Shanahan running out of options

Matthew Hill, Special to the News

Published December 12, 2006 at midnight

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Two common philosophies exist concerning when to play rookie quarterbacks. One allows the quarterback to ride the pine for a season or two while learning the NFL game. When his time comes, he takes the field confident and prepared. The other involves giving him the keys to the offense on day one.

The second option is carried out to put fans in the seats and accommodate owners who don’t want to watch their multimillion-dollar investments stand on the sideline. However, a season of rookie mistakes could leave a kid’s confidence shattered. Option two’s saving grace is that when the rookie starts from day one, everyone understands playoffs aren’t likely. He’s allowed to learn on the job and end the season with his swagger intact.

Always the innovator, Shanahan presented us with a third option.

The Shanahan Option calls for the rookie to watch while his team mounts a playoff drive. As soon as the team loses a pair of games, the coach will panic and insert the rookie into the lineup with the hope that his mere presence will fix every problem that led to the two loses.

One major concern surrounds the Shanahan Option – no one knows what’ll happen to the rookie if he plays poorly and the team misses the playoffs.

While we don’t know the long-term effects of the Shanahan option, we do know the immediate results have been disastrous.

Cutler has been mediocre at best. His mistakes led directly to a loss in his first start. His second start featured a strong third quarter, which mattered little in light of the 36-yard, two-fumble performance that contributed to a 25-point halftime deficit. He wasn’t ready to start under these conditions; no desperate attempt to justify his promotion changes this.

While Cutler’s play was an obvious factor in the two losses, the Charger blowout underscored some glaring defensive weaknesses.

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers came into Sunday’s game struggling in back-to-back games. Denver helped get him back on track. The lack of a consistent pass rush allowed Rivers time to find whichever receiver was being covered by Darrent Williams.

Williams showed he was still the same guy that was humiliated by Reggie Wayne in the Week 8 loss to the Colts. Williams turned average receivers, Vincent Jackson and Eric Parker, into stars, leaving his man open deep on three separate occasions.

Don’t think that the suddenly surging Arizona Cardinals, as well as the always pass-happy Cincinnati Bengals aren’t eagerly anticipating putting up big numbers with their stud receiving corps. Champ Bailey neutralizing the opponent’s No. 1 is pointless when the "other receiver" is named Boldin or Houshmandzadeh and draws coverage from Darrent Williams.

The Cardinals and Bengals will pass their way to victories, extending the Bronco losing streak to six. The season will mercifully end with a victory over a run-reliant 49er team, leaving the Broncos at .500. Cutler however finishes 1-4.

We’ll find out next season if 1-4 was the most costly result of the Shanahan Option.

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