LINCICOME: Cutler less clueless than was Favre

Published October 30, 2007 at midnight

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Not yet, young Cutler.

It is not as simple as that for Brett Favre, to take the first snap in overtime, step back and heave the ball to Greg Jennings for the winning touchdown to beat the Broncos, and yet does it seem so.

Having been reminded more than once that, upon seeing Favre for the first time I concluded that he had as much chance of being an NFL quarterback as a lamp post, an early review of Jay Cutler — the new Favre — could be dead wrong.

Still, you work with the evidence you have, and there on Invesco Field on Monday night were the two of them, yesterday and tomorrow, the result and the wish.

The first play of the night is Faux Favre, more Jake Plummer from Cutler, a push pass after a roll out toward Chad Mustard, ball dropped, more from surprise than velocity, but three plays later it could have been Favre whipping a ball to Tony Scheffler into double coverage. First down.

In those moments of gasp-inducing daring, the similarities are obvious, but also clear are moments of head-slapping disbelief.

Favre’s first series yielded the same result, a punt, but yet seemed more wrapped in majesty, certainly with a greater sense of anticipation, there being all those moments behind him, those still ahead.

There was the sense of the historic on this night, mainly because of Favre’s history rather than real evidence of Cutler’s emergence, the football equivalent of Billy the Kid facing Wyatt Earp or, in a sports sense, maybe the young Marciano and the antique Louis.

To know now how it will turn out for Cutler is no easier now than it was then knowing how it would turn out for Favre, who had as contemporaries the likes of Vinny Testaverde and Jim Harbaugh, but would be measured against established standards like Dan Marino and John Elway and Joe Montana.

Favre is the football equivalent of a lingering Roger Clemens or the last bit of defiance from a Jimmy Connors, similar to the post-mature refusal to leave of Michael Jordan.

Still worth the attention, still capable of grand magic.

To illustrate the two, at this stage and at this arc of ambition, not just the last two drives, but the second series for each exemplifies the difference.

Toiling diligently and at the explicit direction of his coach, the mind of Mike Shanahan made visible, Cutler worked the field like a baker kneading dough, punch, pound, toss, and there was Cutler with the first touchdown, a 5-yard toss to a tight end, Tony Scheffler in this case.

And just as it seems perfectly reasonable to believe that Cutler might have the edge, on the next play from scrimmage Favre steps under center, takes a three-step drop, considers wide receiver James Jones (being covered by the formidable Champ Bailey)and whips the ball out and up for a 79-yard touchdown.

It was the act of a confident master with imagination doing the possible and an obedient servant on a leash doing his duty.

It was the difference between lighting and erosion. Then and later.

The game settled into something shoddy, penalties and poor play all around, with a fumble at the one by Cutler and a holding penalty on Brandon Marshall negating a run to the five by Selvin Young, or neither the grunt-and-fret 12-play drive by Cutler to tie nor the 82-yard winner to Jennings by Favre would have been necessary.

There is almost a careless insolence to Favre, not so much disrespect for his opponent as a raw will to not lose.

As Cutler chipped and chopped in the drive that took all of the last 2:27 of the clock to set up Jason Elam’s tying field goal, Favre sat stolidly on the Green Bay bench, ready for what he had to do next, if anything.

A coin flip and a whip of Favre’s arm later and the Broncos are again on the losing side of the ledger.

The truth is that Cutler will never become what Favre became unless he is allowed the freedom that Favre always assumed. Favre always dared to fail and defied control, never the automaton that Peyton Manning seems nor the system clerk that Tom Brady is, and yet still here when they are.

To imagine Cutler to be as strong, as effective and as accomplished as Favre in the year 2022 is to imagine no more than what is expected.

Having seen Cutler for 12 games, three-quarters of a full season, and now on the same field as the reigning master, I can conclude that he looks less like the lamp post (meaning clueless, not immobile) than did Favre.

Maybe more like the actual lamp, casting his own light, if still not a very long shadow.

lincicomeb@RockyMountainNews.com

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