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WARHORSE
09-13-2008, 08:30 PM
Inside the Game: Jay Cutler vs. the San Diego Defense (http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/real_scouts/entry/view/12003/inside_the_game__jay_cutler_vs._the_san_diego_defe nse)

Saturday, September 13, 2008
Posted By Marc Lillibridge (http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/real_scouts/author/mlillibridge) 7:06 AM
Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler is the only quarterback from the ballyhooed three of the 1st round of the 2006 draft who is starting this weekend. The Vanderbilt product is also coming off a 300- yard, 2 TD passing game in a shellacking of what was supposed to be a top 10 defense of the Oakland Raiders. Cutler meets another AFC West foe this week when his Broncos face the San Diego Chargers. The Broncos quarterback welcomes back his number one receiver, Brandon Marshall, from his week one suspension and will be looking to capitalize on a Chargers secondary that fell apart late in the loss to the Carolina Panthers in week one.
Cutler is a quarterback in the ilk of Brett Favre in his ability to make something out of nothing, and he has the confidence in his arm strength that he can make any throw in football. The right handed player is quick from under center and plays light on his toes as he bounces in the pocket. He holds the ball just above his hip in his drop but wastes very little time bringing the ball to his ear and snapping off the throw. Cutler has a very quick release. He is a much better passer when he is rolling to his right than to his left, but he also has the arm strength to make throws without having his feet set.


Cutler has three potent targets to throw to this week, Marshall, WR Eddie Royal and TE Tony Scheffler. Scheffler is a tough match up for most NFL linebackers, so look for Chargers safeties Clinton Hart and Eric Weddle to handle the coverage on Scheffler most of the game. Both safeties are good athletes who are good in space and have good man coverage skills. To contain Scheffler, look for first time starter at OLB Jyles Tucker to get a strong jam on Scheffler off the line of scrimmage and keep the speedy tight end from getting out into his release quickly. If Tucker or the Chargers other starting OLB, Shaun Phillips, can keep Scheffler from getting off the line clean, this will allow Hart and Weddle to take an extra second to make the right read and will buy them time getting into coverage.
With Scheffler taking the attention of Hart and Weddle, Cutler needs to get the ball to Eddie Royal on slant routes or to Marshall on deep go routes. The Chargers may be without Pro Bowl CB Antonio Cromartie this week due to a hip injury. Even if the big CB can play, he will not be 100%, so Marshall needs to shake the rust off against a hobbled Cromartie or his replacement, Cletis Gordon.
Royal will be lined up against CB Quentin Jammer who is a physical player. Jammer must get a strong jam on the rookie off the ball and keep the quick footed receiver from attacking the inside of the field. If Royal can get off the ball clean and to the inside of Jammer, Cutler will have a clean window to hit the receiver on the slant route. If the Broncos have success with this play early, this will force Tucker and Phillips to not rush as hard as they work to take away the outside passing lanes, and this will leave Cutler time to look for Marshall deep.
Marshall has the size and speed to get behind Gordon. If Hart and Weddle are forced to help on Scheffler and Royal on underneath routes, Gordon will be on an island versus Marshall. With Cutler's arm strength, look for the Broncos to throw deep to Marshall at least 3 to 4 times. If Cutler is able to get Marshall going deep in the 1st half, this will force Hart and Weddle to help Gordon in coverage, thus opening up the middle of the field for Royal and Scheffler.
The Chargers must counter the Broncos passing attack by getting pressure up front with Phillips and DEs Luis Castillo and Igor Olshansky. Inside linebackers Matt Wilhelm and Derek Smith, who are both better pass defenders than run stoppers, must drop to their correct zones and may be able to steal a pass from Cutler, who will force throws. Phillips can greatly help his teammates in the secondary by coming off the edge to Cutler's left. If Phillips can force Cutler to be flushed to the QB's left, the QB loses a lot of accuracy and touch. This will cause errant throws and possible interception possibilities.
If the Chargers, without Pro Bowlers Shawne Merriman and Cromartie, can get pressure on Cutler, they will have a chance to win. But if Cutler is allowed to sit in the pocket and look to his 2nd and 3rd receiver options, the Chargers will be 0-2 and the Broncos to have a resounding lead in the AFC West.

claymore
09-13-2008, 08:39 PM
Awesome read...........

omac
09-13-2008, 10:19 PM
Excellent article! :salute:

It's neither biased towards the Broncos, nor the Chargers. It only focuses on the Broncos offense and the Chargers defense, though, which is 1/3 of the game. I think it will be the most important 3rd, though.

lex
09-13-2008, 10:39 PM
Im kind of curious to see what would happen if we only sent two WRs out and kept everyone else into block for Jay. And basically depending on Marshall and Royal to get open before SDs pass rush can get past 8 guys. Im guessing Royal would be extremely hard to cover in such a scenario with his quickness.

omac
09-13-2008, 11:55 PM
Im kind of curious to see what would happen if we only sent two WRs out and kept everyone else into block for Jay. And basically depending on Marshall and Royal to get open before SDs pass rush can get past 8 guys. Im guessing Royal would be extremely hard to cover in such a scenario with his quickness.

Yeah, that sounds good. DeAngelo Hall seemed to give a lot of cushion to Royal. Keep Graham, Hillis, and Pittman (all good blockers) in, then you can later have the option to throw short ones to all 3, since they catch real well, and Pittman and Hillis can even run good.

denbroncofan26
09-14-2008, 12:01 AM
Very good read, thanks

hamrob
09-14-2008, 11:47 AM
Good read...I agree whole heartedly with this. If they can get to Cutler...it's going to be a tough day for us. If our line plays like they did against the Raiders we will look good.

If you are the Bolts...you have to feel good about your chances. They have Phillips, Castillo and O'shansky who are all proven vets going up against a rookie LT and a 2nd year RT who is playing in his first year. They've watched the tapes of the Raiders game and now have to feel fairly confident about how they might exploit these two young guys.

This is kind of like an algebra problem concerning simplifying. If Cutler can be successful = Can his line protect = Can his two tackles win their individual matchups.

Should be awesome!!!

Spider
09-14-2008, 12:19 PM
wont even be close ........... Broncos by 10