Gridiron Experts

Cutler Needs Glasses
“I wouldn’t say he was trying to force the issue,” 49ers safety Mark Roman said of Cutler. “He was trying to make plays at a time when they needed a play to be made. We knew the ball was going to be in the air and we knew if we would be sound in our coverages we’d have opportunities.” - that’s just a nice way of saying you suck

The Chicago Bears rolled up their sleeves on Thursday, pulling off a quick trade for Jay Cutler after it was announced he was on the trading block. With up to 6 other teams interested in Cutler, the Bears had to make a strong offer to get their quarterback of the future. Even with rumors surfacing that it would cost a team 2 first round picks to acquire Jay Cutler, many teams still seemed interested. Chicago sealed the deal by adding an extra 3rd rounder in this years NFL draft.


The Bears had to give up quarterback Kyle Orton and first round picks in 2009 (18th overall) and 2010, along with a third-round pick (84th overall) in 2009. To complete the trade, the Broncos had to give back a fifth-round pick (140th overall) in 2009. That pick was acquired by the Broncos from the Seattle Seahawks in a trade for wide receiver Keary Colbert.


Jay Cutler is a great QB and the Bears have needed a quarterback for years, but 2 first round picks is a hefty price to pay. Players like Brian Dawkins who signed on for a playoff run in free agency may feel ripped off, as Kyle Orton is definitely a downgrade at the quarterback position.

Can’t Put Out The Fire, Cutler To Go – DC

Enough is enough, the Denver Broncos are going to trade Cutler. After weeks of trying to smooth over the problems with Josh McDaniels, Denver has given up on kissing their quarterback’s ass. 25 year old Cutler has been unhappy ever since learning that McDaniels failed to inform him about trade talks in which the Broncos showed interest in Matt Cassel. Cassel wound up being traded by New England to Kansas City, and then Cutler asked to be traded.


The list of teams interested in Cutler is long; if  I had to make an early guess, I’d say that Cutler will be a Jet in a couple weeks. Why couldn’t they make this statement before we did our mock draft?


PFT.com is reporting that 6 teams are willing to trade for Cutler: Jets, Buccaneers, Bears, Lions, 49ers, Browns and the Jags

Rumors:

• Chauncey Billups hoping Cutler can stay | Denver Post

• McDaniels takes charge on Day One | Denver Post

• For Jets, Adding Cutler Would Require Help | New York Times

• Jets keeping close eye on Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler | New York Daily News

• Cutler May Not Be Worth What Bucs Would Have To Spend | Tampa Tribune

• Would Jay Cutler even be a good fit for the Lions? | Detroit Free Press

• Bears need to make a big play for Jay Cutler | Chicago Tribune

• Bills fans going crazy for the chance at Cutler | PFT.com

• Three teams in line for Cutler? | Si.com

• Cutler’s time as Bronco nearing end | Peter King

Jay Cutler is pissed off and wants out of Denver. It seems the damage is done, and even after meeting face to face, first-year coach Josh McDaniels has lost control over the situation, and is the most hated Bronco amongst fans.


“I went in there with every intention of solving the issue, being a Bronco, moving forward as a Bronco,” Cutler said. “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.”


Denver has been busy this off-season signing more players than any other team, but with Jay Cutler now wanting out, Denver must hit the panic button. I’m sure the plan was to attempt to trade for Cassel and have Cutler as plan B. To replace him and still move forward under Josh McDaniels is now going to be difficult. Expect the Broncos to look to sign a veteran player they can plug into McDaniels system, while looking at the draft to find a long term replacement. Bronco fans, we feel for you, but Cutler is done like dinner.