MHSM: Draft Day Fumble

[Hercules Rockefeller]

With Jay Cutler, the Broncos mortgaged the present to address the future
by Mark Knudson

It didn’t have to be like this.

The Denver Broncos season didn’t have to turn sour so early. There didn’t need to be a locker-room-dividing quarterback controversy. By all accounts, Denver should have been able to build on last season’s AFC title game appearance. And right now, they should be in the thick of not just the AFC West title hunt, but the chase for home-field advantage in the playoffs again.

It’s not going to turn out that way.

That’s because Mike Shanahan made a mistake. No, he didn’t err by yanking Jake Plummer and inserting raw rookie Jay Cutler under center with five games left in the season. That was a decision that had to be made at that point. Everything had built up to it. Plummer had been erratic for much of the season and was playing very poorly in the weeks leading up to his demotion. He was demoralized and unproductive, looking like he was ready to be benched. That decision was more or less forced on coach Shanahan by personnel man Shanahan, who made a mistake months earlier.

The changeover at the most important position on the team, and the upheaval that accompanied it, was the result of a mistake made back on April 29, when the Broncos spent a valuable first-round draft pick on a quarterback they didn’t need.

This is not to say that Jake Plummer is a great quarterback, because he’s obviously not. Still, we had every right to expect he could duplicate last season’s very solid performance, which earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl. With some beefing up in other areas, the Broncos could have been a Super Bowl team this season. History has shown us that you don’t necessarily need a super quarterback to win the Super Bowl.

This is not to say that Cutler won’t turn out to be a super NFL quarterback someday. He very well might, or might not. That won’t be determined for quite some time. Cutler is just not what this Denver team, with several veterans ready to make one final Super Bowl run, needed. There were other positions where a first-round draft pick could have had enough of an impact to push Denver over the top.

Before you start with the “drafting the best athlete available” stuff, take a look at the Detroit Lions, who ignored other needs and drafted a wide receiver in the first round three straight years. Oops. That “best athlete” criteria blew up in their face. Also, after drafting Vince Young a year ago, do you think the Tennessee Titans will be selecting a quarterback with their first round pick next April, even if he meets the best athlete criteria?

Don’t kid yourself. Teams draft for need all the time. The Broncos, on the cusp of a return to the Super Bowl, had several other more pressing needs – needs which are manifesting themselves right now.

Denver needs help on both lines. This banged up offensive line simply can’t pass block. The middle of Denver’s o-line seems to be getting caved in almost every time the quarterback drops back to pass. On the other side, the defensive line cannot generate a consistent pass rush when they need one. Denver also needs a workhorse running back. Wouldn’t Laurence Maroney (whom Shanahan reportedly also sought) look good in predominantly orange right about now?

The drafting of Cutler was an overreaction to one game. Granted, it was an important game and yes, Plummer was lousy in the AFC Championship Game loss to Pittsburgh. But did the New England Patriots go out and draft a quarterback in the first round because Tom Brady played poorly in their playoff loss to the Broncos? No, they had a need at running back and grabbed Maroney, which has turned out okay for them, huh?

This is not an attempt to compare Plummer and Brady, the latter having won three Super Bowls. This is more a comparison of personnel decisions, and how they affect an entire team. By drafting a quarterback with his first pick, Shanahan effectively told his incumbent, Plummer, that he was not satisfied with his sparkling winning percentage.

The move stripped Jake of his confidence, and his play deteriorated. Plummer certainly deserves his fair share of the blame in all this because his reaction to Cutler’s arrival was certainly not Drew Brees-like. Instead of taking Cutler’s arrival as a challenge to improve his own game, Plummer got his dauber down and played most of the first 44 quarters this season, plus an overtime session, looking over his shoulder while walking the imaginary plank. For that, we can be mad at Jake.

So while not excusing Jake’s bad reaction, it remains obvious that none of this would have happened if Shanahan had traded up to get Maroney instead of Cutler. The basic rule is, “if it aint broke, don’t fix it.”

Denver was a 13-3 division winner last year with Plummer (not to mention Mike Anderson and Trevor Pryce). The Broncos weren’t broke. They needed some tweaking, sure. But they didn’t need an overhaul. Bringing in a new quarterback amounts to an overhaul.

I’m not against building for the future. The great teams do that on the fly. The Broncos have always been able to rebuild without having a “rebuilding” year. But draft picks and free agent signings for good teams are supposed to enhance the team you already have, not contribute to breaking it apart.

It would have been just fine for Shanahan to wait another year or two to draft a quarterback. They’re available in every draft. Cutler is certainly not any sort of “once-in-a-generation” talent. If he were, he would have been the first player drafted, not the third quarterback. If he were “the next John Elway,” as some have offered while in on bended knee, he would not have gone to Vanderbilt in the first place.

Draft day 2006 was certainly not a bust. Denver landed Javon Walker via trade, and added Elvis Dumervil and Brandon Marshall, both of whom look very promising. Tony Scheffler may turn out to be great pass-catching tight end. As far as Cutler goes, any sensible jury is still out, examining him. He has good physical tools, but is totally unproven. His supporters defend his early struggles by pointing out that Cutler “hadn’t played a meaningful game in more than a year.” In reality, Cutler hasn’t played in a meaningful game since high school, having chosen to attend Vanderbilt, where Bowl games are about as common as the Great Potato Famine.

Now Cutler is at the controls of what used to be one of the best teams in the AFC. The future course – whatever direction it takes us – is now plotted.

Too bad this season had to be sacrificed to do it.

For more from Mark Knudson, and a look at the regional sports scene, check out Mile High Sports Radio, Saturday mornings at 8:00 a.m. on AM 1570 KSXT.

[Kaylore]

Yup. Bringing in Javon Walker didn't help this team immediately, did it? Stupid article.

It would have been just fine for Shanahan to wait another year or two to draft a quarterback. They’re available in every draft. Cutler is certainly not any sort of “once-in-a-generation” talent. If he were, he would have been the first player drafted, not the third quarterback. If he were “the next John Elway,” as some have offered while in on bended knee, he would not have gone to Vanderbilt in the first place.
That right there is the stupidest take in this whole POS article. You can't just assume that a QB that will fit your system will be their in a few years or in any year. This guy makes it sound like there are three or four super-bowl calibur quarterbacks in the draft. And since when does where you played ball in college factor into how good you're going to be? Savannah State wasn't a school of world beaters and they managed to produce the greatest Tight End in NFL history.

[Goobzilla]

Knudson is as sh**y a writer as he was a pitcher. Although I do think having Mike Anderson on the team this year would have been a HUGE help for whoever was behind center.

[Popps]

Yup. Bringing in Javon Walker didn't help this team immediately, did it? Stupid article.

Ummm.... didn't he say that?

"Draft day 2006 was certainly not a bust. Denver landed Javon Walker via trade"

[Hotrod]

If one were to buy into the idea that taking Cutler ruined Jakes confidence. Then I'm even more for the move since I would like a more confident QB not a crybaby. If Jake were a professional with pride he would have taken it more of as a challenge and raised his game not folded like a cheap tent.

Who with the #1 pick would have fixed our Dline/Oline/ST/RB and kept away the injury bug?

[Kaylore]

Ummm.... didn't he say that?

"Draft day 2006 was certainly not a bust. Denver landed Javon Walker via trade"

That's my point. The guy contradicts his own points sometimes within a few sentences of each other.

Hindsight is 20/20. People forget that at the time of the draft everyone was pretty confident that between Tatum Bell and Ron Dayne, we had enough of a combination there to make things happen. Well camp rolls around and Dayne looks very mediocre and Mike Bell steps up. Tatum takes the reigns during the season but can't stay healthy. My point is it's easy for this guy to look back and think Shanahan made a mistake when at the time the team looked differently and and he made the right choice based on what he saw.

[AFCWestFan]

Each day brings more people out reexamining Shannahans decision making. This sort of negative behavior would never have been tolerated in last many years.

You may choose to disagree with what he wrote but come on, its a different view and take on whats going on inside the team...take it as a point of view, not a personall attack

[Kaylore]

Each day brings more people out reexamining Shannahans decision making. This sort of negative behavior would never have been tolerated in last many years.

You may choose to disagree with what he wrote but come on, its a different view and take on whats going on inside the team...take it as a point of view, not a personall attack
Who here said it was a personal attack?

[Hercules Rockefeller]

He's got some really weak points

OL- #2 rushing offense, #3 in fewest sacks allowed last year, and returned the entire starting unit. Yeah, it's a problem now and most teams don't survive the loss of their starting OT, but to use this as an argument for a draft day blunder is pure revisionist history. They drafted two guys who are probably going to be future starters, but very few people (and I bet Knudson wasn't one of them) thought there was an immediate need here.

Shanny overreacting to one game- Plummer's led the offense to 3, 3, 10, and 3 in the 1st half of four playoff games. Jake had a history of playoff ineptitude in Denver, the Steeler game wasn't something new.

Vanderbilt- claims that if Jay was a true elite talent he wouldn't have gone to Vandy, but generational-talent Elway went to Stanford. Jerry Rice wasn't even a D-1 football player, yet he seemed to do ok in the pros. How many of the starting QBs in this league went to traditional college football powerhouse schools? Maybe half the league.

[AFCWestFan]

I figured things like he is a Sh***ty writer qualified.

To me thats a personal attack

[Hercules Rockefeller]

I figured things like he is a Sh***ty writer qualified.

To me thats a personal attack

Only if it's an opinion, it's not an attack if it's a fact.

[broncofan]

Who is this guy? He's an idiot. I would have respected his opinion, despite disagreeing with it, had he not contradicted his own comments so frequently throughout the article...

This is not to say that Jake Plummer is a great quarterback, because he’s obviously not.

This is not to say that Cutler won’t turn out to be a super NFL quarterback someday.

This is not an attempt to compare Plummer and Brady, the latter having won three Super Bowls.

I’m not against building for the future.

...he spend way too much time telling us what "He's not," and very little to prove his point. I understand he's saying a smarter draft could have us more competetive, and that's fine. What I love is how he's losing his mind over the fact that we drafted Cutler, somehow under the impression that we're in full blown rebuilding mode. Last I checked, we're stilll a very competetive team, with a lot to be excited about.

[JCMElway]

I figured things like he is a Sh***ty writer qualified.

To me thats a personal attack

No, that's a professional attack. A personal attack would be to call him a sh***ty person.

[Crushaholic]

Is it just me or does this article bring up the same points that our own Jake's so-called "meltdown" thread brought up? I would agree with this article except for the theory that Shanahan saw Cutler fit this system and grabbed him when he could. Initially, I wanted an elite pass rusher with Cutler's pick...

[broncofan]

He's got some really weak points

OL- #2 rushing offense, #3 in fewest sacks allowed last year, and returned the entire starting unit. Yeah, it's a problem now and most teams don't survive the loss of their starting OT, but to use this as an argument for a draft day blunder is pure revisionist history. They drafted two guys who are probably going to be future starters, but very few people (and I bet Knudson wasn't one of them) thought there was an immediate need here.

As if they should have known our OL was going to be banged up during the draft...

[AFCWestFan]

"Last I checked, we're stilll a very competetive team, with a lot to be excited about."

Was that before the KC Game and the Seattle Game when you checked?

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[Kaylore]

Who is this guy? He's an idiot. I would have respected his opinion, despite disagreeing with it, had he not contradicted his own comments so frequently throughout the article...
That was what was so weird. He makes a point and then shortly thereafter rebuts himself, though I'm not even sure he realizes it. Poor article.

[AFCWestFan]

No, that's a professional attack. A personal attack would be to call him a sh***ty person.


Well said!! I take back what I said and stand corrected. Masterful.

[Kaylore]

"Last I checked, we're stilll a very competetive team, with a lot to be excited about."

Was that before the KC Game and the Seattle Game when you checked?

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There isn't a single game that we've been blown out of yet. That's competitive. Right now we're on a losing streak but we've been in every single we've played for all four quarters and we're a winning team. I'd say that's competitive. Would you define it differently?

[Dudeskey]

http://www.proxywhore.com/invboard/html/emoticons/cricket.gif

[AFCWestFan]

Yea, the thing about football is that there is no points for "Maybe we could have won if" or asterisks that footnote "Looked like studs for a while"...

Col A is Win, Col B is loss.

Neither game were you in Col A...3 in a row, looking at 4.

[broncofan]

"Last I checked, we're stilll a very competetive team, with a lot to be excited about."

Was that before the KC Game and the Seattle Game when you checked?

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Stupid comment.

The Chiefs clearly outplayed us that game, and deserved to win. We played like total crap and opened up the door for them to win, yet entered the fourth quarter down by merely 3 pts, and ultimately lost by only 9. I know a loss is a loss, but a team that plays that poorly yet stays in until nearly the end constitutes as competitive to me.

Don't talk to me about the Seattle game...we start a rookie QB against the NFC champs...what did you expect? Granted, they won't be NFC champs again, but they're still a good team. We lose by 3 as our defense again allows a team to march right down the field on their final drive of the game. What if we stop them and go on to kick a FG in OT to win it? Then where's your argument? Show me a game this year where we got blown out and failed to field a competitive team that didn't have a chance to win.

I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I believe we can beat San Diego this week. I won't be shocked if we don't, but I still think we're competitive enough to make it happen. Keep the faith.

[AFCWestFan]

Not a prayer. SD has all tools and every cylinder is firing.

[Kaylore]

Not a prayer. SD has all tools and every cylinder is firing.

Yeah, but it looks like a trap game for them. I think it will be close.

[maven]

"Laurence Maroney (whom Shanahan reportedly also sought) look good in predominantly orange right about now?"

I love how every other article has to mention this guy.

He is displaying good skills and qualities as a rookie. But, he's no LT.

[Taco John]

This is not a good argument (paraphrase):

"Don't get me wrong, Jake is a terrible quarterback, but he could have led us to the Superbowl if Shanahan didn't rattle his ego by drafting a better quarterback."

[Kaylore]

This is not a good argument (paraphrase):

"Don't get me wrong, Jake is a terrible quarterback, but he could have led us to the Superbowl if Shanahan didn't rattle his ego by drafting a better quarterback."

Yeah. First he's suggesting that's why Plummer has played poorly. I think it's an amalgam of lots of little things that added up.

For the sake of argument, let's assume that Cutler being drafted was the reason Jake played poorly this year. What is Shanahan supposed to do? This is the NFL. You are always going to have some young hotshot behind you trying to take your spot. If you want to keep him on the bench, then up your game. Drew Brees is the best example of this.

I agree with what Hotrod said. If your QB can't handle that kind of pressure, how will he handle the pressure of the playoffs or Super Bowl?

[epicSocialism4tw]

That's my point. The guy contradicts his own points sometimes within a few sentences of each other.

You must not have understood the article, and you wasted no time with an overemotionalized response. You used to be so much better, Kaylore.

Hindsight is 20/20. People forget that at the time of the draft everyone was pretty confident that between Tatum Bell and Ron Dayne, we had enough of a combination there to make things happen. Well camp rolls around and Dayne looks very mediocre and Mike Bell steps up. Tatum takes the reigns during the season but can't stay healthy. My point is it's easy for this guy to look back and think Shanahan made a mistake when at the time the team looked differently and and he made the right choice based on what he saw.

Shanahan wanted Maroney. It's obvious that he didnt like the prospects of the run game.

[epicSocialism4tw]

This is not a good argument (paraphrase):

"Don't get me wrong, Jake is a terrible quarterback, but he could have led us to the Superbowl if Shanahan didn't rattle his ego by drafting a better quarterback."

That's not what he said, Taco. That's what you wanted to hear.

[Kaylore]

You must not have understood the article, and you wasted no time with an overemotionalized response. You used to be so much better, Kaylore.
Well you were never any good. Who was your NBA MVP again Llama?


Shanahan wanted Maroney. It's obvious that he didnt like the prospects of the run game.
Shanahan's always looking to improve the team. Just because you like a player doesn't mean you hate what you have or think it won't work.

[epicSocialism4tw]

Well you were never any good. Who was your NBA MVP again Llama?

:spit:
You would be foolish to point to that. You must have missed the playoffs.


Shanahan's always looking to improve the team. Just because you like a player doesn't mean you hate what you have or think it won't work.

Even the best fail with good intentions. IHOP? Dale Carter? Courtney Brown?

[Hotrod]

I think Llama needs some depression medication.

[Kaylore]

I think Llama needs some depression medication.

There are many things that Llama needs.

[Hercules Rockefeller]

Shanahan's always looking to improve the team. Just because you like a player doesn't mean you hate what you have or think it won't work.

Using the previous logic, I guess we can assume that Shanahan didn't like the passing game evern after winning a Super Bowl since Denver was exploring options to move up for Peyton before PM decided not to declare early for the draft.

[Garcia Bronco]

Through 5 paragraphs this article still doesn't get to the point.

[OrangeShadow]

I tend to question articles like this written months after the draft. How would they of known that we would lose our best two safeties coverage wise,one of our best offensive lineman and our BEST RUNNING BACK(tater).
No one could of expected that would occur. The draft(including walker) helped this team immediatly AND for the future.

[Rock Chalk]

Yup. Bringing in Javon Walker didn't help this team immediately, did it? Stupid article.


That right there is the stupidest take in this whole POS article. You can't just assume that a QB that will fit your system will be their in a few years or in any year. This guy makes it sound like there are three or four super-bowl calibur quarterbacks in the draft. And since when does where you played ball in college factor into how good you're going to be? Savannah State wasn't a school of world beaters and they managed to produce the greatest Tight End in NFL history.

Yeah, Cutler really fits our system.

Javon Walker DIDNT help this team immediately. He was horrible his first game, and been sporadic at getting open since then. Cutler three to him 3 times, and he was blanketed every time.

Clearly, because you love teh Cutler pick, you refused to even see the point of the article. Denver SHOULD have drafted for need. Cutler is no guarantee to be a superstar, indeed he could be a bust. You dont know, he dont know. ALl that we do know is that we did not NEED a QB, we NEEDED a pass rush and we completely went half assed towards that end.

The only stupid thing about that article, is that it doesnt fit in with teh group think and Cutler hype around here.

Junior will be no better than Plummer in his NFL career.

[bpc]

News Flash... it couldn't get much worse than having Plummer QB this team and watch it flounder mired in a two game losing streak. He had played bad enough to lose more than a few games before that as well.

Anybody saying this team is better off with Plummer as a starter is REACHING.

The goal is to win a super bowl. Even a green rookie like Cutler puts us closer than a 10 year vet like Plummer.

[Kaylore]

Yeah, Cutler really fits our system.

Javon Walker DIDNT help this team immediately. He was horrible his first game, and been sporadic at getting open since then. Cutler three to him 3 times, and he was blanketed every time.

Clearly, because you love teh Cutler pick, you refused to even see the point of the article. Denver SHOULD have drafted for need. Cutler is no guarantee to be a superstar, indeed he could be a bust. You dont know, he dont know. ALl that we do know is that we did not NEED a QB, we NEEDED a pass rush and we completely went half assed towards that end.

The only stupid thing about that article, is that it doesnt fit in with teh group think and Cutler hype around here.

Junior will be no better than Plummer in his NFL career.

Actually there wasn't a point to the article and we did draft to need.

We needed help at receiver. Check.
We needed a real franchise QB. Check.
We needed a tight end. Check.
We needed defensive line help. Check.
We needed future offensive linemen. Check.

Well looks like we drafted according to need to me.

[Rohirrim]

This whole article hinges on the idea that Plummer collapsed this season because, AND ONLY BECAUSE, Cutler was drafted, thereby eroding his confidence. There are two things wrong with that.

First, is a giant presumption - that Jake's game collapsed because of Cutler's presence on the bench. Jake looked pretty flaky in the AFCC game, and he's looked pretty flaky ever since. Who's to say the presence of Cutler changed anything, one way or the other? Maybe Jake played at the highest level he could possibly acheive last year, and it's all downhill from there? Judging by the lack of trade interest, other GMs and coaches around the league seem to have that impression.

Second, if an NFL QB can't take the pressure of having a good back up on the bench behind him, how the hell is he going to stand up to the pressure of a SB?

[Hotrod]

Actually there wasn't a point to the article and we did draft to need.

We needed help at receiver. Check.
We needed a real franchise QB. Check.
We needed a tight end. Check.
We needed defensive line help. Check.
We needed future offensive linemen. Check.

Well looks like we drafted according to need to me.

Good point..

1. I think people forget we drafted some promising young Oline talent
2. IMO 2006 may end being a draft for the ages....but thats just speculation at this point.

[Taco John]

Shanahan wanted Maroney. It's obvious that he didnt like the prospects of the run game.



He also wanted Leinart. If Leinart or Cutler weren't there, he was going to take Maroney. It's obvious that he didn't like the prospects of the passing game either.

[OrangeShadow]

He also wanted Leinart. If Leinart or Cutler weren't there, he was going to take Maroney. It's obvious that he didn't like the prospects of the passing game either.

Yeah but he also tried to trade BACK into the first to get maroney. I think he wanted maroney more than any other player

[-Slap-]

Mark Knudson = Moron.

[Man-Goblin]

Using the previous logic, I guess we can assume that Shanahan didn't like the passing game evern after winning a Super Bowl since Denver was exploring options to move up for Peyton before PM decided not to declare early for the draft.

That's something I've never heard before. Can we still trade up and get him?

[-Slap-]

Even the best fail with good intentions. IHOP? Dale Carter? Courtney Brown?

Why would you lump a classy guy like Courtney in with those miserable jerks?

[anon]

I think it was more of a mistake to pass on Steven Jackson. DJ is good but he's no world beater and LBs seem to be more of a commodity than franchise-type RBs. I think it's fair to say that having a Steven Jackson on offense would have more overall impact than DJ on defense.

[Polster60]

Steven Jackson may be good, but still isn't in the upper echelon of RBs. I would rate SJ in the top 15. SJ has had to many runs for negative yardage considering what kind of runner he is. I would still take DJ. Lined up correctly I think DJ is one of the top 5 WLB in the NFL.

[Polster60]

As for the whole draft day fumble thing, this guy is completely whack. When you have a chance to draft a potential franchise QB, you do it. The only other player I would have considered in the first round was Maroney. It will take a while for Cut to develop, and the best thing for this franchise is to allow him to do so, without the fans, coaches, or players adding to much undo pressure. Also worth mentioning is that this is a fairly young team w/ good veteran leadership witha lot of ? marks. It would behoove ourselves to allow this team to develop some chemistry and not go all out in FA.

[Billy Clyde Puckett]

Mark Knudsen needs to get back on his tractor and spread manure on his farm fields instead of putting sh** like this on paper.

[Kaylore]

I heard it reported from a variety of sources that Cutler was the number one player on the Broncos' draft board.

[elsid13]

Just a question what rookie is leading his team to the play off that came out this draft?

And the Key in NO was Brees not Bush.

[Bladerunner]

I have no idea who this writer is, but this article isn't very impressive.
Truth be told, I and nearly everyone else was damn excited about the draft. His arguments against it are empty.
Starting premise. We should have drafted for need, rather than get Cutler.
Argument #1. The lines need help.


This has been addressed already in the thread. That they need help now is immaterial, it's what the assessment was at draft time that matters. The O-line was bang-up if you looked at last season. The D-line needed help, but we were looking at Courtney Brown being healthy (delusional maybe, but we were) and K. Lang coming in. Plus, I haven't seen any rookie D Linemen that would be seriously impacting this defense right now.

Argument #2. Drafting Cutler was an overreaction to Plummer's performance in the loss to Pitt. New England didn't do that with Brady.

The guy provides his own counter arguement to this one, with the fact that Brady had/has won three Super Bowls. I think perhaps McNabb would be a better analog, with his great record and poor playoff results, but I bet even this ass-clown knows the difference between McNabb and Plummer.


Argument #3. Drafting Cutler was Shanahan's way of saying that he wasn't satisfied with Plummer's "sparkling" winning percentage.

So you claim. Is that what Walsh was saying about Joe Montana when they fetched Steve Young? I suppose there may be some validity in this argument in that the timing of such a move was dangerous, given the strength of the team, and the seemingly few missing pieces for a Super Bowl run (as if winning the Super Bowl were so formulaic). The fact that Jake's psyche cracked in the presence of Jay is a sign that Shanahan was right in looking ahead. It is unfortunate that his vision manifested especially poor play in Plummer this season, but I hardly blame Shanahan for that. I'm not much interested in coaches that are afraid to seek out new talent for fear that it will ruin the confidence and play of the existing roster.

Argument #4. There was no need to get Cutler now. Drafting a qb a few years down the road would have been fine. There is nothing special about Cutler to distinguish him from a top draft QB in the future.

Again presumptive, and I think dismissive of Shanahan's thinking on Cutler. Furthermore, the Denver Broncos are almost never in a position to draft a top QB. The machinations that were required to position the Broncos to get into that spot are far too complex for me to even bother to explain. To pretend that the Broncos could just wait another year or two to draft a QB is ignorant of the unique opportunity the team found itself in come rounds 10 and 11 of this past draft.

There are a bunch of other faulty arguements this nimwit makes as well:

He asserts the "Draft for need" position, then argues that if Cutler was that great, he would have been drafted first. Neglecting the fact that Reggie Bush, touted not only as a once in a generation, but perhaps once in a lifetime back, didn't even go #1.
He argues that Cutler hasn't played in a meaningful game since high school because Vanderbilt doesn't go to Bowl games. Asserting that Bowl games in general are meaningful is stupid. Arguing that playing conference games in the SEC is not meaningful is even more stupid.
"If it ain't broke don't fix it." ---get the FUUUUUCK out of here. Are you kidding me?
For crying out loud, I don't even like the decision to play Cutler this year, but this article is so assed up, I couldn't stop myself from correcting this imbecile. He get's paid for this?

[OrangeShadow]

Just a question what rookie is leading his team to the play off that came out this draft?

And the Key in NO was Brees not Bush.

The only rookie i put in the leading their team to the playoff category is D'Brickashaw Ferguson from NY. Well as much as an offensive lineman can.

[Xenos]

The only rookie i put in the leading their team to the playoff category is D'Brickashaw Ferguson from NY. Well as much as an offensive lineman can.

You mean Marcus McNeill, who's just as good as pass protection and better at run blocking.

[elsid13]

You mean Marcus McNeill, who's just as good as pass protection and better at run blocking.

So you wouldn't be going to the play off without McNeill