Who would have thought that the Josh McDaniels era in Denver would face what could be its most critical, defining moment, barely a month in and 6 weeks ahead of its first draft?
But that’s what has happened. McDaniels and Co. hit the ground running by releasing almost the entire defense, then hit free agency hard. Make no mistake, the Dawkins signing is a big deal. It changes the tone of this defense.
Then all this comes down with Cutler. Let me start by joining the chorus that is rising up from the foot of the Rockies – Josh, WTF are you thinking? I get that he knows Cassel, and would be more comfortable with a guy groomed for his system. But Cassel took over one of the most efficient offensive machines this league has ever seen, and barely managed an 11-5 record. That’s hardly a fair proving ground. Granted, 11-5 will win the West and put you in the playoffs, but COME ON. You take a kid that is already a bit of a headcase and force him to deal with trade rumors? This will make or break Cutler. I hate the thought of Cutler building his career anywhere but here… but this is some serious damage to deal with. Now that the cat is out of the bag, and the cat Josh wants is wearing KC red, can this be repaired? That’s why I call this a critical moment. If it turns out that McDaniels has run Cutler out of town, the McDaniels era in Denver could be over before it starts. If Cutler can’t get his head straight, make no mistake – McDaniels will pay in the long run. The fans have much longer memories than they should, and he’ll always be known as the kid that swept into town and shook the tree just a little too hard.
Now. All that being said – Cutler needs to man up a little bit and get his butt back to Denver to sit down, mano a mano, and talk this thing out with the power that be. They need to work this out today. Not next week, TODAY. Denver needs to know if they’re drafting for a QB, because if Cutler leaves any question and they draft a QB to cover their asses, then Cutler will spiral down into a mess of nervous anger, and the Cutler days in Denver will be over. So Jay, if you’re reading this (HA!), settle down, chug a Coors Original, hop on a plane, and let the brass take you to your favorite restaurant for dinner and let them grovel. Give them a chance to state their commitment, and then state yours, and then lets get on with the business of moving forward toward getting this team back to the playoffs.
Marshall is probably out for several games, so the last thing we need is for Jay to be mentally absent. I, for one, hope they work it out. I still think Cutler/Marshall stands a chance to become one of the great QB/WR pairings in the league.
