Official Denver Broncos Thread

[av7]

Re: Official Denver Broncos Thread

That's the problem though. To me, it seems clear that Cutler feels more impowered without Shanahan. He doesn't respect McDaniels and that's a HUGE problem. I understand how you feel McDaniels is making a horrible first impression, but I put myself in his shoes and can't see much I could do differently. They tried to reach out to the kid and he won't accept calls, making every conversation on his terms. He's flipping out at the thought that he's not untradeable which is just the way it is for 99% of the NFL. The first impression McDaniels needs to worry about is maintaining the hierarchy. That's priority number one on gaining respect from the rest of the team.

IMO, every bit of new info just further proves how much Cutler is overreacting.

BTW, for the record I hope they work it out and he stays in Denver. I can't imagine his NFL career going as well as it could anywhere else... and it could fall pretty far depending on how it plays out. Wake up, Jay.

From what I've heard out of people that hang around the Broncos, Cutler isn't mad at being traded, its being lied to about the trades not happening (which may or may not have been close to being done, no one will know outside of the organization). I'm sure theres a fairly large chunk that we're all missing from both sides so it's hard to point a finger. I agree though with McDaniels having to keep the hiearchy, which Cutler has already questioned (refusal to take phone calls and meet last week )so that alone gives them reason to deal him now.

Depending on how it plays out, Cutler could be a complete idiot wanting out of Denver only to land up on a not-so-great option of a team. If he wants to play for the Broncos, great. If not, too bad but try placing him in the worst place possible just so he realizes he ****ed up.

Let's not forget the agent we're dealing with, Bus Cook. Now he may not have anything to do with this but I have a hard time believing he's just an innocent bystander. I still want Cutler, Bowlend and McDaniels to sit down and talk- Bus Cook and Xanders can sit out in the lobby for all I care. Cutler and Scheffler rumored to be skipping camp.

[av7]

Re: Official Denver Broncos Thread

Take it for what it's worth since you all know I hate using ESPN but I find it hard for Mortensen to screw even this up.

Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler said Sunday night that he will not report to the team's first meeting on Monday and has formally asked to be traded. He confirmed that a Saturday meeting with first-year coach Josh McDaniels ended badly from his perspective while McDaniels offered another viewpoint on Sunday night.

"I went in there with every intention of solving the issue, being a Bronco, moving forward as a Bronco," Cutler said. "We weren't in there but about 20 minutes, [McDaniels] did most of the talking and as far as I'm concerned, he made it clear he wants his own guy. He admitted he wanted Matt Cassel because he said he has raised him up from the ground as a quarterback. He said he wasn't sorry about it. He made it clear that he could still entertain trading me because, as he put it, he'll do whatever he feels is in the best interest of the organization.

"At the end of the meeting, he wasn't like, 'Jay, I want you as our quarterback, you're our guy.' It felt like the opposite. He basically said that I needed to tell him if we can't work this out, to let him know," Cutler added. "I thought he was antagonizing me and that was disappointing because I was ready to move on, committed as a Bronco. Really, I figured we'd hash things out, shake hands, laugh a little and move forward. What happened [Saturday] was the last thing I expected. If I didn't think it could be fixed, I never would have come back to Denver. It was painfully obvious to me and Bus [Cook, his agent] it's not something they want to fix."

Consequently, Cutler instructed Cook, who also attended the meeting, to formally request a trade. The quarterback said he left town late Sunday and would skip McDaniels' first team meeting on Monday as they begin their offseason program.

Broncos owner Pat Bowlen told the Denver Post on Sunday that he was disappointed with how Cutler has handled the situation. In a telephone interview with ESPN, McDaniels was reluctantly expansive on the story.

"I really have wanted to avoid a he-said, she-said thing but it's only fair for us to present the Bronco side of the story rather than let things get taken out of context," McDaniels said. "There's been a pattern here for the past two weeks the way things [have been represented] in our communications. I don't think anythng that happened [Saturday] was out of the ordinary. At the end of the meeting, Jay said he had thought about things quite a bit and requested a few more hours to mull things over. He said he wanted to talk to Bus on how to proceed. He was gonna call me on my cell phone and that never happened. Instead, Bus called [GM] Brian [Xanders].

"Again, I think that's been a pattern. I couldn't get [Cutler] to talk to me for two weeks or to talk to Mr. Bowlen. Then when he came here this weekend, we couldn't get a one-on-one meeting, just me and him alone. He wanted Bus in there, so I had Brian sit in, too. And it was the four of us. There wasn't any yelling, none of that. I can't believe we get to a totally different [interpretation].

"It's an unfortunate set of circumstances that has cropped up, a potential distraction and we've done our best to limit that. The main message I want to get out is that we're excited to start our offseason program [Monday]. It's an exciting time for us."

Cutler won't be present at the team meeting.

"I certainly went back there, expecting I'd be there [Monday] but not now," Cutler said. "It's not mandatory. I'll attend every mandatory mini-camp and training camp but that's it. Really, it's best for me to move on. As coach said, he needs every eye in the meeting room to be on him and not me."

As McDaniels pointed out, Cutler had a completely different expectation when he left their private meeting on Saturday.

Cutler said: "You know, even after the meeting, I hung around town, kind of expecting him to call me and say, 'Hey, let's just me and you get away and have lunch or a cup of coffee' and mend things, but that didn't happen. So, I get it, really, it's a business. I'm disappointed beause I love being a Bronco but I think it's run its course."

Cutler denied recent reports that he had asked to be traded when the Broncos fired offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates.

"Yes, I was upset when they let Jeremy go because Mr. Bowlen had assured me when Mike [Shanahan] was fired that the offense wouldn't change because it was the second-ranked offense in football," Cutler said. "But I didn't push for a trade then."

McDaniels and Cutler agreed on at least one element of the controversy, knocking down a Sunday report on NFL Network that the coach had criticized the quarterback's play in 2008.

"That just isn't true," McDaniels said. "Not a word has been said about that."

Cutler added: "Josh has never said anything negative to me about my play or anything else, for that matter."

McDaniels admitted that the team got involved in trade discussions for Cassel, who instead was dealt to the Kansas City Chiefs. However, he said any perception Cutler felt that the team could still trade him was misleading.

"That's what we have communicated ever since the deal with Cassel didn't happen," McDaniels said. "Other teams have called but we're not interested in getting draft picks for Jay. I never made a statement [Saturday] that 'you can be traded at any time.' They asked a question and I told them it was the time of year when people inquire about your team. Your job, as a head coach and general manager, is to listen and not bypass any opportunity to help your team improve. I think most people [in the NFL] feel the same way. You make smart, educated decisions that are best for your football team."

Cutler feels like McDaniels lost his credibility with him when he initially denied to the quarterback that the Broncos tried to acquire Cassel only to admit it later.

"Before this trade for Cassel thing ever came up, in the two weeks or so I had spent with McDaniels, he was basically telling me that he came to Denver because he wanted to coach me and that we needed to trust each other," Cutler said. "He's never been critical to me. But trust now? How can I trust him now?"

He also explained that his house being put up for sale was "nothing more than a coincidence."

"I had already shown my house privately to some interested buyers a couple of months ago," Cutler said. "I've really been looking to buy 40 to 70 acres of land there."

As for ignoring phone calls from McDaniels and Bowlen, Cutler said: "Josh and I have exchanged text messages. We had a conference call. And if Pat wanted to speak to me, why didn't he come to the meeting on Saturday?"

Cook said that as an agent he was "totally in shock" that it has gotten so ugly.

"I would have bet my house going into Saturday's meeting that everyone would be shaking hands and smiling," Cook said. "I thought it was going to get worked out. But it was very clear to me that Jay Cutler is not their choice to be quarterback of that team."

Yet Cook admitted that when he called Xanders to request a trade on Saturday night, the team's general manager said it wasn't going to happen and that "Jay should show up Monday."

That wasn't going to happen, either.

[Chaos81]

Re: Official Denver Broncos Thread

Sheesh, this is a huge mess.

[av7]

Re: Official Denver Broncos Thread

Sheesh, this is a huge mess.

Basically what we have here is a Denver Broncos High School, where all the real life drama you have in your normal schools exists here as well

[Salhus]

Re: Official Denver Broncos Thread

I guess it is time to start discussing alternatives you guys would like to see.

As I have mentioned before I love Cutler, I know Arvbas is impartial, I think Hammer wants him gone, and I am not sure what Salhus' stance is on him, but I would prefer if they worked it out and he stayed...

That said, if an alternative becomes necessary, what do you guys want to see?

I don't know what QB's are coming out next year, but right now I would lean towards trading up and drafting a QB this year. I just don't know of any other QB that is available that I would like to see here.

What a terrible situation.

I don't agree with any of Cutler's actions, but I absolutely think it would be best to have him under center opening day of the season.

As far as options, idk. It was stated that the Broncos don't want to trade him for draft picks, so that is unlikely.

[Salhus]

Re: Official Denver Broncos Thread

Paymah is a Viking

The Minnesota Vikings' persistent pursuit of Denver Broncos cornerback Karl Paymah was successful. He agreed to a one-year, $1.55 million deal, according to a source.
The former Broncos cornerback was under consideration from the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens and other teams. The Vikings kept calling and recruiting and finally got him to commit to joining one of the most talented defenses in the NFL.
Included in the deal, according to a source, are $500,000 of incentives that could take the deal over the $2 million mark.
Paymah, 26, has good size for a cornerback at 6-0, 195 pounds. He had five starts in his four seasons with the Broncos but was getting more playing time with the team each season.

<!-- end story body -->

[wwharton]

Re: Official Denver Broncos Thread

From what I've heard out of people that hang around the Broncos, Cutler isn't mad at being traded, its being lied to about the trades not happening (which may or may not have been close to being done, no one will know outside of the organization). I'm sure theres a fairly large chunk that we're all missing from both sides so it's hard to point a finger. I agree though with McDaniels having to keep the hiearchy, which Cutler has already questioned (refusal to take phone calls and meet last week )so that alone gives them reason to deal him now.

Depending on how it plays out, Cutler could be a complete idiot wanting out of Denver only to land up on a not-so-great option of a team. If he wants to play for the Broncos, great. If not, too bad but try placing him in the worst place possible just so he realizes he ****ed up.

Let's not forget the agent we're dealing with, Bus Cook. Now he may not have anything to do with this but I have a hard time believing he's just an innocent bystander. I still want Cutler, Bowlend and McDaniels to sit down and talk- Bus Cook and Xanders can sit out in the lobby for all I care. Cutler and Scheffler rumored to be skipping camp.

You're pretty rational... doesn't it seem to you that in the "he said, she said" Cutler is the one taking things a little too personally and out of proportion? I even heard before about Cutler saying he was hoping McDaniels would call him to get a cup of coffee... right after the meeting McDaniels wanted to be a one on one but Cutler insisted on having Cook there.

Considering the significant drop in money for Cutler this year I'd be really shocked if Cook wasn't playing some kind of role in this as well.

[av7]

Re: Official Denver Broncos Thread

You're pretty rational... doesn't it seem to you that in the "he said, she said" Cutler is the one taking things a little too personally and out of proportion? I even heard before about Cutler saying he was hoping McDaniels would call him to get a cup of coffee... right after the meeting McDaniels wanted to be a one on one but Cutler insisted on having Cook there.

Considering the significant drop in money for Cutler this year I'd be really shocked if Cook wasn't playing some kind of role in this as well.

It's definitely now a 'he said, she said' thing with both parties now giving their side of the story. The interviews with the media reeks of sensitivity which I think we all know Cutler is.. during his post game interviews he would either blow off reporters or have a smug answer to a question about his ability which all came after a loss.

Bus Cook has been on this ride before and I really dont think it's a mere coincidence either. I love how he plays the victim card for him and his player. If all it takes is a new contract to make Cutler happy and want to play here, do it this week after a one on one meeting with McDaniels.

To add another thing in- remember Cutler said he plays for his teammates, not coaches? Apparently he didn't mean it since he's a no-show today.

[wwharton]

Re: Official Denver Broncos Thread

That's pretty much my point. There are a lot of holes in the story and different accounts from each side. So if we were to fill in the holes with what we know, which seems to make the most sense? Cutler has a history of being an oversensative hot head. Cutler was pissed when his coach and OC were let go. Cutler refused to return phone calls or meet with management. Everything Cutler says is going directly to the media with his agent talking directly to the GM and owner... McDaniels seems to be trying very hard to have a conversation with Jay.

I don't see the new contract thing being an easy fix either. He signed a pretty big contract that he got paid handsomely for the first two years. I'm sure there was a reason this year was drawn up to be so low since the years before and after are still big. The one year the Broncos get a break they're going to give him a big time new contract?

I'm telling you, the more that comes out in this story, the less I understand any bad thoughts directed at McDaniels. It reminds me a lot of the Favre situation (reading between the lines again on what's really going on here).

[Freelance]

Re: Official Denver Broncos Thread

How about Romo and a fourth rounder for Cutler?

[Salhus]

Re: Official Denver Broncos Thread

Heres a question:

What does McDaniels think are his other options at qb? No idea why he's being so stubborn. It only hurts things.

[wwharton]

Re: Official Denver Broncos Thread

Heres a question:

What does McDaniels think are his other options at qb? No idea why he's being so stubborn. It only hurts things.

Explain how he's being stubborn. I think people are reading what Cutler said, and just getting mad at management based on it. But if you look at the whole picture, what is McDaniels being stubborn about? Do you really think he should say to Cutler, "We will never trade you. This team will be built around you." What are the other 50 guys on the team going to think about that? This isn't college and he's not a recruiter. He's not going to kiss his *** to get Cutler to come do his job. He's under contract, not a free agent.

[Salhus]

Re: Official Denver Broncos Thread

Explain how he's being stubborn. I think people are reading what Cutler said, and just getting mad at management based on it. But if you look at the whole picture, what is McDaniels being stubborn about? Do you really think he should say to Cutler, "We will never trade you. This team will be built around you." What are the other 50 guys on the team going to think about that? This isn't college and he's not a recruiter. He's not going to kiss his *** to get Cutler to come do his job. He's under contract, not a free agent.

I think the general job description of a head coach is to win as many games as possible, while remaining inside the walls of rules and regulations, of course.

I don't see how the Broncos would be a better team if they trade Jay.

McDaniels shouldn't suck up to Cutler at all. However, I believe it would be best for McDaniels to say "Look, I messed up. I shouldn't have done that. You also messed up. It's over, let's both not let something like this happen again."

I didn't see Lane Kiffen trying to acquire Matt Leinart or Carson Palmer, he had Russell.

[kehlis]

Re: Official Denver Broncos Thread

Cutler has a history of being an oversensative hot head.

What exactly is his history of being a hot head?

Cutler was pissed when his coach and OC were let go. Cutler refused to return phone calls or meet with management. Everything Cutler says is going directly to the media with his agent talking directly to the GM and owner... McDaniels seems to be trying very hard to have a conversation with Jay.

Can't argue much with this. I don't think too many would disagree that Jay didn't handle this very well. I would say his agent is as much to blame as him but that really isn't an excuse.

I'm telling you, the more that comes out in this story, the less I understand any bad thoughts directed at McDaniels. It reminds me a lot of the Favre situation (reading between the lines again on what's really going on here).

I guess it's easy for Bronco fans to disagree with this, but I don't understand what is to agree with McDaniels about. I can somewhat understand why he would want a QB he is familiar with, but to come to Denver and think it would be acceptable to trade a potential franchise QB for ANYONE else, is ludicrous.

You have to remember, this is a city who has been looking for someone to replace Elway ever since he left. I'm not saying Cutler is there at all, but he has the potential to be.

Explain how he's being stubborn. I think people are reading what Cutler said, and just getting mad at management based on it. But if you look at the whole picture, what is McDaniels being stubborn about? Do you really think he should say to Cutler, "We will never trade you. This team will be built around you." What are the other 50 guys on the team going to think about that? This isn't college and he's not a recruiter. He's not going to kiss his *** to get Cutler to come do his job. He's under contract, not a free agent.

I do think he should tell Cutler this team will be built around him. It has been for the last couple years.

Cutler has not handled this right, I would agree with that. But if his quotes are true, McDaniels doesn't seem to want him there. McD is being stubborn because he wanted to come in and change EVERYTHING. I have no problem with him coming in and changing schemes, changing philosophies. But I DO have a problem with him coming in and trying to get rid of who has been the face of the franchise over the last couple years.

If this were about talent level, I would be okay with it, but if anyone can say that Cassell or whatever QB we end up with after this ordeal, will make the Broncos better off than they were with Cutler, I would say you are out of your mind.

Not one of us really knows what has gone on behind doors, and to me it seems like a big pissing match. But I don't see how this situation could have been handled any worse by either side.

[wwharton]

Re: Official Denver Broncos Thread

I think the general job description of a head coach is to win as many games as possible, while remaining inside the walls of rules and regulations, of course.

I don't see how the Broncos would be a better team if they trade Jay.

McDaniels shouldn't suck up to Cutler at all. However, I believe it would be best for McDaniels to say "Look, I messed up. I shouldn't have done that. You also messed up. It's over, let's both not let something like this happen again."

I didn't see Lane Kiffen trying to acquire Matt Leinart or Carson Palmer, he had Russell.

I don't think the Broncos are a better team if they trade Jay either... and it doesn't sound like McDaniels thinks so either. I don't see him being stubborn about it. He, and the organization seems to be trying to reach out to Cutler in every way short of saying "You'll never be traded." He should say "I shouldn't have evaluated trade offers." I completely disagree with that. If someone sent a trade offer for Peyton Manning, they should at least look at it. The end result will be a rejection 99.9% of the time but they would look at it. Cutler needs to wake up. Kiffen may not have tried to acquire anyone but if someone sent him an offer, I'd bet anything that he'd at least look at the offer... and wouldn't apologize to Russell for doing so.