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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Cutler Part II, and Eli Manning at first day of offseason training program

Well, yesterday the Denver Broncos soap opera had its latest installment.

Cutler requested a trade:

"I went in there with every intention of solving the issue, being a Bronco, moving forward as a Bronco. We weren't in there but about 20 minutes, [McDaniels] did most of the talking and as far as I'm concerned, he made it clear he wants his own guy. He admitted he wanted Matt Cassel because he said he has raised him up from the ground as a quarterback. He said he wasn't sorry about it. He made it clear that he could still entertain trading me because, as he put it, he'll do whatever he feels is in the best interest of the organization.

"At the end of the meeting, he wasn't like, 'Jay, I want you as our quarterback, you're our guy.' It felt like the opposite. He basically said that I needed to tell him if we can't work this out, to let him know," Cutler added. "I thought he was antagonizing me and that was disappointing because I was ready to move on, committed as a Bronco. Really, I figured we'd hash things out, shake hands, laugh a little and move forward. What happened [Saturday] was the last thing I expected. If I didn't think it could be fixed, I never would have come back to Denver. It was painfully obvious to me and Bus [Cook, his agent] it's not something they want to fix."

Job of the GM: hire a head coach and assemble players from draft/free agency/trade

Job of the coach: coach the players that are assembled

Job of the player: do what the coach tells you to do

Somewhere in there, McDaniels became the GM too? He is 32 years old, got his first job as head coach, and he is playing with his franchise QB like he is some 4th string Guard. As was stated yesterday, I blame McDaniels. Between your comments yesterday and other voices speaking out, we are not alone in the way we see this.

And now, the Jets are keeping their eyes and ears open, monitoring the situation.

Eli at the offseason training program
on whether he was surprised the Giants spent so much on defense in free agency: “No, not surprised at all. Obviously, they saw some talented players on defense that could come in and make our team better. I love having a great defense being a part of this team. It makes our offensive job easier where we can run the ball and you don’t have to go in thinking you have to score any points in the game. Your defense is going to get some turnovers and stop people and get good field position. Gilbride will kill us in the red zone, but at least FGs will be enough. I was excited when we got good defensive players and added them to an already-good defense.”

On whether he’s working on anything mechanically in the off season to help him throw better in windy conditions: “I’m not trying to alter anything. I suck in the wind. Playing in the wind is just part of Giants Stadium. You’re going to have to deal with that. When you go in certain directions, some throws are going to be tough. When the going gets tough, the QBs with poor mechanics just throw picks. If you can’t step into it and get a spiral and get everything into the ball, it will sail on you and get caught up into it. Oh well. Sometimes you don’t have a choice; you just have to try to fit it in there. Like Q1 in the playoffs to Asante Samuel! That was a pretty floater off my back foot. Aw shucks. When you’re going in certain directions you have to be wary of it and try to stay away from certain throws sometimes, or just make sure you get everything on it and make sure you can get your whole body into it and throw a good ball off that back leg for another floater. That’s part of playing in Giants Stadium - you’re going to have to deal with some windy conditions. I'll keep the same mechanics and deal with it the same way I have been dealing with it every season, you know, lousy.”

Okay, so those weren't exactly "quotes." I know what I heard, but you've got the link to look at what he said. You tell me what you heard. Especially his lamebrown remarks about the wind. Manning gets a free pass for life for delivering a championship to all of us, but that does not mean he gets to sit back in the offseason and do nothing proactive about an ongoing 4 year problem.

17 comments:

NYG24 said...

Don't blame McDaniels. Cutler and his agent have engineered this entire situation. McDaniels had wanted to meet privately with Cutler BUT Cutler insisted Cook would be present. Cutler originally refused to return phone calls of OWNER Bowlen.Cutler is only to receive just over a million dollars this coming season off his current contract that was frontloaded as he received about $17 million the first years. What business does Cook have being in a meeting between coach and player? McDaniels is not the GM or the owner.

And Cook now says he is willing to forgive them if they give Cutler a new contract. I repeat we shall see if the media bashes the white player like they bashed Owens for wanting to renogiate!

As for the leaker Belichick and his obviously under the table Cassel deal - now you can clearly see why Mangini stooled on him.

--

ProFootballTalk.com

"... Dan Patrick said on the Monday edition of his show that Cook recently responded to a report from Peter King that Cutler had asked for a trade before the possibility of trading Cutler ever arose with the time-honored non-denial denial: “Not that I know of.”

We’re now convinced that Cook is the primary instigator of Cutler’s discontent — and also the primary impediment to a meaningful coach-player meeting that could resolve the situation and keep Cutler around.

King told Patrick on Monday that coach Josh McDaniels still wants to have a one-on-one meeting with Cutler.

In other words, McDaniels wants to be able to talk to Cutler without Cook sticking his nose into the discussion, saying and doing things that will prevent Cutler’s currently stubborn resolve from weakening.

Indeed, a league source tells us that Cook’s idea for solving the current impasse was — what else? — a fat new contract for Cutler. If the Broncos aren’t willing to give Cutler a new deal, then Cook and Cutler want to be traded. .."

Anonymous said...

Jay Cutler: an immature overly emotional diva who thinks too highly of himself. If you're a Jets fan you don't want him.

Eli: the Giants won the Super Bowl when all their playoff games were on the road. Coincidence? I think not. Somebody needs to give Eli a good talking to.

On the other hand, maybe he is working on things and doesn't want to announce anything publicly, yet or ever. We'll see by his play.

I recently had occasion to fly into Newark. The flight path went right over the Meadowlands. The new stadium dwarfs the old one. Who knows what the conditions will be like in the new stadium. The playing profile might be totally different.

Although you have to say that improving one's ability to throw in the wind in Giants stadium can only be a skill that can be used in some away games in the future. You don't know when any given Sunday will turn out to be incredibly windy.

Anonymous said...

Adding to what NYG24 said. It turns out that Cutler put his Denver house on the market before meeting with McDaniels. Not only that but his parents put their Denver house on the market too.

Cutler is bad news.

xtian said...

yes, cutler put his house up for sale before any of this--he still has his downtown penthouse--but he was looking for a 30+ acres plot to build something new.

hey mcdaniel is about the only one in the nfl who would want cassel over cutler. that just shows you his bad judgment.

i don't doubt cook is trying to work a renegotiation angle.

i also don't doubt that belichick f**ked over mcdaniel by leaking the trade details. as we've seen he'll do anything to win.

i spoke with a bronco fan and he's sick over this.

Andrew said...

We need to talk about our receiving corps... they are not that incomplete... and they will not be helped by the draft enough to make it worth it to draft a WR in the first round. As I have said before... Hixon is very good. He clearly had issues with the pressure of being the true starter last year after the plax debacle. However, he is seriously talented... super fast, strong and usually very good hands (it seems like the windy cold is something he needs to get used to). Steve Smith is a future star in this league. He will be one of the best possession receivers in the league. Mario Manningham is a big play guy... at Michigan he was a homerun threat. He didn't get a full camp last year and never really got into the game, let's see what happens with him. Also, Sinorice Moss is fired up, talented and fast as HELL! Every time he got into the game last year, he brought it and made plays. I'd like to draft another receiver for depth and competition (prolly in the 2nd round)... but these guys can get it done. And let's not forget about Kevin Boss, the guy is dirty and strong as hell. We keep saying that we need that plax-type deep threat to keep D's from putting 8 men in the box... but having possession receivers who can move the chains and allow eli to get rid of the ball quickly (like smith and boss) is just as effective at keeping D's honest. This will also open up the vertical plays for the likes of Hixon, Manningham and Moss. Also, because Ward is gone... we're gonna finally get that dose of #44 we have always wanted. Gillbride is clearly gonna focus on moving the chains in this offseason. We're gonna be fine. Our defense will be ten times better next year, and our offense will reinvent itself for the post-plax age. This team is gonna kick ass.

Andrew said...

Any team that has a good QB, should do whatever they can to keep the face of their franchise happy. What McDaniels has done is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard of since I started following the NFL. It's so retarded... if Cassell were still available it might make some sense but why continue to antagonize Cutler even after Cassell is off the table? It just makes no sense... I hope Cutler ends up at the Jets.

NYG24 said...

" What McDaniels has done is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard of since I started following the NFL. It's so retarded... "

--

What has he done? Cutler asked the Broncos prior to this Cassel deal to trade him. Belichick called McDaniel and told him Cassel was available. Cutler refuses to return calls of Bowlen before, refuses to show up at mini-camp, refuses to speak to McDaniels one on one. Cutler is pulling another Terrell Owens with an even slimier agent. Bus Cook who hides in the weeds as his Favre or his Cutler do all the double talk. But again the media and ESPN only attack non-white guys for wanting to discard deals they had already signed.

Andy F. said...

NYG24, you make good points. McDaniels should have been smart enough to do what was right and sit tight and play the hand he was dealt at QB (a very good hand) for that first year. This was not Cutler's doing that McDaniels went for that bait. But back to Cutler, your points about his contract and him not being so easy to mollify are reasonable. Sounds like two children to me, each getting into a pissing contest. It does take two to tango, and I still blame McDaniels, because he is the one in a position of authority and he clearly has not been up to the task.

QBs are the alpha-male, top-of-the-food-chain guys. There is a little bit of aloofness in all of them (Eli is the freak exception). So it didn't take much to set off Cutler, whom we called a primadona in our first discussion yesterday. But I think what stands out is this... HOW MANY TIMES HAS A FRANCHISE QB ENTERING HIS PRIME WITH A SEEMINGLY STRONG FRANCHISE PICKED UP AND LEFT? The entire situation is nothing short of stunning.

NYG24 said...

pro footballtalk

REPORT: COOK WAS “BEGGING” FOR CUTLER TRADE
Posted by Mike Florio on March 17, 2009, 9:32 p.m.
A couple of weeks ago, Peter King of SI.com reported, almost in passing, that Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler asked to be traded after quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates left for USC. If true, this would make Cutler’s outrage over nearly being traded a tad, shall we say, phony.

Now, John Czarnecki of FOXSports.com adds some meat to the bone, reporting that agent Bus Cook was “begging” the Broncos to trade Cutler before the failed attempt to send him to a new team.

“Denver told him no from the beginning,” Czarnecki writes. “But somehow Cook has been able — how hilarious is this? — to paint Cutler as some victim in the cruel world of NFL trade talk.”

Bob said...

Andy

Interesting that virtually all the responses today were re the Cutler fiasco, and no one bit the bait you set out re our buddy Eli's comments at workout y-day.

Well, I'll bight. I think his lifetime pass for winning the SB expired after the Eagles playoff game & he's got to prove himself again in 09.

We all know he's a hot & cold QB,
and he's had many great moments in 08, both calling plays, being Joe cool at all times, and even throwing the ball( he was up to 60% last yr., a personal high)

But why does he give a brownwipe
response like that, when many of us are pissed off about his passing during the Eagles game !
Is it possible he's not concerned ?

He's usually very politically correct & balanced during these interviews. I'm amazed he said he's not doing anything about improving his passing technique,
the freaking brownwipe, he gets paid a ton of $$$ and he certainly
didn't earn it in the playoff game.

Days like these make me wonder what would have happened if we just held onto Philip Rivers.

Andy F. said...

NYG24, thanks for keeping up with the latest and greatest Cutler revelations. That one from Fox (assuming true) would be disgusting. It would make the comments he made on Monday (posted here Tues AM) a web of lies.

Bob- re Eli, I am extremely disappointed in his remarks as well. He needs to confront the brutal facts- he needs to improve his passing in the wind or else he will not get to the next level as a Giants QB in the winds of the Meadowlands. Home field disadvantage in the playoffs.

Bob said...

Andy

Damm Right.

Maybe this is why we looked so good
in the playoffs prior to our SB win.
Away field ADVANTAGE.

NYG24 said...

ESPN’S COURTSHIP OF FAVRE GETS KID-GLOVE TREATMENT FOR COOK?
Posted by Mike Florio on March 17, 2009, 9:58 p.m.
At a time when more and more people are realizing that agent Bus Cook is the common link in a string of ugly contractual situations involving his clients, culminating in the ongoing mess engulfing the Broncos and quarterback Jay Cutler, John Clayton of ESPN.com surprisingly goes in the other direction, absolving Cook of any responsibility for the overgrown kid over whom Cook surely has considerable influence.

“Cook, Jay Cutler’s agent, has done nothing in the Cutler mess other than offer his support,” Clayton wrote in a recent mailbag item. “People may be getting a wrong perception of Cook. He’s not a Scott Boras. He’s not trying to play hardball. Remember, Steve McNair and Brett Favre had long, successful careers in their cities, and Cook was their agent. In fact, Cook’s willingness to sign both to long-term deals made sure the Tennessee Titans and the Green Bay Packers, respectively, kept their quarterbacks as long as possible. But when trouble comes, Cook will fight for his client. Remember, it was the Titans who kept McNair off team property when they were ready to move him. The Favre problem was between Favre and his bosses. Cook just had to do the dirty work. In the Cutler affair, he just has to sit back and watch and be with his client in all meetings. The problem is between Cutler and his coach.”

Wrong.

The problem is that Cutler has a stick up his butt, and that Cook either planted it there — or Cook is keeping coach Josh McDaniels from removing it.

If Cook were a problem-solver and not a problem-maker, he’d encourage Cutler to have a one-on-one meeting with McDaniels, and Cook would stay out of it. Cook also wouldn’t have been peddling the notion that the team has wronged Cutler given that, as reported by John Czarnecki of FOXSports.com, Cook had asked the Broncos to trade Cutler before the Broncos ever tried to.

The deeper issue, as we see it, is that ESPN currently is courting Brett Favre to join its stable of NFL analysts. And Cook continues to be Favre’s agent. So if Clayton or Chris Mortensen or anyone else calls it like they truly see it regarding Cook’s role in the Cutler fiasco, Cook might hold it against ESPN when the time comes to negotiate Favre’s deal.

We know it sounds far-fetched, but we also know of at least one example in which the folks in Bristol have engaged in actions that would objectively be viewed as far-fetched, all in the name of preserving the relationship with Lord Favre.

The reality is that ESPN desperately wants to be in the Brett Favre business, and so it’ll tiptoe around Favre and anyone close to him in order to make it happen.

Andy F. said...

lies and more lies from Denver

Anonymous said...

I read that link to the nfl.com story Thursday a.m. It seems to me the story is confirmation that Jay Cutler is a drama queen. He's not a leader of men.

The Broncos are lucky, in a sense, that this immaturity is coming out now so they can cut their losses. Losing Cutler would be their gain. For the team that gets him it would be their loss.

All in all I'm glad I'm not a Broncos fan.

NYG24 said...

Updated: March 19, 2009, 7:54 PM ET
Cutler scrambling out of Denver on one-way trip

When Jay Cutler sat down to plot the fastest route out of Denver, he didn't consult a map. His agent took care of that by ripping into Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and probably guaranteed his client a one-way trip.

"I would like to keep him here, obviously," Bowlen told NFL.com. "But if you are going to be an unhappy camper, there is no real reason to be here."

That almost certainly will turn out to be the closing line of the next-to-last chapter in a lose-lose saga. The Broncos and Cutler both will be worse off parting company. It isn't official, of course, until a deal gets done. But calling out the boss is the best way to get it done in a hurry.

Star quarterbacks such as Cutler might get away with insulting the coach, especially when that coach is a 32-year-old rookie and the most impressive line on his resume is the name of the guy who offered to write a letter of recommendation. In Josh McDaniels' case, his reference was none other than multiple Super Bowl-winning Patriots coach Bill Belichick. That explains plenty. It's also plenty good enough for Bowlen. ...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nfl&id=3998214

NYG24 said...

Eyebrow-Raising Cutler Report Gets Expunged
PROFOOTBALLTALK.COM
March 25, 2009

On Tuesday, Josina Anderson of FOX31 in Denver posted a lengthy blurb regarding the situation involving the Broncos and quarterback Jay Cutler.

After an extended introductory portion in which Anderson basically claims that she would have been the one to break the news last month of a possible deal that would have brought Matt Cassel to the Broncos and sent Cutler elsewhere if only Anderson’s source had been able to call her (we’ve learned over the years that no one really cares about why a scoop “almost” was obtained), Anderson got to the meat of her story.

And then, at some point between last night and Wednesday morning, the meat was removed.

The text that was removed from Anderson’s story appears below. Several readers have confirmed that this language indeed appeared in the story, and the quote that we’re pasting below was taken from a cut-and-paste of the original story that as of this posting appears on a Jets Insider forum. (It also appears at this Broncos forum.)

The omitted language is newsworthy only because Anderson posted it, and then without explanation removed it. In reprinting the language, we are not suggesting that the assertions Anderson made are accurate. (In fact, Anderson added a disclaimer to that effect in her original story, explaining that ”[t]he following is what was heard by my source in these trade whispers, not what FOX31 cites as definite facts about Cutler.” Presumably, someone with a law degree concluded that this CYA-style language didn’t “C” enough of FOX31’s “A”.)

Here’s the text that has since been erased:

“The source said there are concerns about Cutler’s consumption of alcohol, and ‘that he’s not that sharp.’

“‘That scared the crap out of McDaniels,’ the source said.”

Frankly, we’ve developed a fairly strong opinion that Cutler is “not that sharp,” especially if reports are true that he asked to be traded before the team tried to trade him, which reportedly offended him even though he had reportedly asked to be traded.

Though we know nothing about whether and to what extent Cutler consumes alcohol, any consumption of alcohol by a Type 1 diabetes patient entails potential health risks. So if that portion of the expunged report is accurate, it would bolster our conclusion that he’s “not that sharp.” (Again, we aren’t reporting that he consumes any amount of alcohol — we’re only pointing out that someone else reported it with a disclaimer as to its accuracy, and then erased the report.)

Regardless, the news here is that a source who supposedly was in position to share with Anderson details about the possible trade of Cutler passed along these intriguing tidbits — and that the intriguing tidbits have since disappeared.

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