I've watched Jay Cutler for all of his years at Vanderbilt (almost every game live or on television) and now for all of his games with the Broncos. I have also, of course, seen Jake Plummer with the Broncos this year and in prior years.
A few observations on the Broncos season and Jay Cutler:
1) This Denver passing offense was designed, quite understandably, for Jake Plummer's strengths and not Jay Cutler's strengths. You don't need to roll Jay out of the pocket the way you needed to roll Jake out. I hope for and expect some offensive changes this offseason that will keep Jay better protected in the pocket.
2) Jay Cutler has looked a lot more comfortable in the shotgun this year in the NFL. He and the center seemed to have some trouble with the exchange at times and I think that the shotgun gave Jay a little more time to survey the field. I think working with the center from training camp through the season will help, as he's not an unbalanced QB who has trouble dropping back and paying attention at the same time.
3) A lot of commentators say that Jay can make throws that very few quarterbacks can make and say he can throw it 80 yards, etc. I will say this, Jay can complete passes that very few other quarterbacks can complete. I remember a guy named Michael Bishop -- JUCO, then K-State, then, I think, New England, bouncity bounce, CFL -- who could throw (read "heave") the thing down the field as far as anybody I've ever seen. This, of course, is terrific if you throw the javelin and are hoping to qualify for the next Olympics. It's not as useful in football, as Michael Bishop, Heath Shuler, Patrick Ramsey and others can attest. Jay is not in that "heaver" mold and is a very accurate passer.
4) Jay will throw these darts in the red zone and especially at the goal line that most QBs have no business throwing, and if you slow it down with instant replay, you will give yourself a heart attack watching them. He can play in very tiny windows, and I mean that as a compliment. See the TD pass to Tony S. along the goalline or in the game winning TD pass in the endzone to beat the University of Tennessee.
5) Jay did his best work this year with a rookie RB, a rookie WR, a rookie TE and an undersized offensive line that most would agree had some pass protection shortcomings. Rod Smith, one of my favorite NFL players over the years, played very old for most of the season.
6) I personally wouldn't mind at all if the Broncos traded Javon Walker for some draft picks. He exhibited -- how shall we say? -- "selective effort" from play to play, something for which I have no respect. Maybe Favre would like him back for another farewell tour. Maybe Daniel M. Snyder would like to make Walker a Redskin. Snyder's always willing to overpay for undertalent. Perhaps, just maybe, Javon Walker will return to the Broncos and play with a more uniform energy level next season. Maybe then he'll work harder to get open on the shorter routes, perhaps routes over the middle, not just these blow-by routes. Maybe then he'll get the ball more often.
7) Al Wilson's injury affected the defensive side of the ball quite a bit. He's a terrific player.
8) John Lynch is terrible in pass coverage. He's a run thumper. He's a popular guy, but there's no telling how much better the coverage would be without him.
9) It seemed as though the defensive line got slower and slower as the season moved on.
10) The secondary was a universe of underperformers circling around Champ Bailey, who was at Georgia and is now, one of the most remarkable athletes I have ever seen. Did you know he can long jump almost 26 feet? Measure that out some time. For many of you, from your living room couch to your mailbox is less than 26 feet.
11) The coaching staff's play calling in the Red Zone in the San Francisco game was deplorable.
12) Cutler, Marshall, Scheffler, and Bell -- That's a good group of rookies who played pretty well this year.
13) Tatum Bell -- Everything Rudi Johnson is, Tatum Bell isn't. The team needs to do better at the running back position.
14) Maybe a package deal with the Redskins: Tatum Bell and Javon Walker for whatever draft picks Daniel Snyder hasn't already dealt away.
15) Those people who saw the collective team talent in Denver at the start of the season and thought "Super Bowl Champions" were smoking something other than your traditional Turkish blend.
not cause you say I'm correct, but you get it. Coyer's playcalling was horrible this year. His refusal to blitz at any time considering all they did was blitz last year. Oh my Ekuban on LT was horrible, and then on top of that how many times did Kenard Lang make downfield tackles, that shouldn't happen. One thing though about DWill and Wayne, he did have some help, the problem wasn't DWill, it was Lynch. He was soooooo slow to provide over the top help for Wayne it didn't matter. Lynch needs to go, age has caught up to this guy.Special Teams was a joke on coverage and returns. Quincy Morgan helped a lot in the last few games with the return game, he gave them decent field position. But coverage was brutal. Coyer and Special Teams coach Ronnie Bradford should be fired. Denver has to stop looking at the special teams coach as a place to groom futures assistant coaches, they need to bring in a specialist for this position. In the past they have used the Special Teams coach has a learning ground to be promoted elsewhere.I'm still a firm believer in this team, but they do have holes. DT, S, OL, WR3 all have to be addressed, and then RB depth.
