Bucs

Broncos ask more of rookie Cutler

Rookie quarterback Jay Cutler, who will make his NFL debut tonight as the Broncos' starter, is being called upon by coach Mike Shanahan to spark a struggling offense.

By JOANNE KORTH
Published December 3, 2006

Rookie quarterback Jay Cutler, who will make his NFL debut tonight as the Broncos' starter, is being called upon by coach Mike Shanahan to spark a struggling offense.

Is Cutler the answer?

"I don't know," Cutler said. "It might make things worse."

Funny, huh?

Then again, maybe not.

Cutler replaces erratic veteran Jake Plummer, making it a clean sweep for the first-round quarterback class of 2006. Vince Young was first. Matt Leinart was second. And, in keeping with the order in which they were selected, Cutler is the last of the "big three" to signal the early arrival of his team's future.

Yet, Cutler's situation is much different.

When Young, the No. 2 overall pick, became the Tennessee starter in Week 3, no one second-guessed coach Jeff Fisher. When Leinart, the No. 10 pick, replaced struggling veteran Kurt Warner in Arizona, no one doubted coach Dennis Green.

The Titans and Cardinals long ago resigned themselves to losing seasons.

But in following the gut-check moves of Dallas' Bill Parcells and Washington's Joe Gibbs, who benched ineffective veterans in favor of athletic understudies, Denver's Shanahan risks earning Dunderhead of the Year honors.

The Broncos are 7-4. If the playoffs started today, they would be an AFC wild-card team. Plummer, while infuriating at times, is 40-18 as the Denver starter.

Cutler, 23, has never taken an NFL snap. A year ago, he was at SEC underling Vanderbilt, where he was not expected to win games. Cutler has never been in a game as pressure-packed as tonight's against the defending NFC champion Seahawks.

So, why change?

For now, we'll give Shanahan the benefit of the doubt. In 11 seasons in Denver, he has won more Super Bowls two than he has had losing seasons (one).

When the Broncos traded up to take Cutler with the No. 11 pick, it was with the understanding that Plummer would start for one more season to give Cutler time to prepare.

Earlier this season, when fans called for Cutler to replace a struggling Plummer, Shanahan was the voice of reason. Years ago, he admitted, he benched veteran Bubby Brister too soon in favor of second-year pro Brian Griese, who had not yet earned the respect of his teammates. As a result, the Broncos are still trying to replace John Elway.

The assumption, then, is Shanahan is turning to Cutler now, with division leaders Seattle and San Diego next on the schedule, because his team told him it was time.

The other possibility is that Shanahan, the team's offensive play-caller, is frustrated with Plummer's inability to run the offense the way Shanahan envisions, with flair and reliability. Plummer did neither. Shanahan does not like winning ugly, and the Broncos are tied for 24th in the league in scoring, averaging 16.3 points.

Shanahan expects more.

Question is, will he get it from Cutler?

Joanne Korth can be reached at korth@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8810.

[Last modified December 2, 2006, 20:45:55]