Plummer takes news with 'class'

Shanahan says QB will do everything he can to help team

Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

ENGLEWOOD - Broncos coach Mike Shanahan called it a "tough part of this business" but said he was impressed with the way Jake Plummer handled his demotion Monday.

Shanahan met individually with Jay Cutler, his new starting quarterback, and Plummer, his former one, Monday morning to inform them of the lineup change.

And it meant that, for the first time in his 10-year NFL career, Plummer had lost the starting job.

Asked how Plummer handled the meeting Shanahan said: "Class. I don't think, obviously, he likes the move. Any competitor would not like the move, but he's a winner, he's going to do everything he can to help this football team. He knows he's one play away from being the starter. He's going to do everything he can do to help us win, which really doesn't surprise me."

Cutler said he and Plummer spoke through the day, as the players attended a morning team meeting and went through a 70-minute practice in the afternoon. Cutler took the snaps with the starting offense.

Cutler might even get a few more snaps this week than Plummer would have normally taken with the starters as the Broncos try to get the rookie up to speed to face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in Invesco Field at Mile High.

"I talked to Jake a couple times (Monday)," Cutler said. "Jake's a good guy, he's been great here . . . We kind of talked about that it didn't change anything between me and him, he's going to be there for me. It's good to have him around."

"(Plummer) is still a great player," Broncos tight end Stephen Alexander said. "We all still have confidence in him. That's just the way it goes sometimes. But we know he's going to do whatever it takes to help the situation."

Plummer, who did not want to speak publicly after the team's practice, has been a starting quarterback since the eighth game of his rookie season (1997).

"Jake has done a lot of great things for this organization; Jake plays extremely hard," Shanahan said. "Jake gives you everything he's got. Yeah, it is tough, you've got a relationship with a guy, a guy who's busted his rear end for you, to call him in and say, 'Hey, I'm going a different direction.' That's tough, that's the tough part of this business."

A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE: He spent more time with the top three quarterback prospects in this past April's draft than any other NFL head coach, so the Titans' Jeff Fisher took a moment in his usual Monday media gathering to express optimism about Cutler's chances of success.

Because the Titans had the No. 3 pick and were expected to be the first team to select a quarterback - they were and took Vince Young - team officials got private workouts and extended interviews with all three of the prospects that most teams did not get.

"I've said this many times: All three quarterbacks that we evaluated prior to the draft were going to be very good and be successful in this league and play at a high level," Fisher said of Cutler, Young and (the Cardinals') Matt Leinart.

"This is a very unique year. We'll have to see how Jay (Cutler) does. We have confidence in Jay. We felt like Jay could do similar things here. We really liked Jay, but those three quarterbacks are special. They all come from different backgrounds, but all three, in my opinion, are going to be successful."

INJURY REPORT: Tight end Chad Mustard, who suffered a shoulder separation in Thursday's loss to the Chiefs, and tackle Adam Meadows were the only players held out of Monday's practice.

Meadows suffered a left hamstring injury, the same hamstring he injured in training camp, and is a question mark for Sunday night's game.

George Foster, whom Meadows had replaced in the lineup the past three games, finished the game against the Chiefs and would start against the Seahawks if Meadows can't play.

Mustard is expected to practice some this week and will likely be available to play.

ETC.: The Broncos must make a decision today about wide receiver Domenik Hixon. Hixon, who suffered a fractured bone in his left foot, has been on the team's non-football injury list because it occurred in a pre-draft workout. But under league rules, the Broncos have been able to put him into practice the past three weeks to gauge his recovery and conditioning. That window ended Monday, and the Broncos must either place him on the reserve list or add him to the active roster. To add him to the 53-man roster, they would have to release another player today . . . After the holiday weekend - players had Friday, Saturday and Sunday off - Shanahan piled on some conditioning work at the end of Monday's practice. Players ran 10 100-yard dashes.