With Cutler's arrival, clock is ticking for Plummer in Denver

[PatsWin2002]

From today's PFW. The author is a Broncos fan BTW.

http://profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFL...glin050406.htm

The present and the future
With Cutler's arrival, clock is ticking for Plummer in Denver

By Trent Modglin (tmodglin@pfwmedia.com)
May 4, 2006

Lots of news gets out in the weeks leading up to the NFL draft. Lots of it is hearsay and speculation, but some of it is legitimate leaks and insider information, spread from one valid source to another, for one reason or another. Despite the secrecy of the event, very few secrets are actually kept.

Knowing this, Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan had the bright idea that if you feel strongly about a strong-armed country kid from an SEC doormat, you should keep quiet about it. That way, no one will be able to catch wind of the interest and foil any possible Draft Day plans.

He did keep mum and, perhaps consequently, no one spoiled his plan. The Broncos made the bold move to trade up from No. 15 to No. 11 to snag Jay Cutler as the quarterback of the future, the eventual face of the franchise, perhaps the jersey that kids will be clamoring for a few holidays from now.

The problem with this move, in my mind, lies in the fact this team, very much in the Super Bowl hunt, had other needs. Needs that could be addressed immediately with players who are ready to step in now and help keep them in the running right out of the gate. Cutler, stuck behind Jake Plummer and Bradlee Van Pelt, likely won’t catch a meaningful whiff of the field until at least 2007, maybe beyond that. The distant future is nice to think about and solidify, but when you made it to the AFC title game in January, it’s hard to envision your first-round pick holding a clipboard this season when instead he could be out chasing the quarterback or catching passes. You know, getting dirty.

But Shanahan couldn’t pass this up. He admitted as much. It’s not very often a kid wins the conference Player of the Year award in a league like the SEC despite winning only 11 games in four years as the starter. That takes something special. Just ask the personnel people we talked to prior to the draft, who noticed the dropped passes by Vanderbilt receivers, the beating he took behind a line that couldn’t keep up, and the fact he kept picking himself up off the ground to make the types of rocket-arm throws that raise the eyebrows of even the most veteran scouts. All while displaying a little Brett Favre moxie in the process.

What a combination of traits to take a chance on.

If he were at USC and Matt Leinart were at Vanderbilt, it wouldn’t be close, some of the scouts said.

The Broncos also thought highly of Leinart and discussed moving up to Buffalo’s No. 8 spot or Detroit’s No. 9 to choose between the two, but neither team took the bait. They’ve tried to lure several veteran quarterbacks to town in recent years to compete with Bradlee Van Pelt — but to no avail. Now they’ve got their three. One for the immediate, one for emergency purposes, and one for the future.

So where does that leave Jake Plummer, you ask? All the guy has done is lead the Broncos to three straight playoff appearances. Even so, you get the feeling the Broncos’ faithful have never fully shifted over to his corner and likely never will. Despite seeing him cut down on his mistakes, complete confidence is not in his favor — not in the stadium, and apparently not within the organization.

He has four years remaining on a seven-year, $40 million contract. But the kicker is that he is not owed any guaranteed money after 2006, meaning Plummer may be in a one-and-done type of situation. Show us the Super Bowl or there’s the door. It could become just that simple in a year or two.

But he took the move in stride, even telling Shanahan he would’ve made the same selection. And for now, he gets to play catch with Javon Walker, for whom the Broncos sent a second-round pick to Green Bay. Walker, recovered from the torn ACL that ruined his ’05 season in Week One, is close to signing a new, hefty contract extension with his new team. A second-round pick for an explosive wide receiver who has yet to hit his prime? Not bad. Interestingly enough, he was taken by the Packers with the 20th pick back in 2002, just one spot behind Ashley Lelie, who appears to be bitter enough about not being the No. 1 receiver in Denver that he is boycotting the team’s offseason workout session and is looking for a trade.

What these two moves did is assure the Broncos are looking at the present as well as the future. Sure, a speed rusher on the defensive line or a young wide receiver would’ve been nice in the first round, or a safety with more range than John Lynch or Nick Ferguson. But …

“It was an opportunity you don’t get very often,” owner Pat Bowlen said. “You hope you picked a guy who can play for you for 15 years.”

Well, who knows about 15 years? That doesn’t happen much anymore. But the future has landed in Denver, and the clock suddenly is ticking on Jake.

And as Plummer tries, perhaps in vain, to escape the biggest shadow of all, left by Colorado’s favorite son John Elway, he’ll be eyeing another one behind him, not as big but nearly as full of potential.

[DarkHorse30]

The clock has been ticking since Griese was shown the door. Denver likes their QBs to be productive, and Plummer has been that. They also like to get to the superbowl.....which Plummer nearly accomplished.

Denver fans don't dis Plummer, they just want to be champions and will support Shanahan and Bowlen's consistent attempts to get there. To his credit, Jake is taking this in stride, and recognizing that he has to begin competing for his job. I'm guessing that is more of a motivator than we realize.

[MowrMowr]

Originally Posted by DarkHorse30

Denver fans don't dis Plummer

[watermock]

What these two moves did is assure the Broncos are looking at the present as well as the future. Sure, a speed rusher on the defensive line or a young wide receiver would’ve been nice in the first round, or a safety with more range than John Lynch or Nick Ferguson. But …

Sounds almost as mundane as something Burger Bill would write, except this is for national consumption.

First, not that he isn't undersized, but we did draft a pass rusher in Dumervil, who let the nation in sacks and have a kid named Jackson we evidently love. We also took two young WR's so I don't quite get his comment there.

It's not like we are on the hook for 23M or Brett Favre money. Cutler will have to earn his position, just like Lelie. Shanahan doesn't work on the premises that your draft position gives you a pass. Not at all. We can afford to pay Plummer his roster bonus after next year IMO. His contract still isn't prohibitive. Don't worry about Jake, he will land on his feet if it's time to go.

[Ballhawk]

I love how everyone says we should have taken an impact player in the 1st round. Wait until the regular season rolls around and maybe 15-20 players from the entire draft are actually starting. Out of which 2/3 will struggle.

[Hercules Rockefeller]

Originally Posted by Ballhawk

I love how everyone says we should have taken an impact player in the 1st round.

What's stupid is that people continue to expect Shanny to draft for that season, when he never does.

[broncofan]

What else is new? Jake knows all of this. As far as I'm concerned, Plummer is our starter until Cutler beats him out and earns the job...a complete parallel to how this team is run. I don't want to see Cutler until Shanahan thinks he's ready; be it 1 year or 2 years, 3 years, etc.

[bendog]

Originally Posted by Hercules Rockefeller

What's stupid is that people continue to expect Shanny to draft for that season, when he never does.

He used to. Nash.

[watermock]

Don't you have "it" trained yet?

If you missed South Park last night you missed a doozie. I almost died. Ms. Cartman brought in the guy from Animal Planet to train Cartman. I fell off the chair as Cartman systematically destroyed Super Nanny.

[DBroncos4life]

I think Plummer would be a good coach someday. Also I love how he knows that having someone there asking him questions makes him think about the things that he SHOULD be doing. He's a very smart man, even if he does some dumb things on the field....which I believe he is just doing something to try and win. Its a fine line between never say die and looking foolish on a play.

[Crushaholic]

Of course the clock is ticking for Plummer. It's called Father Time and will get everyone eventually (even Brett Favre). Plummer just had the year of his career. Next season, we'll see if it was just an aberration or if he's finally finding his role on the team. I think it's the latter and Plummer will be the starter for many years to come...

[Broncoman13]

Yet last year we were in a similar situation. We were bringing in all of those Browns guys and then we traded away our first round pick, even though we had needs that HAD to be addressed. Seems like Shanny has been making all the right moves lately. In the last two years he's really stepped it up in the personnel decisions. Great moves Shanny... and Ted I guess.

[~Crash~]

Originally Posted by Hercules Rockefeller

What's stupid is that people continue to expect Shanny to draft for that season, when he never does.

I thought the same as you HR but the TE pick in the 2nd might be a pick for this season... even though I still think Jackson will start it makes you wonder why that guy in the 2nd round why not trade down maybe we just could not trade down for what ever the reason it does have the feeling of drafting for need this year.....

[Billy Clyde Puckett]

I still think when Plummer loses the job that he takes his money and heads for his cabin on the lake in Idaho and stays out of public life like Zimmerman.

[manchambo]

So si.com has a list of the top 10 quarterback controversies in the league for the coming season, and Denver is not on that list. Do you think there will be a controversy? I think the first time the snake throws two interceptions in a half, people will be calling for Cutler. I think that's stupid, but it seems to be the way things work.

[SpringStein]

Originally Posted by 56crash

... even though I still think Jackson will start

wow, I don't have him making the roster.

[~Crash~]

Well then I Take it you are in the camp that we Draft for need ... most of the time Mike never gets rid of a player unless we have someone on the team that can do the same as the player he is losing Putzer was clutch on 3rd down !!!

[Taco John]

Shanahan isn't going to replace Plummer because he had a bad game... It's going to take a terrible stretch of games for Plummer to get replaced by a rookie. Maybe a 4 or 5 game skid...

[brncs_fan]

Here is the example that we should follow with Cutler:

-Carson Palmer-

2002 - First team All-American, Won Heisman Trophy, Ranked #5 in the nation in passer rating

2003 Nfl Stats- 0/0 0yds 0 TD 0 Int

[Man-Goblin]

Originally Posted by manchambo

So si.com has a list of the top 10 quarterback controversies in the league for the coming season, and Denver is not on that list. Do you think there will be a controversy? I think the first time the snake throws two interceptions in a half, people will be calling for Cutler. I think that's stupid, but it seems to be the way things work.

I don't know about that. I think it's conceivable that if Carr does not work out this year or next, Plummer could hop to the Texans and play band-aid for a few years there. I mean, why not?

[Kaylore]

I'm with SoCal. As much as I'd like to see what Jay can do, I think he should ride pine for two years. If he can win the starting job in '07 he should start. But Jake is a seasoned vet who undertands this system and beating out ten, eleven years of experience isn't easy. The only thing going for him is Jay is more talented than Jake. He'll have to work his tail off to have a shot...but I think Jay will rise to the challenge.

[Hulamau]

Originally Posted by Ballhawk

I love how everyone says we should have taken an impact player in the 1st round. Wait until the regular season rolls around and maybe 15-20 players from the entire draft are actually starting. Out of which 2/3 will struggle.

Thats certainly true particularly from pick 15 onward.

[Hulamau]

Originally Posted by Kaylore

I'm with SoCal. As much as I'd like to see what Jay can do, I think he should ride pine for two years. If he can win the starting job in '07 he should start. But Jake is a seasoned vet who undertands this system and beating out ten, eleven years of experience isn't easy. The only thing going for him is Jay is more talented than Jake. He'll have to work his tail off to have a shot...but I think Jay will rise to the challenge.

Agreed, I dont think there is any way in hell Shanny is going to just give Cutler the job until he's ready, unless Jake gets injured or inexplicably implodes.

However that could be by 2007 training camp with a full year of holding the clipboard and as the scout team QB, plus a second full offseason. Seems like a bright kid and Shanny said that Greise knew the offense almost as well as he did before he started his second season.

Cutler has physical gifts and skills with the ball Griese could only dream of and the moxie to put it all together.

That said the great thing about this situation is all bases are now covered. Jake has a chance to win a SB and there is no rush to rush the kid in and we have the luxury of allowing events to dicate right on cue when the Cutler era begins.

[The Big E]

Originally Posted by Rule On Jones

I don't know about that. I think it's conceivable that if Carr does not work out this year or next, Plummer could hop to the Texans and play band-aid for a few years there. I mean, why not?

Jake certainly has the ability to run for his life, so he might fit in there. I have a feeling they will improve on their "matador" pass-blocking, and Carr will come around. If not, I'd be happy to see Jake go there, especially since Kubes is a guy who knows Plummer so well.

It'll be interesting to see where he ends up, or if he'll just pack it in like Big Guy believes.

What I do know is that Cutler couldn't ask for a better situation, coming into a great, winning organization, with a chance to sit and learn. Once he's ready there's no reason for him not to flourish.

[broncofan]

Originally Posted by brncs_fan

Here is the example that we should follow with Cutler:

-Carson Palmer-

2002 - First team All-American, Won Heisman Trophy, Ranked #5 in the nation in passer rating

2003 Nfl Stats- 0/0 0yds 0 TD 0 Int

Agreed. That's the exact prototype I am anticipating for Cutler's progression...nothing less.