McD / Cutler mess (Merged)

[broncofanatik]

so its common, in your mind, for multible teams to contact a team for their third year franchise, pro-bowl, QB that still has three years left on his contract?? YOu think it takes a savvy GM, but more than one at the same time (same day) to make a run at the same unlikely target without ANY feeling that it would be something they would be willing to listen to??? Really? You dont' think thats more unlikely than for McDaniels to put 'feelers' out since (as you said) he doesn't have ties to the QB??


(although I would fair to argue that if you are hired as the HC for a team that has a 3rd year franchise QB that just went to the pro-bowl, you have ties to the QB.... but thats just me)

Ummmm

New head coach.... Check!
New offensive system.....Check!
Old QB that went 11-5 knows the system.....Check!
New QB has yet to even go to the playoffs or have a winning record....Check!

All this leads someone who has graduated high school can tell that the new head coach who has zero ties to the old qb that has proven nothing so far, might just like his old qb who he mentored. I don't understand why you find this so hard to believe.

[chazoe60]

If I was playing madden, I'd take that trade.

Of course, I can win a superbowl with Josh Huepel at QB and Quentin Griffin at RB. I'm just that good.

I bet I can take ya. Not really.


Nice to see ya diesel.

[Broncosfanatic9]

McDaniels' 'cutthroat' approach puts Broncos players on edge-By Vic Carucci

These are extremely uncertain times for Denver Broncos players who once called Mike Shanahan their coach. And the trade talk surrounding quarterback Jay Cutler is only the tip of the iceberg that arrived in the Mile High City from New England in the form of new coach Josh McDaniels.

I've spent the past few days talking with people around the NFL and in Denver, and they describe an atmosphere of growing tension and anxiety among most members of the roster left over from the Shanahan regime.


That's hardly uncommon after a coaching change, but compared to countless transitions I've observed in 30 years of covering the NFL, this seems a bit rougher than others.

From everything I gather, McDaniels is wasting no time placing an emphatic stamp on the organization that things will be done far differently than in the past. The fact that the stamp bears a striking resemblance to the logo of the Patriots, McDaniels' previous employer, shouldn't come as a shock, yet it has been a shock to the systems of Broncos who generally operated in a setting that wasn't as tightly controlled or as -- how should we put this? -- frosty as the one guided by McDaniels' former boss, Bill Belichick.

I think some people allowed themselves to be fooled by the fact that McDaniels is only 32 and looks about 17 years younger than that. He obliterated the widely held notion that he was stepping into a virtual turn-key situation on offense by entertaining trade offers for Cutler, the Pro Bowl quarterback who guided an offense that ranked second overall and third in passing last season. Now Cutler is livid. Scheffler, who's as close with Cutler as any player on the team, characterized the quarterback as "hurt and upset."

Whether Cutler and McDaniels can establish even a minimal working relationship remains to be seen, but that could be a moot point if the quarterback is traded, which is a distinct possibility. Based on McDaniels' pursuit of Matt Cassel, whom he coached in New England, it's abundantly clear that he wants his own quarterback who will operate his low-risk, high-efficiency approach (which one doesn't readily associate with Cutler) his way.

Other Broncos also are casting a wary eye toward McDaniels and the program he's putting in place. Scheffler, who caught 89 passes the past two seasons, expressed concern about how little the tight end is used as a receiver in the Patriots' offense. And there's a general thought among several of Denver's offensive players that the new sheriff in town will try to fix what isn't broken.

"We were second in the NFL in yards, and you think you did a pretty good job and had a pretty good season on offense," Scheffler said. "To look forward to kind of coming in (for offseason workouts) and getting dissected is hard, but it's just part of the business. It's tough. It's a man's game."

[#28]

I bet John doesn't say a damn word about this publicly, ever.

[Al Wilson 4 Mayor]

Because its dealing with the media, and its like dealing with a jury. You continue, and always, deny deny deny.

We'll never hear him admit to the public that he lied about his story. Because if he does, EVERYONE will continue to throw it back in his face. They will continue to doubt him no matter what, and the media/fans will continue to compare him to BB in that regard.

Instead, if he sticks to his story, then at least he can hide behind that lie without people calling him a liar to his face day in and day out.

I agree... but he BETTER come to the truth behind closed doors with Jay. Because jay knows the truth, like the rest of us do, and if he continues with this same lame-crap of a story with Jay when its just them in the office...... he will lose the trust of the QB completely and for good.

Your post here reminded me of BeliCheat insisting that he had no idea video taping other teams signals and walk throughs was against league rules. Then he issued a statement that he wasn't going to discuss it any further.

Does that sound familiar?????

[lancane]

Just to get the entire teams attention that he is the boss, does that piss Cutler off more or less.

New school, find the biggest kid and get in fight...you may get bloodied a bit, but no one else messes with you.

I don't think so, not a bad notion...it is pretty much the basis of how someone shows they mean business. So I could see it as a possibility. But I doubt it, only because it could have cost him his job. I think he made a very big mistake, he is young and it is bound to happen, whether now or later, he is new to the whole control thing. His biggest mistake was lying to everyone when leaks and sources were popping up like a bad outbreak of the flu. It was too much and he really did not realize, or so I believe of what Cutler meant to the fan base, the city and state, even to the organization and team itself. He soon found himself way over his head, and now he needs to clean it up, or he may be in for a short stint to add to his resume, which could hurt him in this league later on as well. I just can not believe he would be dumb enough to risk his whole career on letting it get out.

[Al Wilson 4 Mayor]

I don't know man. I don't see why not
Let me explain, first of all McD knew the price tag attached to Cassel better than anybody else perhaps, and by knowing this, it may have not been possible for Denver to pull this deal off since we're pretty much trying to rebuilt the defense and we can use the money for that
Second, everybody in the NFL knows all about McD and Cassel, and the possiblity to have Cassel reunited with McD would be something that perhaps McD would love to have happened. So, it makes sense they tried to see if McD would bite, but he didn't
That's just my opinion, despite the fact that I've said initially that this was a dumb move by McD, but taking a look at the whole picture, it reveals this possibility as well...

You have a point.

Ultimately we may never know the truth behind what happened but, it's not like franchised quarterbacks never get calls.

Jay may be right about Eli or Phillip Rivers not getting calls, but I'm sure that McNabb has had more than a handful of calls over the past for or five years.

What I'm interested to know is who leaked the talks.

[flpunter]

great journalism. This guys title says "players" and he quotes only Cutlers best friend ? He spent "a few days" talking with people in Denver and around the NFL and he has one person on record ? Sports journalism is joke.

[cloud of dust]

I've been a football fan for years and consider myself to be fairly well educated and logical person. I can take the facts, rumors, and other little tidbits I've heard and read over the past few days to come up with what I believe to be a fairly accurate account of what transpired in the Broncos front office.

Now, you don't have to agree with that assessment. However, if you expect to get any honesty from these teams regarding what happened, then with all due respect you're very naive.

The Broncos tried to trade Jay for Matt Cassel. He knows it, the media knows it, and many of us know it. If McDaniels wants to continue to deny it, so be it. My respect for the man is gone until he does something to re-earn it. Obviously, I'm sure he won't lose sleep at night. But even still, I think the man is shady and borderline slimy, and I don't trust the system from which he came.

I don't know if any of this matters anymore. McDaniels wants to show Cutler he is the boss, and he wants Jay to get focused. It is time for them to meet, get to work and win some games to fix this mess.

Who the hell knows who initated the deal, but that is the way of the league, and it no longer matters. I am surprised at how many people I talked to today think the Bronocos should dump Cutler due to lack of maturity and leadership, etc. I think he is a top 5 QB but needs to toughen up and get to work-and maybe McD feels the same way. He is not going to hold Jays hand.

Those who think McD is a liar and not straight up need to understand the nasty and competitive nature of the business side of the game. Cutler needs to mature and will be one hell of a QB when he does. McDaniels remaining silent and keeping his composure through this is telling and interesting-ala Belicheck.

[TXBRONC]

Just to get the entire teams attention that he is the boss, does that piss Cutler off more or less.

New school, find the biggest kid and get in fight...you may get bloodied a bit, but no one else messes with you.

I understand where you're coming from but this would be like picking a fight with the biggest kid and then tying one hand behind your back.

[BurgessRudy]

Me Think He doth Protest too Much

If what the Immature new coach of the Broncos said is true then there is no story. But, there is a story. Some person or organization leaked that Jay Cutler was considered in a trade. The Broncos couldn't have leak that, because they said it never happened so there was nothing to leak.

Therefore, an outside person or team leaked this information to Jay and the press, which shows that McDaniels has to be a liar.

[Chicago-Broncofreak]

I don't know if any of this matters anymore. McDaniels wants to show Cutler he is the boss, and he wants Jay to get focused. It is time for them to meet, get to work and win some games to fix this mess.

Who the hell knows who initated the deal, but that is the way of the league, and it no longer matters. I am surprised at how many people I talked to today think the Bronocos should dump Cutler due to lack of maturity and leadership, etc. I think he is a top 5 QB but needs to toughen up and get to work-and maybe McD feels the same way. He is not going to hold Jays hand.

Those who think McD is a liar and not straight up need to understand the nasty and competitive nature of the business side of the game. Cutler needs to mature and will be one hell of a QB when he does. McDaniels remaining silent and keeping his composure through this is telling and interesting-ala Belicheck.

You bring up good points - it is true we all don't always focus on the nasty side of what happens behind closed doors in the league.

But I like Jay's honesty. Perhaps some people call it immature but I think it is refreshing and can reflect a new kind of leadership for him as he continues to develop. I'd rather hear honesty from my franchise QB than the company line. As long as he is responsible about how he portrays that honesty, then things will be great for him. That is not to say that he maybe has come off in the wrong way the past few days- but that is more about media spin than content.

McD did channel BB a bit with his no-comment ways. But hopefully McD has his own personality- Denver always appreciates individuality as long as it is team-oriented.

And to try and not stay :offtopic:for the thread, I'd like to say that I am curious about Graham going in to meet him and coming out with that company line. He is an ex patriot and all, but I wonder if Jay will get honesty behind closed doors (and if Graham did or not).

:cutler::cutler::cutler:

[lancane]

great journalism. This guys title says "players" and he quotes only Cutlers best friend ? He spent "a few days" talking with people in Denver and around the NFL and he has one person on record ? Sports journalism is joke.

They can not report all their sources...lmfao. You say it is a joke, but in truth a reporter or journalist has to be somewhat discrete about these things...that is why most are noted as sources, if they said who the source was or who leaked the information, then that person would likely be fired and the journalist loses a valuable source, that is journalism 101, plain and simple!

[in.the.game]

lol @ cutthroat approach has players on edge.


well gentlemen, welcome to the current american job market.

[trenchwar08]

great journalism. This guys title says "players" and he quotes only Cutlers best friend ? He spent "a few days" talking with people in Denver and around the NFL and he has one person on record ? Sports journalism is joke.

From some guys, yes. Good observation and good criticism, by the way.

If I may, in general, journalism across the board is lazy. What gets me is when real background is ignored IN FAVOR OF QUOTES, and all stories (hard news even more so than sports news) become "he said, she said," declaration and rebuttal. The reporter gives both sides a say, and the reader gets no real sense of the truth.