Here is the Broncos 2009 Draft.
1st Round #12: Knowshon Moreno-RB-Georgia
1st Round #18: Robert Ayers-DE- Tennessee
2nd Round #37: Alphonso Smith-CB- Wake Forest
2nd Round #48: Darcel McBath-S- Texas Tech
2nd Round #64: Richard Quinn-TE-North Carolina
4th Round #114: David Bruton-S-Notre Dame
4th Round #132: Seth Olsen-G- Iowa
5th Round #141: Kenny McKinley-WR- South Carolina
6th Round #174: Tom Brandstater-QB- Fresno State
7th Round #225: Blake Schleuter-C- TCU
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Schedule Analysis
There is really no way to really predict a teams record based on their schedule. Look at last year's Pittsburgh Steelers. They had the hardest schedule and when NFL Executive Howard Katz released the schedule last year, he called the Steelers' Front Office and apologized. All Pittsburgh did was win the Super Bowl, so I am not going to give a win or a loss for each game. I do like to look at the primetime games and the road trips and short weeks that can make an NFL schedule a minefield.
Here were the different aspects of the Broncos 2009 schedule that stood out:
1) Denver opens on the road for the 5th consecutive season. I thought that Denver would get the first week at home, but they open at Cincy in Week 1.
2) They only have back to back road games once (12/6 at KC and 12/13 at Indy). Anytime you can avoid multiple road games is a good thing.
3) They have back to back home games twice (10/4 vs. Dallas and 10/11 vs. New England and 11/22 vs. San Diego and 11/26 vs NY Giants).
4) They have two Monday Night games and one Thursday Night game to give them a total of three primetime games in 2009. That is pretty good for a team that had the worst offseason of any team in the NFL and is projected to win a maximum of 5 games next year.
5) They have six 1:00 pm EST early games on the schedule. That has to be the most early games on a Bronco schedule in a long time.
6) Finally, Denver gets to go to the Whale's Vagina earlier then December. The Broncos had to go on the road to SD in December in '04, '05, '06, '07, and '08. Their record 1-4. Denver plays at SD on Monday October 19th.
Here were the different aspects of the Broncos 2009 schedule that stood out:
1) Denver opens on the road for the 5th consecutive season. I thought that Denver would get the first week at home, but they open at Cincy in Week 1.
2) They only have back to back road games once (12/6 at KC and 12/13 at Indy). Anytime you can avoid multiple road games is a good thing.
3) They have back to back home games twice (10/4 vs. Dallas and 10/11 vs. New England and 11/22 vs. San Diego and 11/26 vs NY Giants).
4) They have two Monday Night games and one Thursday Night game to give them a total of three primetime games in 2009. That is pretty good for a team that had the worst offseason of any team in the NFL and is projected to win a maximum of 5 games next year.
5) They have six 1:00 pm EST early games on the schedule. That has to be the most early games on a Bronco schedule in a long time.
6) Finally, Denver gets to go to the Whale's Vagina earlier then December. The Broncos had to go on the road to SD in December in '04, '05, '06, '07, and '08. Their record 1-4. Denver plays at SD on Monday October 19th.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Broncos 2009 Schedule
2009 Schedule
Sunday, Sept. 13 at Cincinnati 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Sept. 20 CLEVELAND 4:15 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Sept. 27 at Oakland 4:15 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Oct. 4 DALLAS 4:15 p.m. (FOX)
Sunday, Oct. 11 NEW ENGLAND 4:15 p.m. (CBS)
Monday, Oct. 19 at San Diego 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Sunday, Oct. 25 BYE
Sunday, Nov. 1 at Baltimore 1 p.m. (CBS)
Monday, Nov. 9 PITTSBURGH 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Sunday, Nov. 15 at Washington 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Nov. 22 SAN DIEGO 4:15 p.m. (CBS)
Thursday, Nov. 26 N.Y. GIANTS 8:20 p.m. (NFLN)
Sunday, Dec. 6 at Kansas City 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Dec. 13 at Indianapolis 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Dec. 20 OAKLAND 4:05 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Dec. 27 at Philadelphia 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Jan. 3 KANSAS CITY 4:15 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Sept. 13 at Cincinnati 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Sept. 20 CLEVELAND 4:15 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Sept. 27 at Oakland 4:15 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Oct. 4 DALLAS 4:15 p.m. (FOX)
Sunday, Oct. 11 NEW ENGLAND 4:15 p.m. (CBS)
Monday, Oct. 19 at San Diego 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Sunday, Oct. 25 BYE
Sunday, Nov. 1 at Baltimore 1 p.m. (CBS)
Monday, Nov. 9 PITTSBURGH 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Sunday, Nov. 15 at Washington 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Nov. 22 SAN DIEGO 4:15 p.m. (CBS)
Thursday, Nov. 26 N.Y. GIANTS 8:20 p.m. (NFLN)
Sunday, Dec. 6 at Kansas City 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Dec. 13 at Indianapolis 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Dec. 20 OAKLAND 4:05 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Dec. 27 at Philadelphia 1 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Jan. 3 KANSAS CITY 4:15 p.m. (CBS)
Saturday, April 11, 2009
NFL Schedule Release
The NFL has announced that Tuesday April 14th will be the unveiling of the 2009 NFL Schedule. This is always one of my favorite days of the NFL Offseason. It is quickly becoming a big deal to the rest of the fans and the media as well. NFL Network has decided to unveil the schedule in primetime at 7:00pm EST with a two hour breakdown. ESPN has countered with a three hour extravaganza to analyze the schedule and matchups. The NFL announced its Opening Night game, Thanksgiving games, and Week 1 primetime matchups back at the Owners Meetings in March. It is really hard to predict the entire 2009 schedule, but there are nuggets out there to keep an eye on for Tuesday.
1) Expect a lot of primetime games (Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, Thursday and Saturday Night Football) for the following teams: Dallas (Always a draw), New York Giants (A ratings hit), Philly (Always a contending team), Chicago (A ratings hit and now Cutler), New England (The return of Tom Brady), Indy (Peyton Manning), Pittsburgh (A ratings hit and defending SB Champs), San Diego (Star power and contending team).
2) What will NFL Network do with Christmas Weekend? Christmas Eve is a Thursday and NFL Network usually has a Thursday Night Game and a Saturday Night Game the second to last week of the season. Will NFL Network go with a Thursday Night XMAS Eve game? Will they add a Saturday Night game on December 18th to compensate for losing a game on XMAS Eve?
3) The NFL should also set up some primetime games and doubleheaders around these teams: Miami (Defending AFC East Champs), Baltimore (Up and coming team), Tennessee (13-3 in '08), Houston (Possible Playoff team in '09), Buffalo (The TO factor), Atlanta (Matt Ryan), Green Bay (Possible '09 sleeper), Seattle (Usually good and ready for a bounce back).
1) Expect a lot of primetime games (Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, Thursday and Saturday Night Football) for the following teams: Dallas (Always a draw), New York Giants (A ratings hit), Philly (Always a contending team), Chicago (A ratings hit and now Cutler), New England (The return of Tom Brady), Indy (Peyton Manning), Pittsburgh (A ratings hit and defending SB Champs), San Diego (Star power and contending team).
2) What will NFL Network do with Christmas Weekend? Christmas Eve is a Thursday and NFL Network usually has a Thursday Night Game and a Saturday Night Game the second to last week of the season. Will NFL Network go with a Thursday Night XMAS Eve game? Will they add a Saturday Night game on December 18th to compensate for losing a game on XMAS Eve?
3) The NFL should also set up some primetime games and doubleheaders around these teams: Miami (Defending AFC East Champs), Baltimore (Up and coming team), Tennessee (13-3 in '08), Houston (Possible Playoff team in '09), Buffalo (The TO factor), Atlanta (Matt Ryan), Green Bay (Possible '09 sleeper), Seattle (Usually good and ready for a bounce back).
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Fatsis' Take on Jay Cutler
Stefan Fatsis wrote the novel "A Few Seconds of Panic" about the trials of writer going through a real NFL training camp as a placekicker. Although the novel gave great insight to the life of a placekicker, it was a real introspective on the 2006 Denver Broncos. He provided a lot of information on the entire Broncos organization. His view on the Mike Shanahan firing was one of the best analysis on the web. Here is his take on the Jay Cutler Saga:
Stefan Fatsis on the Broncos and Jay Cutler
By STEFAN FATSIS
The saga of the Denver Broncos and Jay Cutler is like the children’s song about the old lady who swallowed a fly. You can find a reason for every decision, but you still might not ever know why.In this case, the first swallow was Broncos owner Pat Bowlen firing Coach Mike Shanahan. The decision to break up after 14 seasons wasn’t driven by a perception of a diminution in the coach’s football skills. Bowlen told me he still respected those. But it wasn’t a spontaneous act based on the team’s late-season collapse in 2008, either. Instead, the owner and others in the organization began to feel that Shanahan’s my-way operating style had lost some of its effectiveness, in the front office and with the players.Bowlen over the years had gradually ceded to Shanahan virtually all operating control of the team. After three mediocre seasons in a row — a 24-24 record; no playoff appearances — he decided this was as good a time as any to rebrand and possibly revive his business.One other overlooked factor: Bowlen is 65. He’d like the franchise to be in a stable place for an ownership transition in the next few years to one of his seven children. I got to know Bowlen well during the summer I spent as a kicker with the Broncos to write a book about the NFL. He doesn’t want to be like Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, presiding over his team, even as a figurehead, at age 90. I also know Bowlen to be thoughtful, reasonable and sensible — and tough when he needs to be. He trusts the people he has hired — leaving the football decisions to the football people and business decisions to the business people — and weighs in when necessary. That was less and less under Shanahan. He wanted a more active role in his final years as owner.In Josh McDaniels, Bowlen chose to succeed Shanahan a coach schooled in New England’s disciplined methodology. McDaniels analyzed every player on the Broncos, examining footage and reading reports prepared by his staff. He made some small, head-scratching decisions, like dumping reliable and hard-working (not to mention mature and intelligent) Shanahan holdovers like Mike Leach, the long snapper, and Nate Jackson, a tight end and special teamer. (Disclosure: Both are friends of mine.) He dumped assistant coaches. He rearranged the furniture, literally, at the Broncos’ suburban headquarters. As I type this, just eight players, three assistant coaches and three football executives remain from the time I spent with the team in 2006.Jay Cutler wasn’t spared scrutiny, nor should he have been. Which leads to a question that few people seem to be asking: Why would McDaniels have considered trading Cutler in the first place? I don’t know the coach, but I know how NFL front offices operate. It’s incumbent on team executives to pick up the phone when other teams call. It’s incumbent on them to listen. It’s not incumbent on them to do more than say, thanks, but no thanks. In this instance, McDaniels was contacted about acquiring his former quarterback in New England, Matt Cassel. Proposals were made. How far they got, and how aggressive the Broncos were about encouraging them, only the participants know for sure.Should Jay Cutler and his agent, Bus Cook, have been insulted that these conversations took place? Of course not. Coaches and general managers have a responsibility, akin to a CEO’s fiduciary responsibility, to consider anything that might improve their team. What I know based on talking to some of my former Broncos colleagues is that, well before this drama erupted, Cook and Cutler wanted to renegotiate the quarterback’s six-year contract, which has three years left. The current deal included $15 million in guaranteed payments. Cutler was paid a $1.275 million roster bonus in 2006 and a $7.9 million option bonus in 2007. But his base salaries are, by Pro Bowl-quarterback standards, meager, and a $12 million performance bonus isn’t due until 2011.Ted Sundquist, the Broncos’ general manager when I was with the team, told me at the time that, because of the large lump-sum, back-end payout, the contract would probably be restructured before it expires. He said Bus Cook also expected that to happen. Did Cutler and Cook manufacture their hurt feelings over McDaniels’s trade talks and the coach’s subsequent ineffectual spin in an effort to get a new contract now, or get to another city that would give them one? I don’t know. But they certainly saw an opening.Still, issues over money and bruised egos are addressed and massaged every day in pro sports. The Broncos didn’t have to publicly announce that they wanted to trade Cutler. He was an employee under contract. He would have found a way to sublimate his wounded feelings and show up for mandatory training or risk watching Chris Simms take snaps in September. But at some point, possibly just this week, possibly as long ago as January, the Broncos concluded that they would be better off in the long run — on the field and as a business — with a quarterback other than Cutler.So why did they swallow that fly? I met Cutler when he was the first-round draft choice in 2006 who was expected to ride the bench for a couple of years behind Jake Plummer and then lead Denver for a decade or more. The new Elway! Finally! But Cutler is virtually absent from my book. That’s because he was uncompelling journalistically and off-putting personally. I sought out players who thought deeply and were interested in explaining the physical and emotional realities of playing in the NFL. That wasn’t Cutler. His demeanor often was that of a bored, eye-rolling teenage girl, with a dash of smugness for good measure. Since then, I’ve received unflattering reports about his behavior and indifferent-to-negative ones about his relationship with his teammates.Should those sorts of perceptions outweigh a laser arm on a 25-year-old body and 4,500 passing yards and 13-1 record in games in which his team gave up no more than 21 points and any of the other stats rolled out by his supporters? Certainly not. But football teams, like other businesses, consist of human beings whose ability to interact is integral to their success. And no human being is more important to the success of a football team than the quarterback. Josh McDaniels may be young and inexperienced, but he’s not dumb. He didn’t want to sabotage his new team, or his own future. So something else must have been going on.Here’s a radical thought: Maybe McJayGate, as the Denver press dubbed it, wasn’t about who dissed whom or who ignored whose text messages or whether a new coach has to earn the respect of his players. Maybe it was about something more prosaic but also more substantial: the future of the team. Maybe Pat Bowlen, Josh McDaniels and other team officials examined Cutler’s statistics, his physical traits, his emotional temperament, his suitability to the coach’s offensive system, his leadership ability, his off-field behavior and his overall attitude — including the evolution of his relationship with his new boss. And then they decided that the Denver Broncos had a greater chance of winning with someone else in the huddle. Even someone named Kyle Orton.
Stefan Fatsis on the Broncos and Jay Cutler
By STEFAN FATSIS
The saga of the Denver Broncos and Jay Cutler is like the children’s song about the old lady who swallowed a fly. You can find a reason for every decision, but you still might not ever know why.In this case, the first swallow was Broncos owner Pat Bowlen firing Coach Mike Shanahan. The decision to break up after 14 seasons wasn’t driven by a perception of a diminution in the coach’s football skills. Bowlen told me he still respected those. But it wasn’t a spontaneous act based on the team’s late-season collapse in 2008, either. Instead, the owner and others in the organization began to feel that Shanahan’s my-way operating style had lost some of its effectiveness, in the front office and with the players.Bowlen over the years had gradually ceded to Shanahan virtually all operating control of the team. After three mediocre seasons in a row — a 24-24 record; no playoff appearances — he decided this was as good a time as any to rebrand and possibly revive his business.One other overlooked factor: Bowlen is 65. He’d like the franchise to be in a stable place for an ownership transition in the next few years to one of his seven children. I got to know Bowlen well during the summer I spent as a kicker with the Broncos to write a book about the NFL. He doesn’t want to be like Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, presiding over his team, even as a figurehead, at age 90. I also know Bowlen to be thoughtful, reasonable and sensible — and tough when he needs to be. He trusts the people he has hired — leaving the football decisions to the football people and business decisions to the business people — and weighs in when necessary. That was less and less under Shanahan. He wanted a more active role in his final years as owner.In Josh McDaniels, Bowlen chose to succeed Shanahan a coach schooled in New England’s disciplined methodology. McDaniels analyzed every player on the Broncos, examining footage and reading reports prepared by his staff. He made some small, head-scratching decisions, like dumping reliable and hard-working (not to mention mature and intelligent) Shanahan holdovers like Mike Leach, the long snapper, and Nate Jackson, a tight end and special teamer. (Disclosure: Both are friends of mine.) He dumped assistant coaches. He rearranged the furniture, literally, at the Broncos’ suburban headquarters. As I type this, just eight players, three assistant coaches and three football executives remain from the time I spent with the team in 2006.Jay Cutler wasn’t spared scrutiny, nor should he have been. Which leads to a question that few people seem to be asking: Why would McDaniels have considered trading Cutler in the first place? I don’t know the coach, but I know how NFL front offices operate. It’s incumbent on team executives to pick up the phone when other teams call. It’s incumbent on them to listen. It’s not incumbent on them to do more than say, thanks, but no thanks. In this instance, McDaniels was contacted about acquiring his former quarterback in New England, Matt Cassel. Proposals were made. How far they got, and how aggressive the Broncos were about encouraging them, only the participants know for sure.Should Jay Cutler and his agent, Bus Cook, have been insulted that these conversations took place? Of course not. Coaches and general managers have a responsibility, akin to a CEO’s fiduciary responsibility, to consider anything that might improve their team. What I know based on talking to some of my former Broncos colleagues is that, well before this drama erupted, Cook and Cutler wanted to renegotiate the quarterback’s six-year contract, which has three years left. The current deal included $15 million in guaranteed payments. Cutler was paid a $1.275 million roster bonus in 2006 and a $7.9 million option bonus in 2007. But his base salaries are, by Pro Bowl-quarterback standards, meager, and a $12 million performance bonus isn’t due until 2011.Ted Sundquist, the Broncos’ general manager when I was with the team, told me at the time that, because of the large lump-sum, back-end payout, the contract would probably be restructured before it expires. He said Bus Cook also expected that to happen. Did Cutler and Cook manufacture their hurt feelings over McDaniels’s trade talks and the coach’s subsequent ineffectual spin in an effort to get a new contract now, or get to another city that would give them one? I don’t know. But they certainly saw an opening.Still, issues over money and bruised egos are addressed and massaged every day in pro sports. The Broncos didn’t have to publicly announce that they wanted to trade Cutler. He was an employee under contract. He would have found a way to sublimate his wounded feelings and show up for mandatory training or risk watching Chris Simms take snaps in September. But at some point, possibly just this week, possibly as long ago as January, the Broncos concluded that they would be better off in the long run — on the field and as a business — with a quarterback other than Cutler.So why did they swallow that fly? I met Cutler when he was the first-round draft choice in 2006 who was expected to ride the bench for a couple of years behind Jake Plummer and then lead Denver for a decade or more. The new Elway! Finally! But Cutler is virtually absent from my book. That’s because he was uncompelling journalistically and off-putting personally. I sought out players who thought deeply and were interested in explaining the physical and emotional realities of playing in the NFL. That wasn’t Cutler. His demeanor often was that of a bored, eye-rolling teenage girl, with a dash of smugness for good measure. Since then, I’ve received unflattering reports about his behavior and indifferent-to-negative ones about his relationship with his teammates.Should those sorts of perceptions outweigh a laser arm on a 25-year-old body and 4,500 passing yards and 13-1 record in games in which his team gave up no more than 21 points and any of the other stats rolled out by his supporters? Certainly not. But football teams, like other businesses, consist of human beings whose ability to interact is integral to their success. And no human being is more important to the success of a football team than the quarterback. Josh McDaniels may be young and inexperienced, but he’s not dumb. He didn’t want to sabotage his new team, or his own future. So something else must have been going on.Here’s a radical thought: Maybe McJayGate, as the Denver press dubbed it, wasn’t about who dissed whom or who ignored whose text messages or whether a new coach has to earn the respect of his players. Maybe it was about something more prosaic but also more substantial: the future of the team. Maybe Pat Bowlen, Josh McDaniels and other team officials examined Cutler’s statistics, his physical traits, his emotional temperament, his suitability to the coach’s offensive system, his leadership ability, his off-field behavior and his overall attitude — including the evolution of his relationship with his new boss. And then they decided that the Denver Broncos had a greater chance of winning with someone else in the huddle. Even someone named Kyle Orton.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Jay Cutler Traded to the Bears
On Thursday April 2, 2009, the Denver Broncos traded Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears for the Bears for Kyle Orton, the Bears 1st round pick in 2009 (#), the Bears 3rd round pick in 2009, and the Bears 1st round pick in 2010. Finally, the Jay Cutler-Josh McDaniels saga is over. How do we assess this trade? First, obviously the Bears got instant value in Jay Cutler. Cutler might be the missing piece that puts the Bears over the top in the NFC, but the true winner in this trade will not be defined for many years to come. Second, the Bears went "All in" and Denver took the deal. Say what you want about the Broncos front office, but at least they got the maximum they could get for Cutler. This will burn Bronco fans for the most of this year, but remember this trade will be defined with what the Broncos do with these picks and this draft. If the Broncos use these picks wisely, and they build a solid team for the future, then the Broncos could have pulled on the best trades since the Cowboys dealt Herschel Walker. Only time will tell. Here is what I would like to see from the Broncos on Draft Day:
1) Draft Mark Sanchez. The Broncos should draft a QB for the future and Sanchez might be the right guy at the right time. Sanchez isn't replacing John Elway. He is replacing Jay Cutler, and many Bronco fans would be excited to get a possible big time QB to supplant Cutler right away. If that means you have to trade up to get him, go do it.
2) Get a starter on the Defensive Line and at Linebacker. If we could get a D-Lineman (Brian Orakpo, Tyson Jackson, or Robert Ayers) and a Linebacker (Brian Cushing, Ray Mauluaga, Clay Matthews, or James Laurinitis) then this can be a home run draft.
As far as Cutler goes, as long as he doesn't win a Super Bowl with the Bears, then I don't care how he does. He can throw for 4,000 yards and 28 TDs every year, but as long as he isn't winning Super Bowls, I can live with it. He might be just another Drew Brees. Puts up big numbers every year, but his team goes 8-8. If Cutler goes on to win Super Bowls, then this trade was a disaster. Only time will tell.
I also want to look at the losers in the Cutler Sweepstakes. The Jets are the number one loser. All week long, all of the NY papers and sports talk shows thought that the Jets were gonna get Cutler. All the Jet fans felt that Mike Tannenbaum, the Jets GM, would make the deal and Denver would send Cutler to New York, but the Jets couldn't pull the trigger and they are stuck with Kellen Clemens and a shitty franchise. The Bucs are the second loser because they originally made a proposal for Cutler back at the end of February, and they desperately needed a franchise QB, but they couldn't lock down a deal.
The bottom line is that I am a Broncos fan and I support the team and the ownership. I am excited for the future of the Denver Broncos, and I look forward to seeing Denver somehow become a top tier NFL team. Go Broncos!
1) Draft Mark Sanchez. The Broncos should draft a QB for the future and Sanchez might be the right guy at the right time. Sanchez isn't replacing John Elway. He is replacing Jay Cutler, and many Bronco fans would be excited to get a possible big time QB to supplant Cutler right away. If that means you have to trade up to get him, go do it.
2) Get a starter on the Defensive Line and at Linebacker. If we could get a D-Lineman (Brian Orakpo, Tyson Jackson, or Robert Ayers) and a Linebacker (Brian Cushing, Ray Mauluaga, Clay Matthews, or James Laurinitis) then this can be a home run draft.
As far as Cutler goes, as long as he doesn't win a Super Bowl with the Bears, then I don't care how he does. He can throw for 4,000 yards and 28 TDs every year, but as long as he isn't winning Super Bowls, I can live with it. He might be just another Drew Brees. Puts up big numbers every year, but his team goes 8-8. If Cutler goes on to win Super Bowls, then this trade was a disaster. Only time will tell.
I also want to look at the losers in the Cutler Sweepstakes. The Jets are the number one loser. All week long, all of the NY papers and sports talk shows thought that the Jets were gonna get Cutler. All the Jet fans felt that Mike Tannenbaum, the Jets GM, would make the deal and Denver would send Cutler to New York, but the Jets couldn't pull the trigger and they are stuck with Kellen Clemens and a shitty franchise. The Bucs are the second loser because they originally made a proposal for Cutler back at the end of February, and they desperately needed a franchise QB, but they couldn't lock down a deal.
The bottom line is that I am a Broncos fan and I support the team and the ownership. I am excited for the future of the Denver Broncos, and I look forward to seeing Denver somehow become a top tier NFL team. Go Broncos!
The Cutler Era Appears Over
On Tuesday March 31st, Pat Bowlen released a statement saying that Denver will comply with Jay Cutler's wishes and try to trade the disgruntled Quarterback. Bowlen added that Head Coach Josh McDaniels and Bowlen both tried to get in touch with Cutler the last 10 days, but Cutler has not responded; therefore, Bowlen has had enough and will look to deal the franchise QB. My emotions on this situation have ranged from shock, anger, frustration and despair. The way I see it, all three parties involved (Bowlen, McDaniels, and Cutler) are all to blame and all three lose out on this deal. It is also ironic that the statement by Bowlen was released hours before April Fools Day because all three of these guys look like fools and this whole ordeal has been a foolish and petty dispute. As far as Cutler goes, it will be a shame that he is leaving Denver as a 25 year old, Pro Bowl player. Many fans of the Broncos, myself included, thought Cutler would be a mainstay for the at least 10 more years, and he would be the driving force that would get Denver back into the Super Bowl. That will not happen, and Cutler's legacy will be a strong armed gunslinger, who pouts and whines like a baby, and was too sensitive to understand that the NFL is a business. Cutler's statement on the day after Bowlen's announcement summarizes everything wrong with the QB. Cutler said that he didn't want to get traded, and he loves Denver and wishes it didn't have to come to this. This from a guy who requested a trade over a week ago. As for McDaniels, this is a critical year for him. He has established himself as the man in charge in Denver, and he must show that this team is on the rise. He will get blasted for this and he should because he handled this situation very poorly. He preaches the fact that no one player is bigger then the team. Well, he just shoved the best player on the team out the door, so hopefully all of his other players will buy in. The heat is on McDaniels, and if he is not successful, he might set the franchise back a decade. The ultimate losers in all of this are the fans. We care way too much about this team, and we spend a lot of money and time to support the Denver Broncos. We deserve the best product possible on the field every season, and unfortunately it doesn't look like that will happen in 2009.
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