dragondawg
10-28-2007, 09:20 AM
By Scott Brown
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
The Denver Broncos have spent nearly a decade looking for a quarterback to lead them in the post-Elway era, and it looks like they may have found a keeper in Jay Cutler.
The Broncos' first-round pick in 2006 passed a litmus test of sorts when he lit up the Steelers defense for 248 yards and three touchdowns last week.
Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau usually torments young quarterbacks, and the ones who stand tall against the blitzes that come from anywhere and everywhere usually prove to be legitimate NFL quarterbacks.
"To me, being a quarterback, he's the toughest defensive coordinator to face," Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer said. "He just does so much different stuff, he just gives so many looks and he does such a good job of adjusting during games."
Buffalo's J.P. Losman and San Francisco's Alex Smith couldn't handle the Steelers' relentless pressure earlier this season. Losman has since lost his starting job to rookie Trent Edwards, and Smith, while hurt, doesn't look like he is the long-term answer at quarterback for the 49ers.
But Cutler, making just his 11th NFL start last Sunday night, was unfazed by the Steelers' pressure. He also led an Elway-esque drive after the Steelers scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter and tied the game at 28.
With a little more than a minute left, Cutler calmly moved the Broncos into field range, and Jason Elam drilled a 49-yarder to win the game.
"He's fearless," Denver coach Mike Shanahan said of Cutler, who was taken behind quarterbacks Vince Young and Matt Leinart in the 2006 draft. "If he makes a mistake, he'll forget about it and goes back and tries to make another play."
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_534952.html
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
The Denver Broncos have spent nearly a decade looking for a quarterback to lead them in the post-Elway era, and it looks like they may have found a keeper in Jay Cutler.
The Broncos' first-round pick in 2006 passed a litmus test of sorts when he lit up the Steelers defense for 248 yards and three touchdowns last week.
Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau usually torments young quarterbacks, and the ones who stand tall against the blitzes that come from anywhere and everywhere usually prove to be legitimate NFL quarterbacks.
"To me, being a quarterback, he's the toughest defensive coordinator to face," Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer said. "He just does so much different stuff, he just gives so many looks and he does such a good job of adjusting during games."
Buffalo's J.P. Losman and San Francisco's Alex Smith couldn't handle the Steelers' relentless pressure earlier this season. Losman has since lost his starting job to rookie Trent Edwards, and Smith, while hurt, doesn't look like he is the long-term answer at quarterback for the 49ers.
But Cutler, making just his 11th NFL start last Sunday night, was unfazed by the Steelers' pressure. He also led an Elway-esque drive after the Steelers scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter and tied the game at 28.
With a little more than a minute left, Cutler calmly moved the Broncos into field range, and Jason Elam drilled a 49-yarder to win the game.
"He's fearless," Denver coach Mike Shanahan said of Cutler, who was taken behind quarterbacks Vince Young and Matt Leinart in the 2006 draft. "If he makes a mistake, he'll forget about it and goes back and tries to make another play."
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_534952.html