Denver Native (Carol)
09-03-2008, 08:58 AM
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/sep/02/for-broncos-a-match-made-in-heavin/
Strong wills lead to clashes but ultimately unite Broncos QB, position coach
Sure, where there's smoke, there is often fire. And sometimes even some air to clear.
Take strong-willed personalties, mix in a scoreboard to keep track of things and spread it all over the win-or-clean-out-your-desk calendar of an NFL season, and there are likely to be some bumps in the road.
A road that leads into the quarterbacks' meeting room and, eventually, to Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler and quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates.
"Yeah, we yell at each other, we get mad at each other, that's how it is," Cutler said. "It's the profession, there's so much pressure, the expectations are so high, and I think we both want to win so much, we're both such competitors, it happens.
"He understands it's going to happen. But as long as we respect each other and deal with it like we should, it works great. And we've done a great job with it so far. I'm excited about what we're going to do and how we're going to go about it."
As the hub of the Broncos' wheel in the eyes of many, Cutler usually finds himself directly beneath the eyepiece of the microscope after each win or loss. Strong-armed, iron-willed and brimming with confidence in his job, Cutler says simply, "I always believe what I believe."
Then there's Bates, the Broncos' first-year quarterbacks coach. At 32, Bates has spent virtually all his life in and around the game, having trailed his father, Jim, as a 5-year-old at Texas Tech practices.
Bates has been given charge of Cutler's day-to-day development, as being the conduit between Cutler and coach Mike Shanahan as well as the game-day voice in Cutler's earpiece.
And Bates knows what he wants to see and isn't afraid to let everyone know when he doesn't see it - just ask many a receiver who has clipped off the wrong route. In fact, many in the Broncos organization have spoken privately of a heated confrontation between Bates and receiver Brandon Marshall last season, when Bates was working with the team's pass catchers.
"I'm just coaching," Bates said. "The job is to help the players succeed, to win and to make progress. Players respect you if they know you have their best interests at heart and if you can help them, make them better players. Jay's been great. I love working with him and all of the quarterbacks."
"We butt heads, we did in this (training) camp already," Cutler said. "Like I've said, I believe what I believe and he believes what he believes, without a doubt. Sometimes, we're both right, and we get into it. It's a give and take, but I respect him to death - his first year doing this and how much knowledge he has, how much he respects the game and loves the game."
When Mike Heimerdinger left the Broncos in the offseason to become the Titans' offensive coordinator, Shanahan quickly moved Bates into the role of quarterbacks coach. Shanahan consistently has said Bates is "ahead of the curve" in his knowledge of the game.
And while Shanahan is deep into the offensive game-planning each week, as well as play-calling on game day, it is Bates whom Cutler has had the most contact with during offseason workouts and will have daily during the regular season.
"He comes to work every day to get it done - he's fired up," Cutler said. "We both know, too, that sometimes he's got to lift me up and sometimes I've got to lift him up. It's working well - I couldn't be happier with him."
Said Bates: "I like coaching quarterbacks because you're looking more at the defensive structure than just looking at one guy. It's a fun group to work with, but there is always going to be a high standard there, and they all know that."
Cutler certainly does as he learns what it is to be the face of the franchise in a football-mad region. Heimerdinger, having also coached with the Jets, said Denver is tougher on quarterbacks than New York.
So, as he continues to grow into the job, Cutler already has come to the realization that what he does each day in the locker room and on the practice field will often mean more than what he says.
"Because I believe there are guys who talk and talk and talk that aren't leaders," Cutler said. "I think in my position, you've got to definitely hold yourself to the highest standard. You've got to be harder on yourself than anyone else through the week because you know what you're capable of, and you know exactly when you do something wrong and when you do something right.
"And I know whenever I do something wrong on the field, Jeremy is going to say something to me. But he also already knows that I know exactly what I'm supposed to do. You've got to hold yourself to that high a standard, keep working, keep striving to get better. That's all we're about and we both know that, so it works great."
Strong wills lead to clashes but ultimately unite Broncos QB, position coach
Sure, where there's smoke, there is often fire. And sometimes even some air to clear.
Take strong-willed personalties, mix in a scoreboard to keep track of things and spread it all over the win-or-clean-out-your-desk calendar of an NFL season, and there are likely to be some bumps in the road.
A road that leads into the quarterbacks' meeting room and, eventually, to Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler and quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates.
"Yeah, we yell at each other, we get mad at each other, that's how it is," Cutler said. "It's the profession, there's so much pressure, the expectations are so high, and I think we both want to win so much, we're both such competitors, it happens.
"He understands it's going to happen. But as long as we respect each other and deal with it like we should, it works great. And we've done a great job with it so far. I'm excited about what we're going to do and how we're going to go about it."
As the hub of the Broncos' wheel in the eyes of many, Cutler usually finds himself directly beneath the eyepiece of the microscope after each win or loss. Strong-armed, iron-willed and brimming with confidence in his job, Cutler says simply, "I always believe what I believe."
Then there's Bates, the Broncos' first-year quarterbacks coach. At 32, Bates has spent virtually all his life in and around the game, having trailed his father, Jim, as a 5-year-old at Texas Tech practices.
Bates has been given charge of Cutler's day-to-day development, as being the conduit between Cutler and coach Mike Shanahan as well as the game-day voice in Cutler's earpiece.
And Bates knows what he wants to see and isn't afraid to let everyone know when he doesn't see it - just ask many a receiver who has clipped off the wrong route. In fact, many in the Broncos organization have spoken privately of a heated confrontation between Bates and receiver Brandon Marshall last season, when Bates was working with the team's pass catchers.
"I'm just coaching," Bates said. "The job is to help the players succeed, to win and to make progress. Players respect you if they know you have their best interests at heart and if you can help them, make them better players. Jay's been great. I love working with him and all of the quarterbacks."
"We butt heads, we did in this (training) camp already," Cutler said. "Like I've said, I believe what I believe and he believes what he believes, without a doubt. Sometimes, we're both right, and we get into it. It's a give and take, but I respect him to death - his first year doing this and how much knowledge he has, how much he respects the game and loves the game."
When Mike Heimerdinger left the Broncos in the offseason to become the Titans' offensive coordinator, Shanahan quickly moved Bates into the role of quarterbacks coach. Shanahan consistently has said Bates is "ahead of the curve" in his knowledge of the game.
And while Shanahan is deep into the offensive game-planning each week, as well as play-calling on game day, it is Bates whom Cutler has had the most contact with during offseason workouts and will have daily during the regular season.
"He comes to work every day to get it done - he's fired up," Cutler said. "We both know, too, that sometimes he's got to lift me up and sometimes I've got to lift him up. It's working well - I couldn't be happier with him."
Said Bates: "I like coaching quarterbacks because you're looking more at the defensive structure than just looking at one guy. It's a fun group to work with, but there is always going to be a high standard there, and they all know that."
Cutler certainly does as he learns what it is to be the face of the franchise in a football-mad region. Heimerdinger, having also coached with the Jets, said Denver is tougher on quarterbacks than New York.
So, as he continues to grow into the job, Cutler already has come to the realization that what he does each day in the locker room and on the practice field will often mean more than what he says.
"Because I believe there are guys who talk and talk and talk that aren't leaders," Cutler said. "I think in my position, you've got to definitely hold yourself to the highest standard. You've got to be harder on yourself than anyone else through the week because you know what you're capable of, and you know exactly when you do something wrong and when you do something right.
"And I know whenever I do something wrong on the field, Jeremy is going to say something to me. But he also already knows that I know exactly what I'm supposed to do. You've got to hold yourself to that high a standard, keep working, keep striving to get better. That's all we're about and we both know that, so it works great."