What about Bob?

Before the Mike Shanahan firing (and the subsequent hiring of Josh McDaniels) and the whole McJaygate saga and finally the trade of Cutler for Kyle Orton and some draft picks, the Broncos had a pretty darn good offense.

They were second in the league in yards per game last season with 395.8 (behind only New Orleans), but scored just 23.1 points per game (16th in the league) because they were bedeviled by turnovers. Denver was -16 in giveaway/takeaway (tied for last in the league with San Francisco) — mostly because of a poor defense, but also because Cutler threw 18 INTs and they lost 12 fumbles.

It is true that Cutler has a little Brett Favre in him, and he's generally good for about one pick per game. But the guy is entering just his fourth season (when QBs usually hit their prime) and he's already a Pro Bowl talent.

Where am I going with all this you ask?

Well the Broncos already named Orton their starting QB for the '09 season, and it shouldn't come as a surprise that Brandon Marshall's desire to be traded was mentioned in that same article.

Marshall is upset with his contract and what he claimed was a misdiagnosis of a hip injury. But don't discount the loss of Cutler as another driving factor in his push to leave town (even though the two had some beef in the past).

Marshall became a star with Cutler at the helm, as he caught 100 passes each of the past two seasons. Orton simply doesn't have the big-play capability Cutler possesses, and it will be reflected in Denver's offense this season.

If Marshall is granted his wish to be traded, the Broncos offense will mirror that of Jacksonville's — good running back (Jones-Drew/Moreno, Buckhalter), mediocre QB (Garrard/Orton), underwhelming stable of receivers (aging Holt, Northcutt, Williamson/Royal, Gaffney, aging Stokely) — albeit with a better offensive line.

Don't get me wrong, the Broncos made two strong first-round picks with Moreno, pictured above, (a guy who rushed for 2,736 yards and never fumbled in his two seasons as a starter at Georgia) and linebacker Brandon Ayers, who they took with the pick they received from Chicago.

But Denver had the makings of a prolific offense (which it would need to compete with the way its defense plays) derailed because of McDaniels's silly courting of Matt Cassel.

And now this team has five or six wins written all over it before training camp has even begun.

-Chris Mascaro

**UPDATE**: Add Orton's former teammate Brandon Lloyd into the "underwhelming stable of receivers" pile.

(Photo by John Bazemore/Associated Press)

... and a lot more from the Broncos' owner in an interview with Woody Paige of the Denver Post, his first extensive remarks since Denver unloaded their Pro Bowl quarterback in a blockbuster trade with the Bears.

"Honestly, I still don't know what happened with Jay," Bowlen tells Paige. "I don't want to throw him under the bus, but I made two phone calls (and there is proof, Broncos executives claim) and left voice mails with my cell number and asked him to call me, and he didn't. I don't do e-mails. If Jay had called and said he thought the coach was (not a nice person) and he wanted out of here, I would have said, 'Let's work this out.' But I heard nothing directly from him. Pick up the phone! That's where we got off the rails. We had no other choice but to trade him. If (the trade talk) was the reason Jay left, he should have left."

Bowlen told Paige he's pleased with veteran QB Kyle Orton and the draft picks the Broncos got in return from Chicago, but conceded he, too, was puzzled that the Broncos didn't get more defensie players in the draft.

Could be.

The Broncos are bringing the USC quarterback in for a visit on Tuesday, according to the Denver Post (via NFL.com), fueling speculation the team will strongly consider a move to draft him.

Denver would most likely have to package a deal to move into position to draft Sanchez, who is expected to be a top 10 pick. The Broncos currently have their own pick (12th overall) and the Bears' No. 18 they acquired in the deal that sent Cutler to Chicago.

The Bears also shipped starting quarterback Kyle Orton to the Broncos. Orton and Chris Simms are the top two quarterbacks currently on Denver's roster.

Not to jump too far on the Brian Dawkins bandwagon, but kudos to the new Broncos safety for winning the 43rd annual Byron "Whizzer" White award for community service.

Dawkins was a spokesperson for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund when he played in Philly, and he also hosts an annual golf tournament to benefit the Burn Prevention Foundation.

Dawkins was given the award Thursday night in Washington.

-Chris Mascaro

The Broncos' Pro Bowl receiver seems pretty high on newly acquired Kyle Orton, despite the fact Orton might directly impact Marshall's success this season.

Marshall enjoyed a terrific year in 2008 catching passes from Jay Cutler, but the receiver does appear enthused about Orton, who is vying for the starting job with Chris Simms.

He'll compete for the starting job with Chris Simms, who was acquired as a free agent earlier in the off-season.

Orton likely has the edge long-term, but since Simms has already been tutored for several weeks by head coach Josh McDaniels, he's in the lead for now.

In the wake of the blockbuster trade that sent Jay Cutler and a fifth-round pick to the Bears in exchange for Kyle Orton, two first-round picks and a third-rounder, team owner Pat Bowlen has written a letter to season ticket holders. Here's the text:

Issued April 4, 2009:

Dear Broncos Fan,

I am writing this letter today because I feel compelled to give our community and our fans an explanation regarding the Jay Cutler situation.

One of my directives to Josh McDaniels upon his hiring was that he consider everything possible to return the Broncos to the level which you and I both expect, and this certainly includes making a fair evaluation of every opportunity presented to us which might improve the team. He and General Manager Brian Xanders have had my complete support throughout, and they have it now. It is important that you know that at all times we represented ourselves to Jay with honesty and integrity.

I assure you both Josh and I made repeated attempts to reach out to Jay, and I can not speak for him as to why he chose to limit his response. Ultimately, given his unwillingness to speak with either of us directly in the last 12 days- at the same time his agent clearly stating to us Jay's intentions- it became very apparent to me personally that he no longer wanted to play for the Denver Broncos. As such, we elected to trade him.

Understand this: it remains about team. Our franchise has gone to the Super Bowl six times, with three different coaches and with many different players. It has never been about one player, and it never will be. Coach McDaniels shares this vision, and everyone in the organization—players, coaches and staff—must understand and accept this unconditionally. If anyone does not, that person will not be a part of this franchise.

I am extremely proud of our franchise, its accomplishments, and the region and fans that we represent. We have an illustrious history, one which we are all anxious to add to, and if someone does not wish to be with us as we head in this direction, then we will move on, and move forward.

Continue reading "Dear Broncos fans ..." »

Namely, that the Broncos' coach saw no chance that Cutler would ever be completely on board.

“It was gonna require two people to want the same resolution. To me, that’s where it fell through,” McDaniels told reporters today. "It became obvious that it wasn’t going to be resolved the way we were trying to resolve it.”

McDaniels said that after having discussions with owner Pat Bowlen and GM Brian Xanders, the Broncos decided to put the disgruntled quarterback on the trading block.

“Pat and I and Brian, in the last four to five days, saw that it was becoming more clear, and that concluded with Pat’s statement Tuesday,” McDaniels said.

McDaniels also expressed confidence in Orton, who was traded to the Broncos along with first- and third-round picks this year and a first-round pick in 2010 for Cutler and a fifth-round pick this year.

“Kyle Orton has won in this league,” McDaniels said. “He’s tough, he’s smart, he makes good decisions. He’s accurate with the football and we’re excited about having him on this team ... He's a guy who can do what we want him to do, understand and process our offense, elp our team win, make smart decisions and get the ball to the people that we want to do things with.”

That's the reaction from the Broncos' iconic former quarterback, who expressed disappointment that the Jay Cutler saga had to end with his trade to the Chicago Bears yesterday.

"Too bad they couldn't find a way to fix it," Elway told Woody Paige of the Denver Post. "I had been hoping they could put it back together."

More Elway: "Jay's a great talent. I think he can really play the game and has a chance to be a great quarterback in his career. But they went so far down the road, and I guess there was no turning back."

Elway had his own brush with controversial trade dealings. When he was the top pick of the Colts in the 1983 draft, he said he'd sit out or play baseball rather than play for a franchise owned by Robert Irsay and coached by Frank Kush. Elway was ultimately traded to Denver.

And in the 1991 off-season, Broncos coach Dan Reeves discussed a possible Elway trade with the Redskins. A deal never came off. "There was no way we were going to do the deal," Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said of the talks. "Forget it. It never got past the talking-on-the-telephone stage."

"I was very hurt (in 1991), so I can understand what Jay was feeling," Elway told Paige. "It's a trust issue. After some time, I had to get over it and move on. Although you don't forget, you realize this is a business. Jay couldn't get past it."

(AP Photo)

I was going to write an April Fool's Day post yesterday reporting that Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler was upset that the team had decided to trade him, this just weeks after Cutler and his agent demanded the team deal him to another club.

But I figured the Broncos' April Fool's Day eve announcement that they were shipping him somewhere else was enough of a jolt.

Turns out if I had written something like that, it wouldn't have been far from the truth, because Cutler said at a sporting event last night in Nashville that he was surprised by Pat Bowlen's announcement Tuesday night, and that he really doesn't want to get traded.

Cutler told FOXSports' Jay Glazer last night at the UFC Fight Night 18 card in Nashville that he was shocked the Broncos issued a statement proclaiming he was on the block after conversations with agent Bus Cook.

"I was surprised they decided to trade me this soon," Cutler said. "I didn't want to get traded. This wasn't me. (The Broncos) had been going back and forth saying things, wanting me to be their quarterback and then they didn't ... "I really didn't want this. I love Denver. I really like my teammates. I didn't want it to get this far."

One word, people: WHHAAAAATTTTTT???!!!!!!

One question, Jets fans: Is this really the guy you want leading your team?

Throughout the McJaygate saga, I've been on Cutler's side, while Mr. G has been on the side of McDaniels/Bowlen (or more accurately, against Cutler).

But if Cutler (and his agent Bus Cook) don't stop this he said/she said with the Broncos, it might sway me to the other side.

According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, Cutler replied in a text message simply, "No," when asked if Bowlen had tried to directly contact him since this feud started. (Bowlen said in the statement announcing the Broncos would try to trade Cutler that both he and McDaniels had tried to numerous times over the last 10 days.)

Cook added the following: "The perception that they've been burning the phone lines the last 10 days is wrong," he said. "In fact, the other day I asked Jay if he had heard from them and he said, 'no.' I didn't hear from them until yesterday [Tuesday] morning when [GM] Brian Xanders called me and said that Mr. Bowlen needs to speak with Jay now. I told him all I can do is leave Jay a message.

"I didn't reach Jay directly — I don't know what he was doing — but I left a message. Then Brian called at the end of the day and asked me if I had heard from him. I hadn't. I heard from Jay when he called to tell me he just saw on TV he was being traded. They can spin it the way they want to spin it."

According to Mortensen, "A Broncos official scoffed at [this] notion."

Regardless of whether or not it's true, Cutler got his wish to be traded. Why does he care if they reached out to him or not? He's the one who requested the trade and was granted his request.

The Broncos have repeatedly said they wanted to keep Cutler, and if the QB is following the TV reports (as Cook said), he would have seen that.

-Chris Mascaro

While teams around the NFL line up to get a shot at trading for Jay Cutler, a good portion of the Broncos' faithful have a message for the 25-year-old brat ... uh ... quarterback: Good riddance!

At last look, a poll accompanying the Denver Post news story of Pat Bowlen's announcement that Cutler is on the block was running 61-39 in favor of dumping the petulant ... uh ... high-strung quarterback.

Klis also has a nugget that Cutler was surprised by the announcement, because he'd packed up his cars to have them shipped from Tennessee to Denver in time for this month's mini-camp.

One more nugget: On the day that the Broncos announced that Cutler was up for sale, former head coach Mike Shanahan shot a hole-in-one during a round of golf. The last time he'd produced an ace: the day he was fired from the Raiders.

Hmmm.

... in another unscientific poll, readers of Boland's blog are mostly of the opinion that Cutler to the Jets is not a good idea.

But on the Newsday sports homepage, sentiment is most certainly in favor of Cutler coming to the Jets. Shortly after 10:10 a.m., 60 percent of the 3,000 or so respondents said the Jets should get Cutler.

As some of you know by now, I am not in favor of the young man coming to New York. Perhaps I will amplify on this again in the near future.

In a move that may ultimately have a huge impact on the Jets, the Broncos have decided to trade disgruntled quarterback Jay Cutler.

The move comes after more than a month of frustration expressed by Cutler over first-year head coach Josh McDaniels’ admission that he considered a trade for former Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel, with whom McDaniels previously worked as a Patriots assistant.

Broncos owner Pat Bowlen made the announcement in a statement issued by the team.

“Numerous attempts to contact Jay Cutler in the last 10 days, both by Head Coach Josh McDaniels and myself, have been unsuccessful,” the statement read. “A conversation with his agent earlier today clearly communicated and confirmed to us that Jay no longer has any desire to play for the Denver Broncos. We will begin discussions with other teams in an effort to accommodate his request to be traded.”

The Jets had previously contacted the Broncos about their possible interest in Cutler, but a source familiar with the team’s plans said at the time it was more a matter of doing due diligence. Now that Cutler is officially on the market, the Jets may step up efforts to swing a deal.

If the Jets do trade for Cutler, it would mean backups Kellen Clemens, Brett Ratliff and Erik Ainge, who have been told they’d battle for the starter’s job throughout the off-season and training camp, would not be in position to become the No. 1 quarterback. First-year head coach Rex Ryan has spoken glowingly of Clemens and Ratliff, and expressed confidence that the team would not be lacking at quarterback, even if they didn’t trade for Cutler.

But if the Jets are serious about going after Cutler, they’ll have plenty of competition for his services. The Broncos were contacted by nearly a dozen teams once Cutler had initially asked to be traded. And Cutler would have been dealt to Tampa Bay or Detroit had the Broncos pulled off a three-way trade involving the Patriots and Cassel. The Patriots dealt Cassel to Kansas City for a second-round pick.

The Bucs are expected to be major players in the Cutler trade talks, because they are without a clear-cut starter after bidding adieu to Jeff Garcia. The Lions, who have the first overall draft pick, could also be involved again in trade talks. However, the Lions may opt to take Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford with the first overall pick in the draft. The Lions held a personal workout with Stafford yesterday.

If the Lions do make the trade for Cutler and deal the No. 1 pick, the Broncos would be expected to take Stafford.

McDaniels had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. At last week’s NFL owners meetings in southern California, he said the team was committed to Cutler, although he refused to rule out a trade.

“I’ve always been optimistic,” McDaniels said. “He’s on our team, he’s under contract, and I understand there’s things we have to work toward in our relationship.”

McDaniels, at 32 the youngest coach in the NFL, acknowledged he’d had conversations about Cassel, but insisted the talks never got the point where he pushed for a trade.

“You take into consideration what anybody is trying to offer up,” he said. “If the quality of the trade you feel, in the long run, improves your team, you analyze it. It’s been made very clear to me it’s my job to listen to a number of scenarios that would improve the team."

Other teams with uncertain situations at quarterback who might get into the Cutler sweepstakes include the Bears, Vikings, 49ers, Browns, Jaguars, Panthers, and Rams. The Redskins are also considered a possibility, although the team has indicated Jason Campbell is not in danger of losing his starting job.

Denver owner Pat Bowlen, upset at the ongoing McJaygate saga, has agreed to Jay Cutler's trade request and has begun looking for suitors for the 25-year old Pro Bowl quarterback. Here is the story by Mike Klis of the Denver Post.

Here is the statement from Bowlen: "Numerous attempts to contact Jay Cutler in the last 10 days, both by head coach Josh McDaniels and myself, have been unsuccessful," Bowlen said in a statement released late Tuesday. "A conversation with his agent (Bus Cook) earlier today clearly communicated and confirmed to us that Jay no longer has any desire to play for the Denver Broncos. We will begin discussions with other teams in an effort to accommodate his request to be traded."

Among the teams that have inquired about Cutler over the last few weeks are: Chicago, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Minnesota, and of course, the Jets.

It's been a lot of fun keeping up with the Denver Post's daily updates on what they are calling the McJaygate saga (between Broncos rookie coach Josh McDaniels and quarterback Jay Cutler in case you've been living under a rock lately).

Day 31 (yesterday) dealt with the news that Cutler forfeited his $100,000 workout bonus because he has already missed more than 10 percent of the team's offseason training sessions.

Day 32 (today) dealt with Cutler's teammates' refusal to speak to the media since March 19. Media sessions during offseason training are not mandatory and Denver's P.R. people said the players may not make themselves available until the days leading up the first mini-camp, which is April 17-19.

Does that mean two weeks without McJaygate updates?!

I'll just have to look at this everyday to get a laugh.

-Chris Mascaro

(AP Photo)

This time, he told a swarm of reporters at the owners meetings that he wants Jay Cutler as his quarterback.

So far, Mr. Cutler has not responded to the head coach's frequent assertions in recent days and weeks that the young quarterback is still very much in the Broncos' plans.

At some point, Mr. Cutler will begin to realize that he can no longer enjoy the pity party he has thrown for himself without looking childish about the whole situation.

What Mr. Cutler needs to do now is respond to his coach's request for a private, face-to-face, no-agent-in-the-room sit-down to hash things out.

Every time I hear about the Josh McDaniels-Jay Cutler issue I think about the closing scene in one of my favorite movies — Any Given Sunday.

Why? Because McDaniels pulled a Tony D'Amato (Pacino's character).

For the life of me I can't find a clip of the scene (if anyone does, please put it in the comments section!), but here's a quick synopsis: D'Amato, the coach of the fictitious Miami Sharks, announces he's going to leave the club to take over an expansion team in Albuquerque.

The kicker is that he's going to bring Miami's young hot-shot (*free agent*) quarterback Willie Beamen (Jamie Foxx's character) with him to be the expansion team's franchise QB. Kind of like what McDaniels wanted to do when he attempted to trade for Matt Cassel. (I know it's a bit of a stretch, but work with me here.)

The one problem? In the movie, D'Amato had 30+ years of head coaching experience, had won a championship, and was starting over with an expansion team. McDaniels is 32, has no head coaching experience and signed on with an established franchise that just fired a two-time Super Bowl champ in Mike Shanahan.

What I'm trying to say here is that McDaniels has no clout.

I get it that new head coaches want "their guys," but let's face it, McDaniels doesn't have any guys. Last time I checked, Bill Belichick was the head coach in New England. I understand McDaniels was Cassel's offensive coordinator, but I'm uncomfortable with a rookie head coach immediately making sweeping changes that will upset the chemistry in his new locker room.

Bill Parcells could do whatever he wanted in Miami last year because a) he has two Super Bowl rings and b) because the Dolphins won one game in 2007. Heck, even Eric Mangini has one solid season with the Jets to lean on in Cleveland. McDaniels has nothing.

If I were Cutler — a guy who's had a strong start to his career — I'd want out of Denver too.

Until McDaniels can lead his team like D'Amato did when he made his now-famous "Inches speech" (I would post it, but I can't because of the salty language), he'll have to work to earn the respect of his players — just as he expects them to earn his.

-Chris Mascaro

The NFL has provided a more detailed account of Scott Hanson's interview with Josh McDaniels, to be aired tonight on NFL Network's "Total Access" at 7 p.m.

As I read through this transcription, I get the sense that McDaniels and the Broncos are doing everything in their power to salvage their relationship with Jay Cutler and convince him to remain with the team.

I'm not saying they won't trade him. I'm just saying my sense is that they'd like to find a way to make Cutler believe that he is the present and future of this franchise.

McDaniels: Jay and I will have an opportunity to talk more as we go here. I know it's been a very public issue and this is something that I think happens more than people realize. We have a relationship, nobody knows where it stands right now, but it's going to get better. It will continue to get better, I believe that. I think it's something that both parties have to work toward a solid resolution. We have a good nucleus of players there that are looking forward to seeing him back at the facility and working with him. It will get to that point at some point in the near future.

Hanson: Do you see him as the quarterback of the Denver Broncos?

McDaniels: Yes. He's our quarterback.

Hanson: Present-tense.

McDaniels: He's our quarterback. Period.

Hanson: Future-tense? He will be your quarterback?

Continue reading "More on the Josh McDaniels interview about Jay Cutler" »

That's the tease of an interview with the Broncos' head coach, scheduled to air tonight on NFL Network, which means very few people will actually see the interview because very few people have NFL Network.

But that's a subject for another day ... and another blog.

Anyway, McDaniels says that unhappy camper Jay Cutler is his quarterback. Which means that essentially there is nothing new to the situation, because McDaniels can say that Cutler is his quarterback until he's blue in the face. Until Cutler says he's on board with the new head coach, the situation will remain in flux.

McDaniels is at the NFL owners meetings in Los Angeles, where Cutler will no doubt be a hot topic of conversation.

... but the commissioner won't get involved in the Jay Cutler mess in Denver.

Goodell told the Denver Post at this week's NFL owners meetings in Los Angeles that he views the Cutler and Favre situations as completely different. He's right about that. Favre had retired, requested his reinstatement, and then was essentially kept away from the team for several weeks before Goodell pressed the issue. Favre was eventually dealt to the Jets.

This time, it's a purely internal issue, as far as Goodell is concerned, so he feels there's no need to get involved.

Will Cutler eventually be dealth? Too soon to tell. The Broncos really do want this thing to somehow blow over, but are surely aware that Cutler might stick to his guns and force his way out of Denver.

... but the Hall of Fame quarterback never whined his way out of Denver after feuding with Dan Reeves.

Elway weighed in on the Jay Cutler mess, calling it an unfortunate turn of events and taking a shot at Cutler's agent, Bus Cook, for the advice he has been giving the quarterback.

This according to the Denver Post, which indicates many of those queries have simply been calls to let the Broncos know they'd have some interest if Cutler is indeed on the market. The report does not indicate whether the Jets were one of those teams.

The Broncos' response: As of now, Cutler is not on the block.

The Broncos are still hoping cooler heads prevail and that Cutler will be convinced that he is still wanted by new head coach Josh McDaniels.

Interesting sub-plot to this latest story: Agent Bus Cook says the root of Cutler's discontent is the fact that team owner Pat Bowlen assured the quarterback the offensive staff would remain intact after Mike Shanahan's firing. But after McDaniels was hired, offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates left to go to USC.

Post writer Mike Klis points out, however, that Cutler indicated on Jan. 30 that he was fine with the idea of playing for McDaniels, suggesting that the real problem was McDaniels entertaining the idea of a trade for Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel. The Chiefs ultimately dealt for Cassel.

That's what FoxSports columnist John Carnecki is suggesting in his column, arguing that agent Bus Cook - who also represents B. Favre - is behind Cutler's demand to be traded. Or to get a fat new contract that would somehow convince him that the Broncos really do love him.

Some interesting stuff in here, especially the part about Cutler wanting out of Denver after head coach Mike Shanahan was fired and offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates left for USC.

The Broncos started their off-season workout program today, and Jay Cutler was not around.

Not a surprise, considering Cutler is still miffed at the team for getting involved in trade talks for Matt Cassel.

Jets fans are particularly anxious to see what happens with all of this, but again, I caution against expecting too much. For starters, Cutler will be an expensive proposition, both in terms of draft-choice compensation and dollars; there is every reason to believe he will include a massive contract extension before agreeing to any trade.

Moreover, I still find Cutler's behavior in all this less than exemplary. He has complained long and loud in a very public forum, and by refusing to meet individually with head coach Josh McDaniels (Cutler insisted on his agent being there, too), he didn't show his coach much.

I'll grant you that Cutler was within his rights to ask that his agent be there, but let's face it. If these two guys are ever going to get along, it's because they work things out man-to-man, not coach-to-player/agent.

I'm sure the Jets are paying close attention to what's going on, although their attention early this week is on Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman. That said, Rex Ryan has to think long and hard about whether he wants a quarterback who is reacting so sensitively. After all, this is New York, and this place doesn't take too kindly to athletes who can't take criticism.

So he says to ESPN's Chris Mortensen in an interview last night.

Oy.

The Broncos continue to insist that they have no intention of trading Cutler, but this soap opera is only intensifying, and it appears a parting of the ways might be inevitable.

The Buccaneers and Lions were in heavy pursuit of Cutler when the Matt Cassel trade talks were percolating during the first weekend of free agency. Cassel, the former Patriots who worked under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, now the Broncos' head coach, wound up being dealt to the Chiefs.

The Jets have reportedly expressed no interest in Cutler, but you know how those things change. That said, I wonder if Cutler's thin skin during this entire process rubs no-nonsense head coach Rex Ryan the wrong way. I mean, if Cutler can't understand the fact that trade talks happen all the time, then how's he going to react to other uncertain situations?

Sure, you want to know your place as a football player. Or any other employee, for that matter. But if Cutler is going to throw a hissy fit and demand a trade - rather than face the challenge and see if he can work things out and play for a promising young offensive-oriented coach, then do you really want this quarterback on your team?

Just askin'.

... this according to the Denver Post's Mike Klis, who reports that the Broncos' quarterback and the head coach met yesterday and continue to have their differences over the trade talk that had Cutler going to either Tampa or Detroit and Matt Cassel going to Denver.

The deal never came off and Cassel eventually went to the Chiefs. But Cutler remains chapped about things, and may not show up for tomorrow's mandatory team meeting, McDaniels' first as head coach. And don't forget that Cutler has put his home up for sale.

We're gonna give Cutler some free advice on this one: Dude, chillax, would you?

Show up at the meeting, show your team you can rise above the situation, and move on. If I'm not mistaken, you haven't won a Super Bowl yet, and you've not yet turned into John Elway. So relax, keep talking to the head coach, and deal with it.

Trade discussions happen all the time. Get over yourself, and let the situation work itself out.

Cutler has put his house on the market at a time when his status in Denver is very murky. At least as far as Cutler is concerned.

He's convinced new head coach Josh McDaniels was serious about peddling him to either Tampa or Detroit in a three-way deal that would have brought Matt Cassel to Denver. McDaniels said the Broncos were the ones approached about a deal, not the other way around.

Whatever.

The next installment of the soap opera unfolds Monday, when McDaniels will have a mandatory team meeting. Cutler is expected to attend.

Apparently things still aren't kosher between Jay Cutler and the Broncos, this according to a source of ESPN.com's Bill Williamson.

Cutler had a conference call with new coach Josh McDaniels and the Broncos' brass on Monday to iron out their differences after it had been rumored that the team was trying to trade for Matt Cassel.

However, Williamson's source said that the organization stated to Cutler that anyone on the roster could still be traded, including him (this after it emphatically stated Cutler wasn't on the block early last week).

A Broncos source with knowledge of the meeting said that Cutler was reassured (by owner Pat Bowlen) that he would be kept in Denver.

It sounds like a he said/she said thing to me. But don't you think the Broncos would want to clear up any gray areas on this matter?

Maybe we should include the team's ownership and management to the list of boneheaded people in the organization. After all, they did fire Mike Shanahan and his 154-103 record to hire McDaniels.

-Chris Mascaro

And we thought Eric Mangini was alienating his new team.

Check out this column by Dave Krieger of The Denver Post talking about new Broncos coach Josh McDaniels' interesting ways. Turns out the 32-year old who has never been a head coach and just took over for a two-time Super Bowl champ thinks his system is bigger than any player on the roster.

Who does he think he is, Bill Walsh? These Bill Belichick disciples have such egos — he must prop them up as genius assistants around the league knowing they'll fail with conference rivals.

McDaniels signed 12 free agents in eight days, and according to Krieger's column, 11 of them are in the "average starter" or "good backup" category in the Scouts Inc. free agent ratings — a group that includes running backs Correll Buckhalter, who has had knee issues his entire career, J.J. Arrington, who Krieger heard may have been on crutches during his visit to Denver, and LaMont Jordan, who has played in just 29 games the last three seasons. Strength in numbers, I guess.

The only free agent the Broncos signed in the "good player" category was Brian Dawkins, who is just two years younger than another Pro Bowl safety the Broncos used to employ.

Aside from his questionable signings, McDaniels is not making nice with quarterback Jay Cutler. Personally, I think Cutler is the second coming of Brett Favre (which some may think is a good thing, but I don't). Yet that's no reason for McDaniels to try and trade him for his former New England pupil Matt Cassel.

And many are opining that Cutler should quit his whining and stick to football.

Said Ron Jaworski to the Denver Post: "Jay reacted so negatively. I'm not sure if that's some sort of immaturity he has to get over. This is the business of football. Coaches talk all the time, general managers talk all the time . . . Really only about 1 percent of all that talk ever leads to anything getting done."

But do all those hypotheticals get made public? It seems to me McDaniels is the one acting like a child — wanting to bring all of his toys with him to a new town after leaving the old one (on his own volition, no less). Doesn't work that way, Josh.

And now people are talking about Denver as a potential landing spot for T.O., while half the league has already said it doesn't want the mercurial receiver.

Wow. Good luck, Mr. McDaniels. You're going to need it.

(AP Photo)

That's the buzz out of Denver, where there's word the Broncos were considering a deal that would have shipped Jay Cutler to the Buccaneers in exchange for Matt Cassel, the former Patriots quarterback who has since been traded to Kansas City.

"I've heard the rumors," Cutler told CBS4 in Denver. "I know what they're trying to do. Even though I love Denver and I'd love to remain a Bronco, I know how this business works. If they want me to play somewhere else, so be it."

According to the station, the Broncos had a three-way deal in the works late last night with the Patriots and Buccaneers. The proposed trade would've sent Cutler to Tampa and Cassel to Denver. That deal fell apart when Cassel was traded to the Chiefs earlier Sunday morning.

Now the Broncos are turning to other teams in an effort to trade Cutler, possibly the Detroit Lions.

CBS4 has also learned tight end Tony Scheffler has also been mentioned in trade talks.

When contacted by CBS4 Sunday afternoon, Broncos GM Brian Xanders denied any plans to trade Cutler. However, Cutler confirmed to CBS4 that he is aware that trade talks have taken place.

Mike Nolan, who was famous for wearing those snazzy suits during his tenure as the head coach in San Francisco, has found a new home just three months after he was let go by the 49ers.

Nolan, 49, will serve as Josh McDaniels' defensive coordinator in Denver. At 32, McDaniels is the NFL's second-youngest head coach (he's four months older than new Tampa coach Raheem Morris) and is known more for his offensive prowess.

Nolan went just 18-37 in 3+ years with San Francisco, but had stints in New York (with the Giants and Jets), Washington and Baltimore as a defensive coordinator and has thrived in that role.

He'll probably retire the suit in favor of comfortable team apparel he can wear in the booth, though. At least that's my guess...

(Photo by the Associated Press)

The former 49ers' head coach and Giants' d-coordinator has signed on with Josh McDaniels to become the Broncos defensive coordinator.
The Packers had been interested in Nolan, too.

ESPN is reporting that the Broncos have settled on Josh McDaniels as the team's next head coach.

The Rocky Mountain News has seconded the motion. The Denver Post, too. The Post also reports that the team will add Dom Capers, a Patriots assistant and former NFL head coach and defensive coordinator.

Man, that's some haul.

McDaniels, 32, has been the Patriots' offensive coordinator and is widely credited with developing backup Matt Cassel into a legitimate starter in the absence of the injured Tom Brady.

McDaniels' expected hire means there's one less opportunity for Steve Spagnuolo, who is still in contention for jobs with the Jets, Rams and Lions.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the most absurd coaching development of the week: Former Broncos linebacker Bill Romanowski, who hasn’t spent one second as an NFL assistant coach – or any other kind of coach, for that matter – wants to become the Broncos’ new head coach.

He even sent team owner Pat Bowlen a PowerPoint presentation outlining his credentials and ideas for getting the Broncos back on track after the Mike Shanahan era.

Romo, who had a history of concussions and a series of altercations with opponents and teammates alike, called himself “the best person in the country for the job.”

Right.

(Associated Press photo)

The former first-round quarterback, selected by Mike Shanahan to become the Broncos' fixture at quarterback for at least the next decade, is not happy that Broncos owner Pat Bowlen pulled the plug on the head coach.

"I'm disappointed, I'm shocked, I'm not happy about it, I'm not pleased with it at all," Cutler told Jeff Legwold of the Rocky Mountain News. "We had zero inkling this was going to happen. I didn't have a clue."

According to Legwold, Cutler said he met with Shanahan for about 30 minutes Monday before leaving town to discuss offseason plans as well as the direction the offense would take in the 2009 season.

This year, Cutler was selected for his first Pro Bowl after he set single-season franchise records in passing yards (4,526), total offense (4,726 yards), attempts (616) and completions (384) to go with 25 touchdowns, which tied him for the third-highest single-season total in Broncos history.

Cutler compiled those totals despite the team's injury woes at running back. The Broncos placed seven running backs on injured reserve this season, five of whom had started at least one game.

"I think, with the offensive staff we had, we were moving ahead," Cutler said. "I had just met with Mike to go over everything, talk about the things we wanted to do, make sure we were going the right way on offense."

It's certainly plausible.

The former Steelers coach has already turned down overtures from the Browns and Jets, but now that Mike Shanahan is out as the Broncos' head coach, Cowher might want to consider Denver.

Cowher does want to wield considerable power over personnel matters, although that could actually be a detriment in Broncos owner Pat Bowlen's eyes. After all, Bowlen had granted more power to Shanahan over the years, yet his roster decisions proved his undoing.

Stay tuned on this one.

Hmmm. We've heard that one before, no?

1986. The Drive. John Elway leads Broncos past Browns in stunning comeback in Cleveland.

Different year. Different quarterback. Different Stadium. Same outcome.

Sorry, Boland.

Actually, the former Broncos running back wasn't just dabbling in it. More like he was bathing in it.

Authorities in Centennial, Colo. arrested him for being part of a multi-kilogram cocaine transaction.

The Broncos released Henry in the off-season.

My hunch is he won't be playing football in the near future.

... but not off the field.

Former Broncos quarterback John Elway is getting married to a former Raiders' cheerleader.

John Lynch won't be getting a call from Lions coach Rod Marinelli, the former Bucs defensive line coach who was a huge Lynch supporter during their days in Tampa.

Pretty sure Herm Edwards won't give a call, either, since Edwards is trying to go with younger players. Wouldn't say it's impossible, though. After all, Edwards once called 40something quarterback Vinny Testaverde out of retirement when quarterback injuries crippled his team a few years back.

If Lynch doesn't hook up with anyone, he's Neil Best's responsibility, because the safety has his eye on a broadcasting career once he's through playing.

Now the question is whether Lynch is done, period.

The veteran safety, who took a significant paycut to stay with the team, was barely used in practice during the first week and received permission from head coach Mike Shanahan to skedaddle.
Lynch will certainly ponder any potential opportunities out there, although it's not certain how many teams will be lined up for an aging star with some recent neck problems.

If it's curtains on his playing career, we'll turn Lynch over to Neil Best, because he plans on pursuing a television career.

The Broncos just announced the move.

Head coach Mike Shanahan gave the old "we did not feel his commitment to the Broncos was enough to warrant a spot on this football team" line to explain the decision.

(That is code for "We think he is a piece of you-know-what.")

Henry has had a checkered past that includes mutliple violations of the league's substance abuse policy and failure to make regular child support payments to the mothers of his nine children.

I know we've already used this word a couple of times today, but it seems appropriate yet again: oy.

This, according to the Rocky Mountain News. If it's true, it at least provides some measure of justice for the senseless murder of a talented young man.