"The Possibilites Were Endless"
During the few days between when the Broncos announced they would definitely trade Jay Cutler and when it was confirmed Cutler went to the Bears, I had been planning to write something on where I thought he might go and where I wanted him to go. Unfortunately, the trade happened much quicker than I anticipated, but here's what I was thinking at the time:
Where I wanted Cutler to go:
1. Jets/Browns
2. Redskins
3. Bears
Where I thought Cutler might go:
1. Bucs
2. Lions
3. Redskins
New York Jets/Cleveland Browns
Although Cutler could have gone to either of these two teams, I treat them as one possibility. One of the early rumors involved Cutler to the Jets, New York draft picks to Cleveland, and Brady Quinn to the Broncos. Or Cutler could have gone straight to the Browns for Quinn (which I considered less likely because they still have Derek Anderson). The Broncos certainly would have wanted more than just Quinn in this scenario and defensive tackle Shaun Rogers could have complemented Denver's wretched D.
These two (essentially the same) scenarios were my number one choice for Denver. Above all, if Cutler left, I believed Denver needed a new quarterback- Chris Simms would not cut it. I wanted this quarterback to be a young guy, one that McDaniels could mold and integrate into his system. Quinn was the ideal candidate. Playing at Notre Dame under Charlie Weis, another ex-Patriot, Quinn already had experience with the type of offense McDaniels would be interested in.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Along with Detroit, Tampa Bay was the rumored destination in the original three-way trade talks that involved giving away Cutler in order to reunite McDaniels and Matt Cassell. The Bucs desperately needed a QB (and still do). After they made their original move for Cutler and failed, howeverm the Bucs gave their 2nd round pick to Cleveland for tight end Kellen Winslow and thus didn't have much to offer Denver. As the final trade with Chicago showed, the Bucs' 19th overall pick wouldn't have cut it. I still expected the Bucs to offer the Broncos everything they had for Cutler.
Detroit Lions
It is clear Detroit needs a quarterback. They also have the first overall pick in the draft (as well as the 20th). These are powerful bargaining chips, as McDaniels could have used the first overall pick on Matthew Stafford from Georgia. The number one pick comes with a lot of risk for the money though, and McDaniels' quarterback experience has been primarily with later picks (Brady and Cassell). I didn't really think this move was too likely, but there were a lot of NFC North rumblings and I thought the Lions had the most to give of the three NFC North teams interested (Minnsota and Chicago being the other two).
Washington Redskins
For a while, I really started to think Cutler might go to the Redskins. The lack of a good franchise quarterback had been a long standing problem for the 'Skins, and they are known for pursuing big name players. The Wahington Post published an article claiming Washington was gunning hard for this to happen. There were even rumors and speculation the coach Jim Zorn could be replaced by Mike Shanahan in 2010, reuniting with Cutler, though I think speculating that far in advance is idle fantasy. Despite the Shanhan talk, Cutler for Campbell made sense. Campbell struggled to acclimate to Zorn's West Coast style of play, an environment in which Cutler thrived. The Redskins also had some draft picks to throw in, but these were still not enough for Denver.
The interesting outcome of the Cutler-Skins hype will be how Jason Campbell handles his job insecurity. Recall that it was trade rumors that caused this whole Cutler mess. So far, Campbell seems to be handling it with a greater maturity than Cutler did.
Those were my thoughts prior to the trade going down. Post-trade, the only questions that remain of course are the implications for Denver and for Chicago. But that's coming in Part Three.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
The Jay Cutler Saga, Part 1
"Everyone's to Blame"
Our long national nightmare is over. Jay Cutler is no longer a member of the Denver Broncos. With it goes my three month emotional roller coaster ride, replaced by an eager anxiety to see how the new team performs. Honestly, I'm just glad it is finally done. Cutler and a 5th round pick are going to the Bears for Kyle Orton, a first rounder, a third, and a 2010 first. I've now had a day to reflect on this whole mess, and I'm ready to play the blame game.
The post-season drama began with the firing of Mike Shanahan late last December. Broncos fans rang in the New Year drunk on confusion and uncertainty. Two days earlier, the team completed their fall from a playoff spot to a disappointing second place in a bad conference. Still, the Shanahan firing came as a shock to players, media, and fans alike. Initially I was upset, but my anger eventually subsided into curiousity. Who to replace "The Mastermind"?
Owner Pat Bowlen hired Josh McDaniels, the Patriots' offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. McDaniels' offensive style obviously differed greatly from Shanahan's West Coast style of play, but Jay Cutler initially expressed an interest in learning McDaniels' system. However, he also made a public appeal for McDaniels to retain the Broncos' offensive staff. McDaniels canned offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Jeremy Bates and replaced him with Mike McCoy anway. Thus, the Jay Cutler Saga began.
Who's to blame at this stage? Not Jay for wanting to keep a coach with whom he is comfortable and familiar. Not McDaniels for hiring new staff- he is the head coach after all. Blame Bowlen at this stage. Cutler performed well under the Shanahan/Bates offense. The 2008 season showed more than anything that it was the Broncos' defense that needed an overhaul. Bowlen should have foreseen this potential conflict between coach and quarterback. Either keeping Shanahan or hiring a defensive minded coach (Steve Spagnuolo!) would have been a better solution. Bowlen either didn't foresee a disagreement or didn't care about (or underestimated) its consequences. In the end, the personalities and decisions of McDaniels and Cutler are to blame for the negative and dramatic way this turned out, but Bowlen's decisions to fire Shanahan and hire McDaniels were the avoidable catalysts.
Josh McDaniels' staffing choices made Jay Cutler distinctly aware of just how much change McDaniels planned to bring to the Broncos organization. So, when news broke in early March that McDaniels had listened to an offer for Cutler, Cutler could have done well to have been a little less shocked. The entire structure of the team had been upended, yet Cutler still believed his job was sacred. Being upset in such a situation is justified, as long as that situation is handled professionally. Instead, Cutler's erratic and sometimes infantile response dominated sports news for the next month. Real-time media drives the modern world, and the NFL is no different. Of course, it didn't used to be this way. As soon as the theoretical 3-way Cutler-Cassel trade story broke, Cutler and his agent, Bus Cook, should have immediately met with Josh McDaniels to talk through Cutler's role on the team.
A coach has the right (and the duty) to do what he feels is best for his team. A quarterback (or any player for that matter) should have a good relationship with his coach and his owner and make his vision for the team clear. The NFL and their employees, whether they be players, coaches, or owners, have a responsibility to try to get along with their co-workers and work together for the success of their team. To me, this seems like a basic tenet of effective communication in the workplace. Yet, the two sides talked more to the media than to each other about the situation. This is not an appropriate way to get across a message. When the two parties actually did talk directly to each other, it was more often through text messages than face-to-face.
The massive media attention garnered by the situation has an upside. People are now much more aware of who Josh McDaniels and Jay Cutler are. Their arrogance and naivety showed the world how young the coach and the quarterback really are. By prancing around in the public eye, the two should be aware by now of how their actions were perceived. Since they'll both be facing increased scrutiny this season, McDaniels and particularly Cutler should take advantage of this opportunity to grow.
Despite Cutler's childlike behavior in March, I see in him the potential to become an elite player. He is only twenty-five and has played for only three seasons. He has already shown his character and toughness by playing through an undiagnosed case of Type I Diabetes in 2007. He got healthy and had great stats in 2008. Perhaps being on the Bears will have a maturation effect on him. Chicagoans will be watching his every move. And after all, if he messes up, he'll have to answer to his parents, lifelong Chicago Bears fans.
Part One recapped the events leading up to the Jay Cutler trade and considered issues of personality, attitude, and behavior. Part Two will consider the 2009 football implications.
Our long national nightmare is over. Jay Cutler is no longer a member of the Denver Broncos. With it goes my three month emotional roller coaster ride, replaced by an eager anxiety to see how the new team performs. Honestly, I'm just glad it is finally done. Cutler and a 5th round pick are going to the Bears for Kyle Orton, a first rounder, a third, and a 2010 first. I've now had a day to reflect on this whole mess, and I'm ready to play the blame game.
The post-season drama began with the firing of Mike Shanahan late last December. Broncos fans rang in the New Year drunk on confusion and uncertainty. Two days earlier, the team completed their fall from a playoff spot to a disappointing second place in a bad conference. Still, the Shanahan firing came as a shock to players, media, and fans alike. Initially I was upset, but my anger eventually subsided into curiousity. Who to replace "The Mastermind"?
Owner Pat Bowlen hired Josh McDaniels, the Patriots' offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. McDaniels' offensive style obviously differed greatly from Shanahan's West Coast style of play, but Jay Cutler initially expressed an interest in learning McDaniels' system. However, he also made a public appeal for McDaniels to retain the Broncos' offensive staff. McDaniels canned offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Jeremy Bates and replaced him with Mike McCoy anway. Thus, the Jay Cutler Saga began.
Who's to blame at this stage? Not Jay for wanting to keep a coach with whom he is comfortable and familiar. Not McDaniels for hiring new staff- he is the head coach after all. Blame Bowlen at this stage. Cutler performed well under the Shanahan/Bates offense. The 2008 season showed more than anything that it was the Broncos' defense that needed an overhaul. Bowlen should have foreseen this potential conflict between coach and quarterback. Either keeping Shanahan or hiring a defensive minded coach (Steve Spagnuolo!) would have been a better solution. Bowlen either didn't foresee a disagreement or didn't care about (or underestimated) its consequences. In the end, the personalities and decisions of McDaniels and Cutler are to blame for the negative and dramatic way this turned out, but Bowlen's decisions to fire Shanahan and hire McDaniels were the avoidable catalysts.
Josh McDaniels' staffing choices made Jay Cutler distinctly aware of just how much change McDaniels planned to bring to the Broncos organization. So, when news broke in early March that McDaniels had listened to an offer for Cutler, Cutler could have done well to have been a little less shocked. The entire structure of the team had been upended, yet Cutler still believed his job was sacred. Being upset in such a situation is justified, as long as that situation is handled professionally. Instead, Cutler's erratic and sometimes infantile response dominated sports news for the next month. Real-time media drives the modern world, and the NFL is no different. Of course, it didn't used to be this way. As soon as the theoretical 3-way Cutler-Cassel trade story broke, Cutler and his agent, Bus Cook, should have immediately met with Josh McDaniels to talk through Cutler's role on the team.
A coach has the right (and the duty) to do what he feels is best for his team. A quarterback (or any player for that matter) should have a good relationship with his coach and his owner and make his vision for the team clear. The NFL and their employees, whether they be players, coaches, or owners, have a responsibility to try to get along with their co-workers and work together for the success of their team. To me, this seems like a basic tenet of effective communication in the workplace. Yet, the two sides talked more to the media than to each other about the situation. This is not an appropriate way to get across a message. When the two parties actually did talk directly to each other, it was more often through text messages than face-to-face.
The massive media attention garnered by the situation has an upside. People are now much more aware of who Josh McDaniels and Jay Cutler are. Their arrogance and naivety showed the world how young the coach and the quarterback really are. By prancing around in the public eye, the two should be aware by now of how their actions were perceived. Since they'll both be facing increased scrutiny this season, McDaniels and particularly Cutler should take advantage of this opportunity to grow.
Despite Cutler's childlike behavior in March, I see in him the potential to become an elite player. He is only twenty-five and has played for only three seasons. He has already shown his character and toughness by playing through an undiagnosed case of Type I Diabetes in 2007. He got healthy and had great stats in 2008. Perhaps being on the Bears will have a maturation effect on him. Chicagoans will be watching his every move. And after all, if he messes up, he'll have to answer to his parents, lifelong Chicago Bears fans.
Part One recapped the events leading up to the Jay Cutler trade and considered issues of personality, attitude, and behavior. Part Two will consider the 2009 football implications.
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