Jay Cutler may or may not want to be traded. The Denver Broncos may or may not have tried to trade him to acquire Matt Cassel. The Broncos may or may not have instigated those discussions. Cutler may or may not have asked for a trade after Jeremy Bates was fired. Relations between Cutler and the Broncos may or may not have been irreparably ruined. Jay Cutler may or may not be a Bronco in 2009 and beyond.
There’s a whole lot that’s nebulous in this extremely strange situation. How and why it started, what everyone’s role is, and what the ultimate outcome will be still aren’t anything close to being resolved, and some of the particulars never will be. If I were in the business of making an educated guess, however, I’d give you good odds of Jay Cutler wearing a different uniform next season.
I’m going to name quarterbacks with the physical gifts that Cutler has that are currently starting in the NFL: both Mannings, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Tom Brady. That’s pretty much the whole list. Cutler’s rocket arm and ability to make any throw are nearly unrivaled.
But there’s something else those elite QBs share that Cutler has not exhibited in his 2+ years under center: calm, collected leadership and grace under pressure.
Anybody who has seen Cutler with his helmet off on the sidelines during a game in which the Broncos are losing knows that those things are, at best, a work in progress. Nobody’s pouty face is as recognizable as Cutler’s, and it comes out at the first sign of distress, such as when Cutler invariably tries to force a pass with his team down and it ends up being intercepted.
And now, this – issuing a challenge to authority before said authority has a chance to make his NFL sideline debut. Everybody knew that Bates’ firing was going to make Cutler sad, like a small child when his pacifier gets taken away. While Bates showed promise as a first year playcaller, Cutler could not have realistically expected the Broncos to keep him under a head coach with very similar traits, and he could not have expected Bates to stay on in a limited capacity. But Cutler refused to read the writing on the wall, and when Bates headed to USC, he stamped his foot on the floor, stuck out his quivering bottom lip, and demanded a trade.
Credit the Broncos for looking to oblige. Say what you will about Josh McDaniels’ inexperience, but he’s no dummy. You don’t work for years with a coach like Bill Belichick and not have some of his habits and traits rub off. McDaniels came to Denver with a new plan, and his star quarterback immediately decided he wasn’t interested in being a part of it. So McDaniels prepared to move on, and the Broncos were insinuated into the Matt Cassell trade talks before Cassell eventually went to the Chiefs.
When Cutler learned that his wishes were being granted – but behind his back! – he grew furious and demanded a trade. Again. With McDaniels’ best option to replace Cutler off the board, however, the idea no longer seemed as appealing.
Again, McDaniels is no dummy. He knows that Cutler’s a gifted young quarterback who could thrive under an exciting young offensive mind like his, if only he would give him a chance. But as the hostile teleconference of Monday afternoon proved, Cutler’s not willing to do that.
There’s no going back now. Cutler has made it clear not once, not twice, but three times that he does not want to be a Denver Bronco anymore.
When Cutler is traded – and it is ‘when’ at this point – there will be the rending of garments (mostly those with the number six on them) and complaining about a young coach and GM who just traded away their best player. The Broncos offense will have to start over with a new man under center – Chris Simms, or Mark Sanchez, or Matthew Stafford. 2009 will be uglier than 2008 ever was, perhaps the worst season for the Broncos since the AFL years. Fans will call for the heads of McDaniels and Brian Xanders, and all they’ll have through the misery is the knowledge that their hand was forced, and that they did the right thing, cutting loose the crybaby who will never be the kind of leader a quarterback has to be to be truly great.
Football is no different than anything else. You get with the program or you’re gone. Jay Cutler’s as good as gone, because he’s not mature enough to be with any program but his own
