Is Shanny Really Trying To Get Jay Cutler Back?

[MartinC]

You know what my greatest fear is?

That McNabb plays well to finish the season and looks like the QB we all know he can be and still chooses to leave anyway.

-about Beck he would need to start playing within the next 2 years (probably as soone as next year) to have a shot at being a starter for us

assuming the new CBA has the franchise tag - and its hard to think it will not - then McNabb may not have the choice of walking at the end of the year.

Winning fixes lots of things. If we can win another 6 games and get to 10-6, get to the playoffs (even if we lose in the wildcard game) and McNabb plays well all this benching stuff will be forgotten and McNabb will sign a deal which keeps him here 3 or 4 more years.

I think the lack of a new CBA has more to do with McNabb not being extended than anything else.

[megared]

Good points man-

Lets look at the tale of the tape so to speak

Week 14 they lost to a very good Panther team (12-4), Cutler was 21-33 173 yds- 1 td- 1 int- defense gave up 30 points

Week 15 they lost to the Bills (7-9) Cutler was 25-45 for 345 yds- 1 int- ran for 2 tds- defense gave up 30 points

Week 16 they lost to the Chargers (8-8) Cutler was 33-49 316 yds 2 ints -1 td- and the defense gave up 52 points.

While I agree Cutler shares some blames, it appears as tho he was giving maxximum effort, and that the defense did not show up.

That's why looking at a stat sheet doesn't tell the whole story...

That Panthers game, Denver only got across the 50 yard line three times. One of those was in garbage time. Offensively, they did nothing that entire game, and gave the ball to the Panthers inside their own 25 twice off of turnovers.

The Bills game wasn't a blow out and Denver had plenty of opportunities in that game. Buffalo went up 30-23 with close to 9 minutes left in the game. Denver's next possession, Cutler drives the Broncos down to the Bills' 15, where he throws an interception. They get the ball back one more time from their own 39 with a chance to tie/win, and drive down to the Bills' 20 where they then go 4 and out to end the game.

San Diego may be the only game you have a legitimate argument. But Cutler, true to form, throws an interception deep in his own territory in this game too, which effectively ends this game with 10 minutes left in the 3rd.

[scott.sharrer]

I think the lack of a new CBA has more to do with McNabb not being extended than anything else.

This has already been stated publicly in regards to McNabb and about 20-30 other players already this year. No owner is going to want to sign a player to a long deal or large money deal until they know what is coming next year. Yes some players have signed long term contracts already this year, but not very many. There are more players who are waiting till the offseason then any year in the past. They are just as worried as owners are in regards to the new CBA

[scott.sharrer]

That's why looking at a stat sheet doesn't tell the whole story...

That Panthers game, Denver only got across the 50 yard line three times. One of those was in garbage time. Offensively, they did nothing that entire game, and gave the ball to the Panthers inside their own 25 twice off of turnovers.

The Bills game wasn't a blow out and Denver had plenty of opportunities in that game. Buffalo went up 30-23 with close to 9 minutes left in the game. Denver's next possession, Cutler drives the Broncos down to the Bills' 15, where he throws an interception. They get the ball back one more time from their own 39 with a chance to tie/win, and drive down to the Bills' 20 where they then go 4 and out to end the game.

San Diego may be the only game you have a legitimate argument. But Cutler, true to form, throws an interception deep in his own territory in this game too, which effectively ends this game with 10 minutes left in the 3rd.

Using a teams D to rate the QB is crazy. A great QB can overcome the shortfalls of a D I would say (just a random guess here) 60% of the time. Just look at Manning and how many 90-98 yard TD drives he has had.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

Now, don't get me wrong, I'd be for drafting our OWN franchise QB as my first choice. But, in defense of Cutler, I don't think one 3-game stretch is a fair indictment of a QB. Couldn't we point to any of McNabb's 4 NFC Championship Game losses (3 of which were at home, I believe). Couldn't we point to Manning's failures in the playoffs until recently? Also, you mention Romo sits to pee as a choker, but having a QB of his caliber would be a huge upgrade over our situation of the past 10 years.

No, because McNabb and Manning at least GOT TO the playoffs and the conference championship games...losing that game is a long, LONG way from losing three games in a row when a post-season birth is on the line.

You have to put it in context: Go look at McNabb's stats in the postseason and at the end of the majority of each season in his career...then compare it to what I just described about Cutler lol. Night. And. Day:

December performance over the last three seasons:

Cutler: 18 TDs, 15 INTs

McNabb: 18 TDs, 6 INTs

December records over the last three seasons:

Cutler: 6-8

McNabb: 10-4

Postseason production over the last three seasons:

Cutler: N/A

McNabb: 6 TDs, 5 INTs, 2-2 with an NFC Championship Game appearance.

And it gets even worse when you compare McNabb's stats and achievements during HIS 1st 4 years in the league to what Cutler has done so far.

So, no, in my eyes you can not say the same thing about McNabb that you can say about Cutler. It would be an insult to equate the two in that particular area in any way, shape or form.

[darrelgreenie]

assuming the new CBA has the franchise tag - and its hard to think it will not - then McNabb may not have the choice of walking at the end of the year.

Winning fixes lots of things. If we can win another 6 games and get to 10-6, get to the playoffs (even if we lose in the wildcard game) and McNabb plays well all this benching stuff will be forgotten and McNabb will sign a deal which keeps him here 3 or 4 more years.

I think the lack of a new CBA has more to do with McNabb not being extended than anything else.

I hope you're right, bro.

I hope you're right.

For the most part i feel the same way but the thought lingers in the back of mind McNabb could play well and both parties could still choose to part ways.

Lets hope McNabb kicks ass the rest of the season.

HTTR!

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Cali,

To me, the only relevant statistic you showed is the TD/INT ratio in December games. The team accomplishments and records are pretty tough to compare given the teams on which the two QBs played. Again, I'm not going to argue too hard in defense of Cutler, but he was on a flawed team in Denver (no defense) and not a juggernaut in Chicago last year. McNabb, on the other hand, was on a team that had established itself as the class of the NFC East over the past decade.

I will also concede that it's not perfect to compare a December regular season failure to a playoff game failure, but it's all we can do to try to show "big game" situations. Of course, McNabb getting to the playoffs is more impressive. I just think it's too early to judge Cutler based on only his body of work. Unlike McNabb, Cutler still has the potential to improve and grow and become more than he is today.

In the end though, not only do I believe there's virtually no chance Cutler ends up here, but I'm very much in favor of taking another stab at DRAFTING our franchise QB. It might be just my perception, but it seems like a higher percentage of high draft picks are panning out these days (Flacco, Ryan, Rodgers, Rivers, Manning, Big Ben, Stafford, Freeman, etc.), so I'd like to see if we could set ourselves up with a guy we can build around for the next decade.

[konga2145]

I think you may be going out on a bit of a limb there. McNabb has been playing average, at best. Obviously, the rest of the offense takes part of the blame as well; that is the same with any QB. But I don't think McNabb was a main reason we won the games we have. I would put that more on the defense getting turnovers and scoring points. There are at least 2 games that we won solely because of a turnover made into a TD.

Like every qb it seems fans always blame them for losses and they never get credit for wins, which is in this case.

[megared]

I wasn't judging Denver's defense by its statistical ranking.

Just look at the amount of points given up during the Cutler era...

2007- Def points allowed: 25.6/g

2008- Def points allowed: 28.0/g

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/den/2007.htm

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/den/2008.htm

But what percentage of that number is contributed by Cutler throwing INTs, or fumbling deep in their own territory? It isn't fair to look at the amount of points given up without holding the offense accountable for turnovers that directly lead to points.

A quick look shows that for 2007:

Week 2: Cutler intercepted giving Oakland the ball at DEN 46

Cutler sacked for safety

Cutler intercepted...pick 6

Week 4: Cutler intercepted, giving Indianapolis the ball at DEN 24

Week 6: Cutler intercepted, giving Pittsburgh the ball at DEN 41

Week 10: Cutler intercepted, giving Kansas City the ball at DEN 40

Week 12: Cutler intercepted, giving Chicago the ball at DEN 27

Week 13: Cutler intercepted, giving Oakland the ball at DEN 27

Cutler fumbles, giving Oakland the ball at DEN 12

Cutler intercepted, giving Oakland the ball at DEN 43

Week 16: Cutler fumbles, giving San Diego the ball at DEN 16

[scott.sharrer]

But what percentage of that number is contributed by Cutler throwing INTs, or fumbling deep in their own territory? It isn't fair to look at the amount of points given up without holding the offense accountable for turnovers that directly lead to points.

A quick look shows that for 2007:

Week 2: Cutler intercepted giving Oakland the ball at DEN 46

Cutler sacked for safety

Cutler intercepted...pick 6

Week 4: Cutler intercepted, giving Indianapolis the ball at DEN 24

Week 6: Cutler intercepted, giving Pittsburgh the ball at DEN 41

Week 10: Cutler intercepted, giving Kansas City the ball at DEN 40

Week 12: Cutler intercepted, giving Chicago the ball at DEN 27

Week 13: Cutler intercepted, giving Oakland the ball at DEN 27

Cutler fumbles, giving Oakland the ball at DEN 12

Cutler intercepted, giving Oakland the ball at DEN 43

Week 16: Cutler fumbles, giving San Diego the ball at DEN 16

This post proves that there are too many intangibles to make an accurate comparison either a)between two different QBs under the same system but different teammates or 2)The same player under different systems. In order to accurately compare them, you really need to take into account every single stat, even those not tracked by the NFL AND the outcome of every play involving that player

[darrelgreenie]

Like every qb it seems fans always blame them for losses and they never get credit for wins, which is in this case.

Who's blaming McNabb?

There's a difference between disagreeing that McNabb is the reason we're 4-4 then in blaming him.

[texasthunder]

So basically the senarios for our future QB situation is:

1) McNabb stays for 2,3 or 4 more years, Skins draft a QB and groom him as the future

2) McNabb leaves, the Skins make a trade for ___________________ QB (whoever).

3) Mcnabb leaves, Grossman takes over, and the Skins draft a QB for the future.

I apologise as I forgot Beck was 30 yrs old, so he is nothing more then a back up role.

[darrelgreenie]

I apologise as I forgot Beck was 30 yrs old, so he is nothing more then a back up role.

Why does Beck being 30 rule him out?

I think he Beck has as good if not a better chance then Grossman in scenario 3)Mcnabb leaves, Grossman takes over, and the Skins draft a QB for the future

[texasthunder]

Why does Beck being 30 rule him out?

I think he Beck has as good if not a better chance then Grossman in scenario 3)Mcnabb leaves, Grossman takes over, and the Skins draft a QB for the future

I was only ruling him out as in terms of grooming a young qb for the future.

And hell yes, I would rather see Beck in the game then Grossman.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I was only ruling him out as in terms of grooming a young qb for the future.

And hell yes, I would rather see Beck in the game then Grossman.

I agree with that if those are our two options next year.

[ExoDus84]

Hell no. Cutler is not a great QB. His decision making is terrible. I'd much rather keep Mcnabb, than trade for the INT machine.

[Shanahanigans]

Good points man-

Lets look at the tale of the tape so to speak

Week 14 they lost to a very good Panther team (12-4), Cutler was 21-33 173 yds- 1 td- 1 int- defense gave up 30 points

Week 15 they lost to the Bills (7-9) Cutler was 25-45 for 345 yds- 1 int- ran for 2 tds- defense gave up 30 points

Week 16 they lost to the Chargers (8-8) Cutler was 33-49 316 yds 2 ints -1 td- and the defense gave up 52 points.

While I agree Cutler shares some blames, it appears as tho he was giving maxximum effort, and that the defense did not show up.

Thanks for the bigger picture. Yes, there are a lot of reasons for that. Yes, Cutler shares some of the blame for that. Did the stats say that on the last play of the Buffalo game, 4th down, that Brandon Stokley had the ball in his hands in the end zone and let it slip? Both of them shared some blame as Cutler overthrew the same pass on the play right before it. The stats don't tell you also that the headsets were inoperable for a good period of time and Cutler had to run to the sidelines to get the plays, then execute? Talk about momentum killer. Take a look at how many delay of game penalties we had. This game was a difficult one because we should have won it, but it seemed that everything just went wrong.

But the bigger picture is the mentality that you go in with when your defense can't stop anybody. You go in thinking you HAVE TO SCORE on every drive. You take chances on plays instead of playing safe because you can't end the drive with a punt. A lot of people don't understand that. In the Hochuli game, (Game 2 San Diego) everybody praised Shanahan for making a gutsy call by calling the 2-pt conversion. It wasn't gutsy, it was a no brainer. He didn't want the D back on the field and our best chance was Cutler & our receivers. They pulled it off that time, but they couldn't do it every time.

[Hollywood1127]

I don't think Shanahan will get Cutler back. Redskins gave up a lot to get McNabb on this team. I don't think we are going to let a good QB go to waste by letting some Denver loving coach sacrafice that for a QB that can barely handle defensive preasure. Loo at what the Giants defense did t the Bears. Imagine how Cutler would be under our O-Line and playing the Giants twice a season. He would be running for his life. McNabb on the other hand can make some what of a decent run for a first down. Not to mention, Cutler threw 4 interceptions to DeAngelo Hall when we played them. Maybe there is a bit of favortism going on because both Shanahan and Cutler knew each other in Denver. Either way, I don't see Bruce Allen letting Shanahan rid the team of McNabb.

[alwaysaskin]

If we get Cutler I may throw myself into a brick wall at full speed. Seriously. I want nothing to do with the guy.

+1 The last thing I want to see is Baron Sulky von Sulkmeister and his parade of bad decisions, interceptions, holding the ball too long and his piss poor attitude with this team

[icbmayday]

I highly doubt there is any truth to this

[GoDeep81]

Who knows what the hell Shanny is tryin to do.. Not a whole lot of his decisions are making much sence here lately.. Hopeing there's a positive change coming!!

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

I don't think Shanahan will get Cutler back. Redskins gave up a lot to get McNabb on this team. I don't think we are going to let a good QB go to waste by letting some Denver loving coach sacrafice that for a QB that can barely handle defensive preasure. Loo at what the Giants defense did t the Bears. Imagine how Cutler would be under our O-Line and playing the Giants twice a season. He would be running for his life. McNabb on the other hand can make some what of a decent run for a first down. Not to mention, Cutler threw 4 interceptions to DeAngelo Hall when we played them. Maybe there is a bit of favortism going on because both Shanahan and Cutler knew each other in Denver. Either way, I don't see Bruce Allen letting Shanahan rid the team of McNabb.

Bruce Allen would have no choice in the matter.

[The Fax]

There's something about Cutler that just irks me. I mean the kid does indeed have talent, but I just have this gut feeling that he will never win anything in this league. His aura just bleeds the scent of career loser. I don't think he is a guy whose teammates can look at and have confidence in. I don't know if this is fair of me to say, but from Cutlers body language, numerous interviews I've seen him conduct, and the handful of games of seen him play dating back to his Vanderbilt days, it just seems like he doesn't have what it takes mentally to lead any team to a superbowl. Now don't get me wrong, I am not a Cutler hater, in fact, he is one of my favorite QB's to watch in the league. And as much as it pains me to say this, he really has failed to prove to me that he's anything but a tease to this point.

I think Jay was starting to get it his 3rd season with the Broncos until Shanahan was fired. Had he stayed in Denver 1 or 2 more seasons I think Cutler would have improved vastly, as he did from his 2nd-3rd year not only statistically, but mentally too. Cutler needs a coach like MS that has some credentials with Hall of Famers like Steve Young and John Elway. It's really a shame that they had to part ways. Would I like to see them re-unite? Of course, and I'm sure they would too. Unfortunately, I just don't see it happening.

[Frostx08]

Yeah, i'd hate to have anyone who is a junior of a Hall of Famer, super bowl winning QB and who holds every record in the league. But seriously, I'd like to have Cutler here as long as D Hall plays WR.

...Brett Favre has been just as bad as he's been good.The amount of interceptions he has amazes me and to top it all off...he has the fumbling record as well

I would say no to Brett Favre...and Brett Favre Jr. Funny though because Brett Favre can also be called a raw gunslinging talent and that rawness is still apparent to this day

[Frostx08]

There's something about Cutler that just irks me. I mean the kid does indeed have talent, but I just have this gut feeling that he will never win anything in this league. His aura just bleeds the scent of career loser. I don't think he is a guy whose teammates can look at and have confidence in. I don't know if this is fair of me to say, but from Cutlers body language, numerous interviews I've seen him conduct, and the handful of games of seen him play dating back to his Vanderbilt days, it just seems like he doesn't have what it takes mentally to lead any team to a superbowl. Now don't get me wrong, I am not a Cutler hater, in fact, he is one of my favorite QB's to watch in the league. And as much as it pains me to say this, he really has failed to prove to me that he's anything but a tease to this point.

I think Jay was starting to get it his 3rd season with the Broncos until Shanahan was fired. Had he stayed in Denver 1 or 2 more seasons I think Cutler would have improved vastly, as he did from his 2nd-3rd year not only statistically, but mentally too. Cutler needs a coach like MS that has some credentials with Hall of Famers like Steve Young and John Elway. It's really a shame that they had to part ways. Would I like to see them re-unite? Of course, and I'm sure they would too. Unfortunately, I just don't see it happening.

If I'm not mistaken...the Broncos were 7-4 in 2006 under Jake Plummer(despite his poor play). I'm not sure of the accuracy of this....but from what I read elsewhere the decision to bench Plummer for Cutler split the locker room and the rest of the players didn't necessarily warm up to it. The Broncos went on to lose 3 of their last 5 games and Cutler actually never made the playoffs in his tenure there.