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View Full Version : Cutler adds a dash of scrambling to recipe



Denver Native (Carol)
10-11-2008, 09:46 AM
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/oct/10/cutler-adds-a-dash-of-scrambling-to-recipe/

It's a fight or flight mechanism.

Stand your ground in the pocket or take off.

Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler would much rather survey the field and deliver the ball downfield to his receivers than go into scramble mode.

But as the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday demonstrated, Cutler has some wheels in the open field and isn't afraid to pick his spots using them.

Cutler never will be confused with Vince Young or even David Garrard, his counterpart Sunday (2:05 p.m., CBS 4), but he does present enough open-field ability on the run that defenses have to take that skill into consideration.

"You look at his speed. He's 4.75," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said, citing Cutler's 40-yard dash time coming out of Vanderbilt.

"That's good speed for a quarterback. And he's 230 pounds."

Less desirable if you're the Broncos: Cutler isn't averse to using his stockiness to draw contact instead of sliding to a safe stop.

Plenty of evidence

Exhibit A came in the preseason opener at San Francisco last season, when, at the end of a 16-yard run up the middle, Cutler's helmet was dislodged by safety Michael Lewis.

Exhibit B was on display in the regular-season opener this year, at Oakland, when Cutler saw an opening until he was sent airborne by cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha after a strike on the QB's knee.

The latest example came on a third-and-11 late in the first quarter Sunday against Tampa Bay. The Broncos bunched three receivers to the left and split Brandon Marshall wide right, aligning running back Michael Pittman offset to the right in the shotgun formation.

Cutler took the snap, quickly surveyed the field, took a couple of crow hops in the pocket and, with Tampa Bay rushing only three linemen, took off, beating Bucs linebacker Cato June to the left sideline. Cutler then lowered his right shoulder and drove through cornerback Ronde Barber out of bounds, past the first-down marker.

"That's probably the last person I'm going to hit like that this year, hopefully," Cutler said.

He wasn't even done against the Bucs.

One first-down scramble was wiped out by a holding penalty. But on another, Cutler's knee was ruled down by replay after he bolted up the middle but was tripped from behind by hustling defensive end Greg White.

"They played some two-man," Cutler said of the split-safety alignment Tampa Bay employed deep, helping explain his unusually heavy rushing load in the first half. "That opens up the middle of the field, and sometimes the only way to take that away is for the quarterback to run and get them out of it. Some opportunities opened up. We got them out of it in the second half. They zoned up on us and it opened up some (passing) windows."

Cutler has come a long way in developing the "clock" in his head, telling him it's decision time and to move it or lose it.

Certainly, he has taken leaps from his NFL debut two years ago, which was marked by a penchant for holding on to the ball too long and taking a beating because of it in a game against Seattle.

Chalk it up to experience, both present and past.

"In professional football, there's a different sense of timing than there is in college. Maybe it's close at Vanderbilt, especially with who they were playing, or at least closer to it," Shanahan said, alluding to Cutler playing behind a suspect offensive line going against Southeastern Conference competition replete with pro prospects.

"That's why he does take off. But it has a lot to do with the defenses that he's looking at, where he knows everybody's cleared out and he's got a chance to make a play."

Making progress

Cutler's improved decision-making in that respect is evidenced by the fact that five of his seven rushes last year of at least 10 years in his first full season as a starter came from mid-October on.

So far in 2008, he already has two 10- yard-plus scrambles.

"If there's nothing there, he's got the ability to run," quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates said. "It puts a lot of pressure on the defense and gets them out of some coverages that they sometimes play against guys who won't run."

Cutler's mobility, pocket feel and quick release also help explain why Denver has yielded only two sacks during its 4-1 start.

"We don't have to hang on our guys as long, because he gets rid of the ball," right guard Chris Kuper said. "And with him taking off a couple times last week, if he feels he's in a bind and there's pressure, it helps us out a lot."

It's clear, though, that Cutler is apt to take off only under duress or if the defense backs off, opening an obvious lane.

"He's going to do whatever it takes to win," Bates said. "That's why he's a special player."

Cutler has rushed 15 times this season, but six of those attempts have come on game-ending kneel-downs.

Asked this week if he needed to run more, Cutler had a quick response.

"No," he said, breaking into a smile and shaking his head. "No . . . "

Fan in Exile
10-11-2008, 09:55 AM
Way to go Kuper. That's the type of O-linemen we need humble and hard working. Zone Blocking doesn't work with a bunch of primadonnas and we've got us a great guard.

gobroncsnv
10-11-2008, 11:31 AM
Way to go Kuper. That's the type of O-linemen we need humble and hard working. Zone Blocking doesn't work with a bunch of primadonnas and we've got us a great guard.

I think Zim really came back last week to fine Kuper's butt for talking to the press...

I DON'T want to see Jay take any more hits like the one in the Raidies game (but who DIDN'T secretly love him giving Barber the cold shoulder). He needs to get more of a qb's mentality for finishing a run instead of trying to be Mike Alstott. But I would like to see him pull it down and run a bit more, because some of the short passes he's thrown might have been more of a sure thing and a few more yards if he'd ran the ball... then again, seeing the game from 300 feet above the turf DURING the play makes me a better qb than Cutler, anyday... ;)

Den21vsBal19
10-11-2008, 12:00 PM
I've got no problem with Jay lowering the boom on a defender..............he just needs to do it at the right time & positions

NameUsedBefore
10-11-2008, 12:14 PM
Jay still has a throw-first mentality which is best. A lot of QBs narrowly avoid a sack and then just take off never looking for a receiver ever again. Cutler still manages to have poise while d-linemen hands are slipping off his jersey. That kind of reaction to pressure is often a common denominator in QB tiers.

And I think that is what sets up his running. If he's out of the pocket you can't just rush him or he will burn you through the air; if you stick to your coverage he may just take it up field. Gotta love a QB who is a dual threat.

slim
10-11-2008, 02:30 PM
I loved watching him run over Barber last week. That was pretty funny. I just hope he doesn't take on any LB's like that.

honz
10-11-2008, 03:13 PM
Jay still has a throw-first mentality which is best. A lot of QBs narrowly avoid a sack and then just take off never looking for a receiver ever again. Cutler still manages to have poise while d-linemen hands are slipping off his jersey. That kind of reaction to pressure is often a common denominator in QB tiers.

And I think that is what sets up his running. If he's out of the pocket you can't just rush him or he will burn you through the air; if you stick to your coverage he may just take it up field. Gotta love a QB who is a dual threat.
He's like Vince Young, but better...and taken 8 picks later in the draft.:heh:

omac
10-11-2008, 05:10 PM
I think Zim really came back last week to fine Kuper's butt for talking to the press...

I DON'T want to see Jay take any more hits like the one in the Raidies game (but who DIDN'T secretly love him giving Barber the cold shoulder). He needs to get more of a qb's mentality for finishing a run instead of trying to be Mike Alstott. But I would like to see him pull it down and run a bit more, because some of the short passes he's thrown might have been more of a sure thing and a few more yards if he'd ran the ball... then again, seeing the game from 300 feet above the turf DURING the play makes me a better qb than Cutler, anyday... ;)

I'd rather he doesn't run much; QBs who run more tend to get injured more often. Also, some teams would start gameplanning to trick him into running, and that's when he'll get hit the hardest.

omac
10-11-2008, 05:13 PM
Another cool thing about Cutler is that when he talks about opposing defenses, you realize that he really has a deep understanding of what each defense is trying to do, and how to properly attack them. This is a very smart QB. :cool:

20yardline
10-11-2008, 06:22 PM
I love when Jay Cutler takes off and runs. It is an extra diminsion that gives a quarterback an edge on the defense. Best of all, Jay Cutler (http://www.20yardline.com/denver-broncos-articles/current/jay-cutler.html) is a Football Player, not just a quarterback.

Npba900
10-12-2008, 12:04 PM
I'd rather he doesn't run much; QBs who run more tend to get injured more often. Also, some teams would start gameplanning to trick him into running, and that's when he'll get hit the hardest.

I agree. However, if its absolutely necessary for Jay to take off running, he needs to learn how to get down and slide, vs taking direct hits.

gobroncsnv
10-12-2008, 12:17 PM
That's what I'm talking about... You'll see a few plays this year where he's thrown to a guy that is maybe 4 yards upfield, and closely covered. Where if he'd ran, he could have gotten 6 or better with a run and slide. Again, I did (so help me) love seeing him pop Barber on the way OB, but I do want him to run SMARTER, but get 4-6 when it's there. That will just take someone out of coverage and open up a receiver more easily. But don't take any hits on a non-crucial moment in the game. Once in a while, a qb just has to make like a helicopter ;), but more often, slide once you've taken all the easy yards.