Broncos' Cutler doesn't let mistakes take away his aggressiveness
Self-belief, focus on winning erase bad plays quickly
By Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published November 11, 2008 at 10:18 p.m.
Photo by Matt Sullivan / Getty Images
Jay Cutler scrambles for yardage as he rallies the Broncos from a 13-point deficit to a 34-30 victory Thursday against the Browns.
In many ways, the Broncos' fortunes have followed the bouncing ball this season.
* In five wins
| Opponent | Fumbles lost | Int. |
| Oakland | 0 | 0 |
| San Diego | 0 | 1 |
| New Orleans | 1 | 1 |
| Tampa Bay | 1 | 0 |
| Cleveland | 0 | 1 |
* In four losses
| Opponent | Fumbles lost | Int. |
| Kansas City | 2 | 2 |
| Jacksonville | 2 | 1 |
| New England | 3 | 2 |
| Miami | 0 | 3 |
Is Tatum Bell the answer for the Broncos at running back?
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It's the good with the bad, the up with the down, the "Oh, no" with the "Oh, yes."
It's what makes Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler throw a ball where he shouldn't, and it's what makes him still want the ball over and over again with the game on the line.
"That's the one thing I really love about Cutler," Broncos cornerback Dre Bly said. "I've seen a lot of guys play quarterback in this league, looked into their eyes. But (Cutler) can have a bad play, a pick, and he's not going to shy away from anything. He's just going to keep coming at you. That's why he's going to be a great one.
"And at that position, you can't be frightened, be intimidated, you have to always believe in your guys, believe in your system, believe in what you can do, and he does."
Cutler threw for a career-high 447 yards in Cleveland on Thursday. Did it after his 13th throw of the night went for an interception, did it with the Broncos' running game largely a nonfactor - injuries forced Denver to run formations without a running back at times - and did it though his team trailed by as much as 23-10 early in the third quarter.
The third-year veteran, taking the final possession out of the mix when he took a knee twice to end the game, led the Broncos on four scoring drives in their other four second-half possessions, finishing them with a field goal and three touchdown passes.
"I always have confidence when I play," Cutler said. "You can't let things get to you, you have to keep believing in what you do. If you don't, you're probably not the guy to play quarterback."
Just ask his coach.
"There's no question about it, all of the great ones I've been around have the one quality, that they are going to go out there and try to win the game," Mike Shanahan said. "It's a learning process, that you do make mistakes and you do have to learn from them, but those guys have that innate ability to have that feeling of exactly when they have to make the big-time throw, when they have a chance to win the game."
So the Broncos continue to walk the line on their quarterback's learning curve between trying to limit Cutler's mistakes without reining in that get- it-done quality Shanahan said the quarterback showed against Cleveland despite so much working against the offense.
Because, the numbers say, in the current state of affairs on offense, Cutler's mistakes leave a mark on the Broncos' prospects. He has thrown eight interceptions in the team's four losses and three interceptions in the team's five wins.
He had thrown two interceptions and three interceptions in back-to-back losses to New England and Miami before turning in a career-best effort in Cleveland.
"I always go back and look at the interceptions," Cutler said. "You see what you did, what you saw and what you missed. But I'm still confident in my play."
And in the weeks before the 2006 draft, that was the last thing Shanahan crossed off the checklist before deciding the team had to try to get Cutler in the first round. He had seen Cutler run an undermanned Vanderbilt offense against powerhouse Southeastern Conference defenses stacked to stop him.
He saw all of the hits Cutler took behind shaky pass protection at times and that he never missed a game. He saw arm strength and mobility.
"But you want to know a guy has confidence, real confidence and a thick skin," Shanahan said. "Because you can't make that, you can't give that to somebody, you can only refine it because it's in a guy's blood, just the way he played high school ball, college ball, pros.
"You've got to have a level of confidence in your ability. You've just got to tune everything out, you can't think about the consequences. You've got one thing in mind, and that's to try to win the football game."
So with the running game sure to be a question mark for the remainder of the season - Selvin Young still is hurting and the Broncos have four running backs on injured reserve - and their defense starting five backups, the Broncos' fortunes will rest on how Cutler manages his play as the offense tries to avoid turnovers.
In their four losses, the Broncos have lost seven fumbles to go with Cutler's interceptions. The opener is the only game in which the Broncos have not had at least one turnover.
"We can't turn the ball over, we know that, me especially . . . ," Cutler said. "I think the guys are confident, it's just up to me to make the right decisions as much as I possibly can."
Added Shanahan: "Now, sometimes you look at film and say 'Whoa, if I'm in that situation, if I had that over again, I'd probably throw that away or throw it into the ground.' But that's part of it for any quarterback, going through the learning process. But to do the things he did in that game, all four drives, should have been four touchdowns instead of three. I'm just pleased with his ability to keep his composure in an atmosphere like that and still get it done."
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Broncos cheerleaders
November 12, 2008
12:35 a.m.
Suggest removal
LarryB writes:
How many times did we witness John Elway stinking up the joint for three quarters, then taking over and winning the game in the fourth? That's what we saw in Cutler. The great ones take over when it counts.
November 12, 2008
2:11 a.m.
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angryman1n writes:
Larry... I'm guessing the rest of your statement is... "or coughs it up on the four yard line."
I've called Cutsoon's mistakes too many times. He gets too confident, especially in goal line situations.
3rd in yards, 3rd in TDs, ........ 14th in QB rating?
November 12, 2008
7:14 a.m.
Suggest removal
BroncoRick69 writes:
Did angrywoman1n say something?, maybe not.
November 12, 2008
7:14 a.m.
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cmaddog1 writes:
ANGRYMAN, QB rating is so overrated. So if someone like Phylicia Rivers throws 20 completions and 15 of them are within 10 yards from the line of scrimmage. You would consider that successful? That's what your basing your QB rating on. IT'S an OVERRATED STAT.
November 12, 2008
7:43 a.m.
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incognitoboy writes:
angry-
cmaddog1 is right. even elway was only 11th in ratings his 3rd year, and threw a 19TD / 13int season, avg 217.8 yds/game, with an avg 6.9 yd per comp. while throwing 3,485 yds
cutler is on pace for 4,651 yds with his per game avg of 290.7, and has 18td / 11 int through 9 games, 7.6 yds per comp.
if he can keep up the td pace while cutting down int's......do you get the point?
the only thing that should be "cut soon" is your computer time your parents give you and your allowance.
i'd much rather have a qb that was over-confident and made some plays, than one who curled up in a ball and went down when he saw a linebacker bearing down on him! EVERY qb makes mistakes, so get over yourself........
November 12, 2008
7:44 a.m.
Suggest removal
LingLingfor_prez writes:
Go Chargers!
November 12, 2008
8:28 a.m.
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BroncFanFl writes:
LingLing:
You might be a bo(ar)/(re)d mascot when....
you have to root for the wrong team on the right board.
<smiles>
Good to be back and seeing a few familiar faces. Even those that have a penchant for being the fuzzy that sits on another team's MB.
Hello all, again.
November 12, 2008
8:31 a.m.
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bronc4evah writes:
Great observation angrynoman, the last thing you want at the goal line is confidence. All that confidence just literally makes a football pop out of your hands. Your football intelligence is enough to qualify you to work for Detroit.
November 12, 2008
8:39 a.m.
Suggest removal
RockyMts69 writes:
Elway had his days too...remember on his first play of his first game he lined up behind the gaurd and not the center?
When you don't have a running game you pass...and when you pass more than you run, you're INT rating is going to go up.
Look where Vince Young is, or Lienhart...I'll take Cutler ANY day over those two!
November 12, 2008
9:39 a.m.
Suggest removal
Jubei writes:
bronc4eveh:
Couldn't have possibly said it better myself.
I'll take the surplus of confidence that Cutler has over the lack thereof with Brian Griese during his tenure in Denver.
The reactionary types scream for Plummer when Jay throws a pick. But they forget that at the end of his stint, Jake was making the same bonehead decisions as a veteran that Jay makes as a much younger QB.
For not having a running game, and nowhere near the defense that Elway or Plummer had, I am extremely proud and excited for the possibilities with this offense. Imagine how good Jay WILL be when he has a running game and a D that can protect a lead?
November 12, 2008
10:07 a.m.
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Rutabaga writes:
Mr. Angry Guy you should go on a long vacation and eat lots of mangos. I heard the mangos are pretty good in Borneo. If you go there be careful of the natives. They are angry too. Maybe even more angry than you and they don't have a football team to take it out on. And they don't like strangers. Angry strangers really make them mad. On second thought maybe you should stay here. It safer for you....
November 12, 2008
10:07 a.m.
Suggest removal
tom3565 writes:
I think he is (angry) because he was up at two a.m.. Those rating's are voodoo, they use data to represent a given statistic that someone wanted to see. Who invented passer rating by the way, does anyone know? It is also apparent that (angry) does not like Cutler, but the question is who does he like better? I am interested in who he thinks is better, might tell us something about where his true team loyalty resides. Give me a Qb that is not afraid to make mistakes, but can learn from them and become even better! People who are afraid to make mistakes usually make more of them!
November 12, 2008
10:10 a.m.
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Jubei writes:
Speaking of LingLing:
How many of you guys post on the newpapers or team sites of rival teams?
I have never had the inclination to cruise the Chargers, Chiefs, or Raiders boards, and I'm not saying that it is wrong, I'm just curious.
LingLing, you're rooting for the wrong team, but at least you have intelligent thoughts to contribute (with the exception of this thread, of course).
November 12, 2008
10:16 a.m.
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xxx writes:
Look at QB Collins. There's a QB. He doesn't need to count on
squeezing the ball in for a completion. I mean the guy doesn't
always have a lot on it..but the guy can SEE the whole field..every
receiver..not just one in which he needs to rush the ball in there
for a comp.
November 12, 2008
10:18 a.m.
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RockyMts69 writes:
In Elways third season he had thrown 23 interceptions and had 7 fumbles. Denver that year finished 11-5 only behind the L.A. Raiders. And he had a pretty good recieving corp with (Vance Johnson, Steve Sewell, and Steve Watson and Sammy Winder was thier RB)
Is Tatum Bell the answer, we'll have to wait and see. But he was that last running back to rush for over a 1,000 yards. Hated to see Martinez go though...
November 12, 2008
10:23 a.m.
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JCut6JElway7 writes:
Jay Cutler has the potential to be a Tom Brady. When Jake was here he was a tremendous step up from Griese lil pig. BUT Jake's confidence was sometimes more impatience than confidence. Jake had been that way his entire career, Jay hasn't finished his 3rd season yet so let's not even start with the "He throws too many INT's" talk. He's not playing on the same team that Griese lil pig or Jake inherited... he's making this team his own and learning how to be a NFL QB. Jay has confidence in his arm and throws and that's what you need in the NFL. I would rather have that attitude over someone like Eli Manning who's legacy is now in place because of one scramble and throw. Less than 3 years into his NFL career Jay Cutler is way ahead of the QB playing curve.
November 12, 2008
10:38 a.m.
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RustyWon writes:
Ling Ling was gone for a while, but now she's back. Good to see you're still ok.
The chargers are THE most under-achieving and over rated team in the league. They will find no picnic in Pittsburgh this weekend either. The division lead (for whatever it's worth) is safe.
I'd rather have Cutler than any other quarterback in the league. He has talent and guts, is a natural leader, and has earned the respect of team mates and foes alike.
You can't say that about alot of other quarterbacks in the league. Especially "cry me a" rivers.
Go Broncos. Another big game on the road this weekend.
November 12, 2008
11:07 a.m.
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Orange_Crush18 writes:
xxx, you can't be serious. You state "Look at QB Collins. There's a QB. He doesn't need to count on squeezing the ball in for a completion. I mean the guy doesn't always have a lot on it..but the guy can SEE the whole field..every receiver..not just one in which he needs to rush the ball in there for a comp."
I wouldn't yet classify Collins as a QB. How many TDs has he thrown this year? Oh thats right, a whopping 5. He is the product of a team that has one of the best defences and a good running game and compitent recievers. He doesn't play the ball down field, instead plays 5-yard dumps where his players have to make the play. I would take Cutler over Collins any day, and I think that just about every coach in the NFL would do the same.
November 12, 2008
11:59 a.m.
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LingLingfor_prez writes:
Reason why I post here is because I live here. Otherwise, I most likely would not be posting here and making people angry (that is for the Raider's site.) On another note, the Chargers are under-achieving this year (and the division is lousy) but I was a fan when they were 3-lousy. As far as Cutler goes, most of his plays are high risk-high reward. And for those clutch plays, I would think that the more you do them the more confidence you get but you don't know until you actually do those plays. And last but not least, go Chargers!
November 12, 2008
12:40 p.m.
Suggest removal
Jubei writes:
LingLing, I to respect you for sticking with the Bolts back in the days before LT and the rest. At least SD used the high draft picks to find quality players. The Raiders just bench theirs.
I wonder how many Broncos 'fans' became such after the two SB wins? I doubt many of them could honestly say that they were there for the SB beatdowns handed out by the Redskins and the Niners. Man, I still remember thinking that the Broncs would be the ones blowing out the Skins after that first (and only) touchdown. That was the longest night of my life.
November 12, 2008
1:06 p.m.
Suggest removal
Spider writes:
I was a fan since the days of Steve Tensi and Floyd Little. You have to admire Ling Ling if he's been with the Chargers for any length of time. But, before he comes on this site spouting his Charger rants he needs to ask himself "How many SB's have the Chargers won?"
November 12, 2008
4:13 p.m.
Suggest removal
Tuch5280 writes:
As a lifelong and DIEHARD Broncos fan, I, like many of you, constantly keep close watch on what the present is and what the the future will be for this team. I agonized through the Griese and Plummer years. I knew in my heart that neither one of those guys held the talent necessary to be the Broncos quarterback for a long period of time. I also knew that "the quarterback of the future" was just on the horizon. I felt it in my gut.
When #6 was drafted, I was ecstatic. I saw in him the ability to claim the vacant throne left by John and lead the Broncos into the future. However, I also knew there would be a learning process and there would be ups and downs as there are with ANY gun-slinger (i.e. Elway and Favre).
Cutler is young and still learning. At times he is frustrating (very frustrating) but I truly believe he is the quarterback that will lead this team back to where Elway left it...... NFL Supremacy
I'm calling out all of you true Broncos fans.....
Let's be patient and SUPPORT OUR QB!!!
November 12, 2008
4:47 p.m.
Suggest removal
bronc4evah writes:
Hey, some of Cutler's "mistakes" were a result of a reciever not being where they were supposed to be on a timing route. I've yet to hear Cutler call anyone out for this and is a sign of his maturity. He is and will continue to be a great quarterback.
November 12, 2008
6:11 p.m.
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glacierdude writes:
LingLingfor_prez.....you are aware that they have newspapers in San Diego??? I see where you say you post here because you live here and that's all well and good...I certainly don't care. There's no law that says your opinion has to reside in the same town as you do. But it is possible, I'm fairly certain, for you to discuss your team amongst your own people if you want to. Just a thought. With the miracle of the internet you can participate in this sort of thing all over the country...if you have the time and the desire.
November 12, 2008
7:17 p.m.
Suggest removal
Dynamicdave writes:
As many of you know, from all of my many, many, many posts, I am a true Broncos fan. I'm 50 and went to my 1st Broncos game at the age of 13. I never dog them, rather I support them. I can be constructively critical when I see a problem. I'm not like angryman1n, or Gofastgo, or Windork. They are not Broncos fans, that much is clear and certain. When they, or anyone, for that matter, bash the boys, I'm the 1st to bash them right back and defend the team. I never played football but I kickboxed. I studied football as much as many have and less then some, but I understand the game. That's why the "bashers" irritate me when they spout off stupid remarks. Angrygirl1n thinks Cutler stinks? That's his/her opinion and most of us see how ludicrous his/her thoughts on the subject are. Those who scream for Shanahans head are also funny people. They scream for his head but offer nothing worthwhile as an option to take his place? Some wanted Cowher? Cowher? Please! He won 1 SB after how many years? He was the one who liked Cordell Stewart? Gimme a break. So, it took him forever to see his mistake, yet everyone thinks he would be OUR savior? I think not. Point is, There are some great fans who post here. I support them and enjoy talking with them. Bashers, well, I enjoy telling them what I think of their opinion, just as much as they enjoy bashing the Broncos.
November 12, 2008
10:35 p.m.
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Mtnsportsfan writes:
I would rather have Cutler then any other QB in the league!!!! Better then Phillip cry me a Rivers!!
November 13, 2008
5:13 a.m.
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angryman1n writes:
Bronc4evah... Funny you'd mention the ball "popping" out of the QBs had on the goal line. I went to the game against the Chargers. That is exactly what happened to Culter, TWICE! And, it almost cost the Broncos the game.
November 13, 2008
5:26 a.m.
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angryman1n writes:
tom3565... Actually, I do like Cutsoon. He makes games interesting. You never know which one will step on the field. I think he has the talent, but lacks the skills. He may turn out to be a good QB, but he'll never be the great Denver pretends he is.
The thing that scares me about him, is say what you want about QB rating, but his has continually slid the wrong way.
**** Wikipedia ****
The NFL's current passer rating (also known as quarterback rating) system was conceived by Pro Football Hall of Fame's retired vice president Don Smith in 1973.
NFL -- QB rating
Steve Young currently holds the NFL record for the highest career passer rating for any player with at least 1500 attempts with a mark of 96.8. The highest passer rating for a complete season is 121.1 set by Peyton Manning in 2004. Also in 2004, rookie Ben Roethlisberger posted a mark of 98.1, setting a new record for first-year passers. There have been 34 quarterbacks to complete a game with a perfect passer rating of 158.3 (and only 4 to have accomplished this more than once), the most recent being Kurt Warner in 2008.
November 13, 2008
10:46 a.m.
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Dynamicdave writes:
angryman1n, as far as your opinion of Cutler, once again, wrong, wrong, wrong. He's leading all of Elways records except 4th quarter comebacks, although he showed he can do that, last week, as well. Man, your posts are funny. Keep it up.