Kaylore
05-21-2006, 06:40 PM
So-Cal's Magical link: http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_3845330
denver broncos
Cutler in no rush to take reins
Depth will allow Broncos time to develop top pick
By Joseph Sanchez
Denver Post Staff Writer
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2006/0521/20060521_015627_sp21bronx.jpg
(Jay Cutler is the shizzy
There will be no media circus at Broncos training camp this summer like the one in 1983.
First-round pick Jay Cutler is not the second coming of John Elway. The rookie quarterback made that perfectly clear Friday at his first post-practice news conference.
Mike Shanahan is no a wide-eyed young assistant fresh off the campus. He made that clear a long time ago.
And perhaps most significantly, summer camp is not the only game in town.
"I think the big difference when John came in, everybody knew he was going to be the quarterback. ... He was going to play early," Shanahan said. "We've got a quarterback that was in the Pro Bowl last (season) that has played exceptionally well. So you don't have to throw somebody in before they're ready."
With veteran starter Jake Plummer and young backup Bradlee Van Pelt on the roster, there's plenty of competition at the position.
"You're one play away from being the starter or two plays away from being the starter," Shanahan said, noting most starters do not make it through a season without missing time with injuries.
"To have more depth at that position is something that doesn't happen all the time."
If that was a hint the Broncos will carry three quarterbacks on their roster this year, it's probably OK with Cutler to be third. His time will come.
Cutler said he hasn't been intimidated by the attention or the competition. What he needs most is time to learn the playbook. So far, it has been eat, sleep and football for Cutler.
"I've been kind of sheltered here," he said.
The other quarterbacks have been helpful and friendly. Plummer has invited him to his house for a cookout this weekend and Van Pelt has kept things loose.
"He kills me," Cutler said. "He's the second-team dude now. It's a great group. You've got to be respectful of them."
The respect is mutual, said Van Pelt, who - in stark contrast to Cutler - was the last player selected by the Broncos in the 2003 draft, a year they had three seventh-round picks.
"Our situations were totally different," Van Pelt said. "I truly think I had a lot of talent coming out of college, but I wasn't there mentally. He's ready to go, he's ready to play.
"He's got a very good arm, he's intelligent, and I think most important is that he fits in well. I've only known him a couple of days, but I'm sure he's already made the team better."
As for all the attention on the rookie quarterback, "I think he's handling it pretty good," said the former CSU star.
"He's fitting in the pecking order well. He's not pushing. He falls back in. He's not trying to climb up to No. 1 and taking everybody else's reps.
"He's sitting in the back, just kind of being a rookie and not trying to showboat."
Cutler was taken with the 11th pick in last month's draft, but Shanahan said he still must prove himself.
"I think the main thing our players understand is that just because you're a first-round draft choice or a second-round draft choice doesn't prove anything," Shanahan said. "I think we've proven in the past that just because we draft somebody in the first round does not mean we're going to play them. If we make a mistake, we'll know we made a mistake and we'll go on."
Before the draft, the strongest criticism of Cutler was that he sometimes throws off his back foot, but Shanahan dismissed that as a problem.
"I'm not worried about the techniques of a quarterback," Shanahan said. "Everybody wants to change the way somebody throws. I've been around a lot of quarterbacks and I don't think that comes natural.
"The reason why Jay had a heck of a career (in college) was because he understands the game, he understands there are people at all positions and he's made some big plays on his own. So we're hoping he can take that to another level."
These days quarterbacks have headsets in their helmets, probably making it a little easier to break in a rookie than back in Elway's day.
"I think it is a little bit easier than it used to be," Shanahan said. "We used to have to use hand signals or run the play out to them or something like that. So yeah, I think it's a little bit easier.
"But I don't think it prepares you for what you're going to see on game day."
denver broncos
Cutler in no rush to take reins
Depth will allow Broncos time to develop top pick
By Joseph Sanchez
Denver Post Staff Writer
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2006/0521/20060521_015627_sp21bronx.jpg
(Jay Cutler is the shizzy
There will be no media circus at Broncos training camp this summer like the one in 1983.
First-round pick Jay Cutler is not the second coming of John Elway. The rookie quarterback made that perfectly clear Friday at his first post-practice news conference.
Mike Shanahan is no a wide-eyed young assistant fresh off the campus. He made that clear a long time ago.
And perhaps most significantly, summer camp is not the only game in town.
"I think the big difference when John came in, everybody knew he was going to be the quarterback. ... He was going to play early," Shanahan said. "We've got a quarterback that was in the Pro Bowl last (season) that has played exceptionally well. So you don't have to throw somebody in before they're ready."
With veteran starter Jake Plummer and young backup Bradlee Van Pelt on the roster, there's plenty of competition at the position.
"You're one play away from being the starter or two plays away from being the starter," Shanahan said, noting most starters do not make it through a season without missing time with injuries.
"To have more depth at that position is something that doesn't happen all the time."
If that was a hint the Broncos will carry three quarterbacks on their roster this year, it's probably OK with Cutler to be third. His time will come.
Cutler said he hasn't been intimidated by the attention or the competition. What he needs most is time to learn the playbook. So far, it has been eat, sleep and football for Cutler.
"I've been kind of sheltered here," he said.
The other quarterbacks have been helpful and friendly. Plummer has invited him to his house for a cookout this weekend and Van Pelt has kept things loose.
"He kills me," Cutler said. "He's the second-team dude now. It's a great group. You've got to be respectful of them."
The respect is mutual, said Van Pelt, who - in stark contrast to Cutler - was the last player selected by the Broncos in the 2003 draft, a year they had three seventh-round picks.
"Our situations were totally different," Van Pelt said. "I truly think I had a lot of talent coming out of college, but I wasn't there mentally. He's ready to go, he's ready to play.
"He's got a very good arm, he's intelligent, and I think most important is that he fits in well. I've only known him a couple of days, but I'm sure he's already made the team better."
As for all the attention on the rookie quarterback, "I think he's handling it pretty good," said the former CSU star.
"He's fitting in the pecking order well. He's not pushing. He falls back in. He's not trying to climb up to No. 1 and taking everybody else's reps.
"He's sitting in the back, just kind of being a rookie and not trying to showboat."
Cutler was taken with the 11th pick in last month's draft, but Shanahan said he still must prove himself.
"I think the main thing our players understand is that just because you're a first-round draft choice or a second-round draft choice doesn't prove anything," Shanahan said. "I think we've proven in the past that just because we draft somebody in the first round does not mean we're going to play them. If we make a mistake, we'll know we made a mistake and we'll go on."
Before the draft, the strongest criticism of Cutler was that he sometimes throws off his back foot, but Shanahan dismissed that as a problem.
"I'm not worried about the techniques of a quarterback," Shanahan said. "Everybody wants to change the way somebody throws. I've been around a lot of quarterbacks and I don't think that comes natural.
"The reason why Jay had a heck of a career (in college) was because he understands the game, he understands there are people at all positions and he's made some big plays on his own. So we're hoping he can take that to another level."
These days quarterbacks have headsets in their helmets, probably making it a little easier to break in a rookie than back in Elway's day.
"I think it is a little bit easier than it used to be," Shanahan said. "We used to have to use hand signals or run the play out to them or something like that. So yeah, I think it's a little bit easier.
"But I don't think it prepares you for what you're going to see on game day."