C'est mort
Even without serious competition from a backup, the Broncos had themselves a quarterback controversy Friday.
Jay Cutler, the Broncos' starting quarterback, the franchise, the one player who carried all hope for a greater future, believes his days with the team are numbered — even after a proposed deal that would have sent him to Tampa Bay and Matt Cassel to Denver never materialized.
"My understanding at this point is they're trying to trade me," Cutler said this afternoon. "We'll see where I end up at. I liked it here, I liked playing with these guys but obviously they're not going to let me have that opportunity."
The deal had Tampa Bay trying to acquire Cutler in exchange for a first-round draft pick. In turn, the Broncos would have traded the first-round draft pick to New England in exchange for quarterback Matt Cassel.
McDaniels was the Patriots' offensive coordinator last season when he helped guide Cassel, a career-long backup, to an 11-5 record and 89.4 passer rating that ranked 10th in the league.
It may be important to note, Tampa Bay initiated the deal. And they weren't the only team that inquired about acquiring Cutler.
"He's not the only person in the last few days we've received calls on," McDaniels said. "We've received trade calls on a number of players, which is not uncommon this time of the year. I also think the sensitivity of the other trade that was occurring, with my relationship with New England and the whole Cassel thing, I think that stirred the pot even more."
And then McDaniels made a point of emphasis: "We don't want to trade Jay. We never did. He's our quarterback. We're excited about this season. And excited about what we're doing here in free agency to improve our team."
Cassel was instead traded Saturday to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for the No. 34 overall pick in the upcoming draft.
Nevertheless, Cutler was shaken his team entertained moving him, and doesn't believe such a possibility is dead.
"I'm upset. I mean I'm really shocked at this point," he said. "I could see why they want Cassel. I don't know if they think I can't run the system or I don't have the skills for it. I just don't get it. Or if they don't think they can sign me with my next contract. I just don't know what it is. I've heard I'm still on the trading block."
Cutler has three years left on the six-year contract he signed prior to his rookie season. He said Broncos officials denied they were trying to him in a conversation with his agent Bus Cook. Cutler added that after the proposed deal spread through the Internet, the team cut off communication with Cook.
Had the proposed trade gone through, it would have been a head-scratcher from the Broncos' standpoint. Cutler is a first-round talent. He was picked No. 11 overall in the 2006 draft and if the league re-did that draft today, Cutler might go No. 2, behind only Houston defensive end Mario Williams.
Cassel, meanwhile, did not start one game at quarterback at USC and never started in the NFL until this, his fourth season.
Granted, he played behind Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and Tom Brady at New England. But Cassel doesn't have near the arm strength or big-play capability of Cutler, whose 4,526 yards ranked only behind Drew Brees and Kurt Warner among NFL quarterbacks last season.
If Cutler is not traded, and he stays with the Broncos, can his situation be mended? Cutler took a long pause before answering.
"Anything can be mended," he said. "I'll always play with the guys we've got. I love playing for those guys. Obviously, Josh and I's relationship has taken a few steps backward. I don't play for the coaches anyway, I play for teammates. As long as we keep the guys we've got I'll go out there and play. I love those guys."
Cutler said he had spoken with teammates Brandon Marshall, Brandon Stokley, Tony Scheffler and Casey Wiegmann, among others, about his trade.
"I know they love playing for me and I love playing for them," Cutler said. "There's going to be a lot of problems if they try to trade me. Well, they've already tried to trade me, but if they trade me for sure."
Jay est tres énervé et a demandé a etre trader. Il se dit que McDaniels chercherait toujours a trader Jay.
La relation Cutler / McDaniels s'est détérioré, vu que McDaniels était un QB coach et qu'il appellera les jeux je pense que vu la situation Jay va etre trader.
Je suis honnetement en train de me demander si ce n'est pas un coup de Bellicheat tout ca. Pour la 1ere fois Bellicheat n'a pas cherché a retenir un coach, on peut meme dire qu'il l'a laissé partir facilement sans le retenir bien au contraire, déja c'est louche. Bellicheat ne remplace pas le post de McDaniels, encore plus louche non?
En fait j'ai comme l'impression que McDaniels a pour but de foutre la merde a Denver en tradant LE joueur des Broncos, qui impliquera certainement le départ de B-Marsh et Scheffler du coup de faire une saison de merde, se faire virer en laissant une équipe a la rue et de revenir prendre son poste a New England.
Fuck you McDaniels
Bowlen fait ton taf et vire moi ce clown
