a bad play. … You learn by that mistake. All quarterbacks go through that learning process."
That the Broncos are going through it now is a painful reminder that they put themselves in this situation. Whether it was depending on Plummer too long this season, or making a premature switch to a rookie, Denver created its own problems behind center. These problems are manifesting themselves in other places, such as a receiving corps that has never developed beyond Javon Walker and lacks big-play capability at an alarmingly late juncture in the season. Enter a rookie quarterback and that offense likely will get even more conservative, particularly after Sunday's results.
Such a notion easily could be a dividing line on an offense that already has become irritated over the lack of downfield plays.
"I'm frustrated," Walker said after catching only two passes for 17 yards. "Obviously it's my first year here, but I'm used to being out there running around making plays and something big is going to happen. I'm not getting that right now. I like it when I see other receivers doing it [too] … but I just don't think we're getting it right now."
Asked whether the offense had become too conservative, Walker replied, "I'm not really sure. I know I'm just out there running around. But hey, I know the type of player I am. I guess when given the opportunity to try to make some plays, you've just got to try to make it happen."
Ultimately, that's where the Broncos have been left, hoping to make something happen, hoping to stay in the playoff race. Shanahan never would admit as much, hoping the move to Cutler doesn't turn out to be little more than desperate late-season flailing. At least this much is sure: Plummer isn't getting another shot.
"No," Shanahan said when asked if he second-guessed starting Cutler. "I've told you all along that you make those decisions and you move on."
The Broncos have done that much. But with the Super Bowl still considered the ultimate destination, Cutler may not be able to move this team far enough.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_y...YcB?slug=cr-broncos120306&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
By Charles Robinson, Yahoo! Sports
December 4, 2006
DENVER – Like most rookies in his position, Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler didn't look ready.
Not for the press conference. Not for Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks. And certainly not for what is being thrust on him – the responsibility of being a quarterback who doesn't blow a prime opportunity at a Super Bowl. And yet, reality landed squarely on the shoulders of Cutler and this franchise Sunday with the force of a refrigerator dropped from a fifth-floor window.
No, the 23-20 home loss to the Seahawks wasn't total agony. After all, this is a game the Broncos easily could have won. And yes, this was merely Cutler's first NFL game. But for a team with the loftiest of aspirations, it also finds itself in the most precarious of positions. A harsh reality that suggests with only four games left in the regular season, this team isn't any better off with a rookie at the controls than with Jake Plummer.
Meanwhile, what once was considered an elite AFC team suddenly has lost three straight games and taken on the look of just another playoff hopeful, a hopeful that might have to go forward without Pro Bowl linebacker Al Wilson (carted off with a neck sprain) and finish the season by winning at least three of four just to ensure a shot at a wild-card contest – without a home game in the playoffs.
For exactly those reasons, Sunday's loss was pivotal.
"This says something about both of us," Seahawks safety Ken Hamlin said Sunday. "It says we're starting to get healthy and fly around and make plays again."
And Denver?
"In December, they don't lose at home," Hamlin said. "So for us to come in here and win says something about them, too."
Exactly what it says remains to be seen. But this much became clear: There still is plenty of development ahead for Cutler. The dream of him providing a spark at this stage of the season seems highly unlikely. Legendary coach Bill Walsh once said that even for the greatest young quarterbacks thrust into starting roles, it takes half a season of live action to get their heads straight. Well, the Broncos will have to hope that crash course can be squeezed into the next four games – contests that, unfortunately, they really can't afford to lose.
In such a small space of time and with so much on the line, this has the look of something that's going to be painful. Not that Cutler isn't capable of something special. He had some flickering moments Sunday. But they were outweighed by costly mistakes, notably a second-quarter interception returned by Seattle defensive end Darryl Tapp for a touchdown.
That was Cutler's classic rookie moment, a quarterback keeper that ended with him spinning in the grasp of a defender. Rather than take the sack, Cutler tried to improvise and throw on a designed running play. The result was an ugly pop-up that Tapp snatched out of the air and took 25 yards for the score.
By the end of the day, Cutler finished a rough 10-of-21 passing for 143 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also fumbled twice, losing one. His struggles were punctuated by a running game that put up 181 yards and a defense that held Seattle to a respectable 270 yards.
"I'm a little disappointed in myself," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. "I think we maybe put a little too much in the game plan. [Cutler's first interception] was a bad play. … You learn by that mistake. All quarterbacks go through that learning process."
That the Broncos are going through it now is a painful reminder that they put themselves in this situation. Whether it was depending on Plummer too long this season, or making a premature switch to a rookie, Denver created its own problems behind center. These problems are manifesting themselves in other places, such as a receiving corps that has never developed beyond Javon Walker and lacks big-play capability at an alarmingly late juncture in the season. Enter a rookie quarterback and that offense likely will get even more conservative, particularly after Sunday's results.
Such a notion easily could be a dividing line on an offense that already has become irritated over the lack of downfield plays.
"I'm frustrated," Walker said after catching only two passes for 17 yards. "Obviously it's my first year here, but I'm used to being out there running around making plays and something big is going to happen. I'm not getting that right now. I like it when I see other receivers doing it [too] … but I just don't think we're getting it right now."
Asked whether the offense had become too conservative, Walker replied, "I'm not really sure. I know I'm just out there running around. But hey, I know the type of player I am. I guess when given the opportunity to try to make some plays, you've just got to try to make it happen."
Ultimately, that's where the Broncos have been left, hoping to make something happen, hoping to stay in the playoff race. Shanahan never would admit as much, hoping the move to Cutler doesn't turn out to be little more than desperate late-season flailing. At least this much is sure: Plummer isn't getting another shot.
"No," Shanahan said when asked if he second-guessed starting Cutler. "I've told you all along that you make those decisions and you move on."
The Broncos have done that much. But with the Super Bowl still considered the ultimate destination, Cutler may not be able to move this team far enough.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_y...YcB?slug=cr-broncos120306&prov=yhoo&type=lgns