dragondawg
12-03-2007, 06:05 AM
By DAVID RAMSEY
THE GAZETTE
OAKLAND - Jay Cutler can’t rescue these Denver Broncos. He tried Sunday afternoon as he battled the weirdness that is Raider Nation. He failed in this quest, which is understandable.
He remains too young, too reckless, too defiant, too untamed. He believes deeply in the might of his right arm, and this belief is both his greatest strength and weakness.
He still lacks the wisdom required to deliver victories. Don’t worry. It wasn’t his day Sunday, but his day is coming.
The Broncos are fading to oblivion. They can forget the playoffs after Sunday’s 34-20 loss to the Raiders. They trail the San Diego Chargers, their AFC West rival, by two games with four to go. It’s time to look to 2008.
Cutler is the best reason to bother watching the final four games. He’ll offer glimpses of his — and the Broncos’ — future. He’ll show he can carry the Broncos back to the playoffs if blessed with the proper supporting cast.
Cutler took a wild ride through Sunday’s game. He often was brilliant. He occasionally was awful. He never was boring.
It started ugly. An hour before kickoff, Cutler stood at the back of the north end zone at McAfee Coliseum, staring into a snarling sea of black.
He was listening to the shouts of “Beach” Hamilton, a 44-year-old resident of Santa Cruz who hates anyone associated with the Broncos.
“Cutler, Cutler, Cutler,” Hamilton shouted as he raised his middle fingers to the heavens. “What you think of these, Cutler? Come on up here, Cutler.”
Cutler didn’t move. He stared at Hamilton a few seconds before trotting away.
Hamilton looked startled when I asked why he was flipping off Cutler, a man he’s never met.
“Is he your son?” Hamilton asked, a little sheepish.
No, I told him.
Hamilton smiled. He’s followed the Raiders for decades. He believes loving the Raiders also requires hating their enemies.
“He’s wearing the Broncos donkey gear,” Hamilton said, explaining his hatred. “If he was playing for us, I’d take him home for some beer and pasta, but since he’s over there, we aren’t going to be friends. It’s not going to happen.”
For a few minutes, it looked as if Cutler would conquer the Raiders and their lovably bizarre fans.
After Denver fell behind 24-7 early in the third quarter, the Broncos looked doomed. Mike Shanahan stood by himself on the sidelines, watching the replay of Jerry Porter’s touchdown catch.
Not far away, Cutler paced the sidelines, itching for his chance to lead a comeback.
He had resembled a blind man on the interception that set up Porter’s touchdown, defying triple coverage on a pass intended for Javon Walker.
It was typical Cutler. When Cutler zeroes in on a target, an army of defenders don’t frighten him. He’s courageous, and, at times, clueless.
That’s fine with receiver Brandon Marshall, who shrugged when asked about the interception.
“That’s what he do,” Marshall said. “He tries to put it in a tight spot. That’s our quarterback. We got to live with that.”
During the next 16 minutes, Cutler was brilliant. He launched a 58-yard strike to Brandon Stokley. He hit Stokley with a 33-yard fastball. He found Marshall with a 9-yard bullet to set up the Broncos’ final touchdown.
Suddenly, the Broncos trailed 24-20. The crowd was quiet, worried. Cutler’s right arm ruled the gloomy afternoon.
It couldn’t last. With 8:56 left, Cutler dropped back, enjoyed superb protection and locked into Marshall. He took a long look, hoping Marshall would cut inside on Raiders cornerback Fabian Washington.
“I wanted to give Brandon a chance to make a play,” Cutler said.
Bad decision. Marshall never busted loose from the aggressive coverage, and Washington made a tumbling, fingertip interception.
Game over. Season all but over.
Stay tuned. Cutler will reveal the future of a franchise in four otherwise meaningless remaining games. That’s worth at least a look.
http://www.gazette.com/sports/cutler_30444___article.html/broncos_hamilton.html
THE GAZETTE
OAKLAND - Jay Cutler can’t rescue these Denver Broncos. He tried Sunday afternoon as he battled the weirdness that is Raider Nation. He failed in this quest, which is understandable.
He remains too young, too reckless, too defiant, too untamed. He believes deeply in the might of his right arm, and this belief is both his greatest strength and weakness.
He still lacks the wisdom required to deliver victories. Don’t worry. It wasn’t his day Sunday, but his day is coming.
The Broncos are fading to oblivion. They can forget the playoffs after Sunday’s 34-20 loss to the Raiders. They trail the San Diego Chargers, their AFC West rival, by two games with four to go. It’s time to look to 2008.
Cutler is the best reason to bother watching the final four games. He’ll offer glimpses of his — and the Broncos’ — future. He’ll show he can carry the Broncos back to the playoffs if blessed with the proper supporting cast.
Cutler took a wild ride through Sunday’s game. He often was brilliant. He occasionally was awful. He never was boring.
It started ugly. An hour before kickoff, Cutler stood at the back of the north end zone at McAfee Coliseum, staring into a snarling sea of black.
He was listening to the shouts of “Beach” Hamilton, a 44-year-old resident of Santa Cruz who hates anyone associated with the Broncos.
“Cutler, Cutler, Cutler,” Hamilton shouted as he raised his middle fingers to the heavens. “What you think of these, Cutler? Come on up here, Cutler.”
Cutler didn’t move. He stared at Hamilton a few seconds before trotting away.
Hamilton looked startled when I asked why he was flipping off Cutler, a man he’s never met.
“Is he your son?” Hamilton asked, a little sheepish.
No, I told him.
Hamilton smiled. He’s followed the Raiders for decades. He believes loving the Raiders also requires hating their enemies.
“He’s wearing the Broncos donkey gear,” Hamilton said, explaining his hatred. “If he was playing for us, I’d take him home for some beer and pasta, but since he’s over there, we aren’t going to be friends. It’s not going to happen.”
For a few minutes, it looked as if Cutler would conquer the Raiders and their lovably bizarre fans.
After Denver fell behind 24-7 early in the third quarter, the Broncos looked doomed. Mike Shanahan stood by himself on the sidelines, watching the replay of Jerry Porter’s touchdown catch.
Not far away, Cutler paced the sidelines, itching for his chance to lead a comeback.
He had resembled a blind man on the interception that set up Porter’s touchdown, defying triple coverage on a pass intended for Javon Walker.
It was typical Cutler. When Cutler zeroes in on a target, an army of defenders don’t frighten him. He’s courageous, and, at times, clueless.
That’s fine with receiver Brandon Marshall, who shrugged when asked about the interception.
“That’s what he do,” Marshall said. “He tries to put it in a tight spot. That’s our quarterback. We got to live with that.”
During the next 16 minutes, Cutler was brilliant. He launched a 58-yard strike to Brandon Stokley. He hit Stokley with a 33-yard fastball. He found Marshall with a 9-yard bullet to set up the Broncos’ final touchdown.
Suddenly, the Broncos trailed 24-20. The crowd was quiet, worried. Cutler’s right arm ruled the gloomy afternoon.
It couldn’t last. With 8:56 left, Cutler dropped back, enjoyed superb protection and locked into Marshall. He took a long look, hoping Marshall would cut inside on Raiders cornerback Fabian Washington.
“I wanted to give Brandon a chance to make a play,” Cutler said.
Bad decision. Marshall never busted loose from the aggressive coverage, and Washington made a tumbling, fingertip interception.
Game over. Season all but over.
Stay tuned. Cutler will reveal the future of a franchise in four otherwise meaningless remaining games. That’s worth at least a look.
http://www.gazette.com/sports/cutler_30444___article.html/broncos_hamilton.html