Cutlter Not Happy With Shanahan Firing

[nmbroncosfan]

'I’m not pleased with it at all'


By Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published December 30, 2008 at 5:31 p.m.
Updated December 30, 2008 at 5:31 p.m.

ENGLEWOOD — Broncos owner Pat Bowlen stunned people across the NFL Tuesday by letting Mike Shanahan go.
And count a surprised, angered quarterback in Jay Cutler among them.

“I’m disappointed, I’m shocked, I’m not happy about it, I’m not pleased with it at all,” Cutler said by phone Tuesday. “We had zero inkling this was going to happen. I didn’t have a clue.”

Cutler said he met with Shanahan for about 30 minutes Monday before leaving town to discuss offseason plans as well as the direction the offense would take in the 2009 season.

This year, Cutler was selected for his first Pro Bowl after he set single-season franchise records in passing yards (4,526), total offense (4,726 yards), attempts (616) and completions (384) to go with 25 touchdowns, which tied him for the third-highest single-season total in Broncos history.

Cutler compiled those totals despite the team’s injury woes at running back. The Broncos placed seven running backs on injured reserve this season, five of whom had started at least one game.

It resulted in the lowest rushing total — 1,862 yards — in Shanahan’s 14-year tenure as the team’s coach. The previous low had been 1,864 yards in 1999 when the Broncos finished 6-10.

“I think with the offensive staff we had, we were moving ahead,” Cutler said. “I had just met with Mike to go over everything, talk about the things we wanted to do, make sure we were going the right way on offense.”

Cutler was particularly interested to hear what the fate of current quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates would be. Bates just finished his first year as the team’s play caller on game day.

Bates also recently turned down an offer from Lane Kiffin to be the offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee after Shanahan had extended Bates’ contract for two more seasons, through 2011.

“And he had an option to go to Tennessee, and maybe that’s still on the table for him,” Cutler said. “But to lose all of our offensive coaches, too, that would be a big thing. Guys like Jeremy (Bates), (receivers coach Jedd) Fisch, that would be a step back for us, in my mind.”

Already Tuesday, rumors were running rampant through the league the Broncos were going to seek a replacement with a background in offense to continue grooming Cutler.

The quarterback was the team’s top draft pick in 2006 and Shanahan said last week he believed Cutler’s season had been “incredible” and that the 25-year-old had the makeup “to win big games and be the kind of guy people in Denver are going to be happy to have for a long, long time.”

“I hope it all works out,” Cutler said. “But I know I’m disappointed, I’m not happy, and it’s a lot to think about. I just want to continue the things were able to do this year on offense and get better all the time.”

[Requiem / The Dagda]

You'll like the next genius we get Cutler. Just take your meds and get a better attitude, and stop swearing at Eddie.

[PatricktheDookie]

Hear, hear, Jay Cutler.

[claymore]

You'll like the next genius we get Cutler. Just take your meds and get a better attitude, and stop swearing at Eddie.

You SOB these are somber times. :mad:

[Northman]

Lets hope Jay doesnt decide to take himself elsewhere. If the next coach cant make a believer out of him Jay may walk.

[Requiem / The Dagda]

At first I thought you said SOBER times, and giggled.

[muse]

Another reason not to mess with the O and let Dennison/Bates keep running it. This O is on the verge of being championship calibre and upsetting that now would be costly.

[elsid13]

Lets hope Jay doesnt decide to take himself elsewhere. If the next coach cant make a believer out of him Jay may walk.

He has 3 plus years on his contract and he is the franchise. I would expect him to be around along time.

[JONtheBRONCO]

Lets hope Jay doesnt decide to take himself elsewhere. If the next coach cant make a believer out of him Jay may walk.

Yep..

[Northman]

He has 3 plus years on his contract and he is the franchise. I would expect him to around along time.


Sure, contractually he is obligated but that hasnt stopped a player from being disgruntled and try to force a trade because of unhappiness. Just Saying.

[nmbroncosfan]

Lets hope Jay doesnt decide to take himself elsewhere. If the next coach cant make a believer out of him Jay may walk.

Very possible

[PatricktheDookie]

Lets hope Jay doesnt decide to take himself elsewhere. If the next coach cant make a believer out of him Jay may walk.

And Brandon. And Eddie. And Stokley. And Tony.

We have some guys who really loved our coach.

[Tned]

You'll like the next genius we get Cutler. Just take your meds and get a better attitude, and stop swearing at Eddie.

Yea, because the success rate of head coaches in the league are so great. There is a reason there is a coaching carousel every year, most head coaches fail and fail miserably.

[Superchop 7]

I agree with Jay, no reason to blow up the offense.

[tomjonesrocks]

Am sure things are real bad at the moment with the players. They better straighten this out quick. But how?

Probably not a lot of guys happy to be a Denver Bronco right now.

[WARHORSE]

Shanahan is part of the reason this organization has been as class as it has been for many, many years.


Cutler is one of the reasons Bowlen made a mistake in this.


No one has a better record with QBs.

[nmbroncosfan]

This may be the beginnings of a big mess in Denver. We'll sure see.

[Tned]

This may be the beginnings of a big mess in Denver. We'll sure see.

NFL history would say that it is the beginning of a big mess. History says that we will likely have 2-3 coaches in the next 5-10 years, and get worse before we get better.

I hope, that like under Shanahan, the Broncos can beat history, but only time will tell.

[DenBronx]

This may be the beginnings of a big mess in Denver. We'll sure see.

which one, like a detriot mess or like a dallas mess?

one you have to completely start over and the other you have to really weed out the bad players/coaches and build on the good ones you got after thinking you were really a contender.

[Shazam!]

Nonsense.

This almost mirrors the 1994 Broncos, who had a potent passing game, no running game, an abysmal defense, in desperate need of a makeover, and 24-24 in 3 years.

Cutler is young enough that he will recover from the shock. If he isn't ready for things of this nature in the League he isn't ready for primetime. There are plenty of Coaches out there who will be adequate to groom Cutler.

The Broncos, barring a disaster of a Coaching pick by Bowlen, will be ok.

[broncophan]

It's going to take Cutler "that much longer".now to learn how to be a winning qb in the nfl..........damn.......:confused:

[Magnificent Seven]

Next season, all Broncos are still under Shanahan. They will play for Shanahan! I hope one of them would say, This one is for Shanahan!

[DenBronx]

NFL history would say that it is the beginning of a big mess. History says that we will likely have 2-3 coaches in the next 5-10 years, and get worse before we get better.

I hope, that like under Shanahan, the Broncos can beat history, but only time will tell.

seriously tned, denver needs a guy like parcells or cowher who has nfl team building/winning success. i really dont think with all of the rookies and young players we have on this team that we need to go backward like oakland has done for years. we need a guy that can step in a light a fire from the get go. really it needs to be a coach that has a mind for defense and knows how to have a running game.

but whatever we do we better lock up our franchise qb. these guys are not a dime a dozen. cutler has all the talent in the world and i just think he's sick of losing. i think it was only right for him to stick up for mikey but i think deep down he knows it's best. look at elway and how many coaches he played for. although reeves was good for him it was shanahan that finally got him over the hump. i just might take a new coach for cutler. it took one for manning.

too bad jeff fisher isnt on the market.

[Shazam!]

seriously tned, denver needs a guy like parcells or cowher who has nfl team building/winning success...

Shanahan is NOT in Parcells' League.

He has turned around three 1-15 teams into contenders in one season. He's like an NFL contractor and rightfully so. He didn't do wonders in Dallas because JJ held him back. There is no evidence Shanahan can do something like that. I'd like to see Shanny go to Detroit and see what his mettle is really like in a pretty tough Division.

[broncophan]

seriously tned, denver needs a guy like parcells or cowher who has nfl team building/winning success. i really dont think with all of the rookies and young players we have on this team that we need to go backward like oakland has done for years. we need a guy that can step in a light a fire from the get go. really it needs to be a coach that has a mind for defense and knows how to have a running game.

but whatever we do we better lock up our franchise qb. these guys are not a dime a dozen. cutler has all the talent in the world and i just think he's sick of losing. i think it was only right for him to stick up for mikey but i think deep down he knows it's best. look at elway and how many coaches he played for. although reeves was good for him it was shanahan that finally got him over the hump. i just might take a new coach for cutler. it took one for manning.

too bad jeff fisher isnt on the market.

I would hope Cutler is sick of losing..............he hasn't been on a winning team since high school.

Cutler was learning..............but losing Shanahan........is a big step backward.....for a kid who is already used to losing......

[Tned]

seriously tned, denver needs a guy like parcells or cowher who has nfl team building/winning success. i really dont think with all of the rookies and young players we have on this team that we need to go backward like oakland has done for years. we need a guy that can step in a light a fire from the get go. really it needs to be a coach that has a mind for defense and knows how to have a running game.

but whatever we do we better lock up our franchise qb. these guys are not a dime a dozen. cutler has all the talent in the world and i just think he's sick of losing. i think it was only right for him to stick up for mikey but i think deep down he knows it's best. look at elway and how many coaches he played for. although reeves was good for him it was shanahan that finally got him over the hump. i just might take a new coach for cutler. it took one for manning.

too bad jeff fisher isnt on the market.

I agree with you on what we 'need', I was just talking about what the history of the NFL show us. Historically, across the league, there are more Wade Phillips type tenures on a team (his stay with the Broncos, and I guess several since then), then Mike Shanahan tenures. That's why the commentators used to always point out Cowher, Shanahan and Fisher as being the longest tenured coaches, because it is unusual.

There are exceptions, like Belecheck in NE, but before his current 9 year reign, they had FIVE head coaches in the previous 10 years.

After SF great run in the '90s, they are now on their 4th coach since '99 and have had a dismal record.

Since the Cowboys string of SB wins in the '90s (11 years), they are now on their 5th head coach, who is now on the hot seat and might get fired, and haven't won a playoff game in a decade.

I'm just touching on the "good" frachises, for a more apples to apples to Denver, not the Detroits, Oaklands, Arizonias, etc.

I don't know what the average tenure of a head coach is in this league, but I would guess it is somewhere around 2.5 years, and that is because most head coaches are not successful in turning a team around, so the owner moves on to the next one, and so on.

I hope that isn't the case here, but that was the 'historical' part of the NFL I was referring to.

[silkamilkamonico]

I would hope Cutler is sick of losing..............he hasn't been on a winning team since high school.

Cutler was learning..............but losing Shanahan........is a big step backward.....for a kid who is already used to losing......

I'm sure Cutler is torn.

In one instance, I would imagine he's tight with Shanahan because Shanny chose him, Shanahan is a great offensive mind, and the 2 are good together, but at the same time, Jay must feel some sort of frustration with a coach who's shown nothing but ineptitude in building a defense around Jay.

If the next coach comes in and fixes the defense, Denver will start winning again and Cutler will forget about Coach Shanahan.

I also think Shanahan being done could be a tremendous relief for Cutler in the whole replacing John Elway argument.

[Tned]

I'm sure Cutler is torn.

In one instance, I would imagine he's tight with Shanahan because Shanny chose him, Shanahan is a great offensive mind, and the 2 are good together, but at the same time, Jay must feel some sort of frustration with a coach who's shown nothing but ineptitude in building a defense around Jay.

If the next coach comes in and fixes the defense, Denver will start winning again and Cutler will forget about Coach Shanahan.

I also think Shanahan being done could be a tremendous relief for Cutler in the whole replacing John Elway argument.

If you listen to the tape of the interview, you can tell that Cutler is not torn. His thoughts might change down the road, but right now he seems equal parts: Pissed, disgusted and depressed, not to mention a bit insulted that he didn't receive a phone call and had to find out from ESPN.

[silkamilkamonico]

If you listen to the tape of the interview, you can tell that Cutler is not torn. His thoughts might change down the road, but right now he seems equal parts: Pissed, disgusted and depressed, not to mention a bit insulted that he didn't receive a phone call and had to find out from ESPN.

I can understand the last part. But he isn't stupid enough to actually think the defense was formidable, and he knows SHanahan is in charge of that.

If I mark off a rough estimate of the top 10 QB's, every single one of them has a upper half of the NFL defense. With the exception of Philip Rivers, and he was 8-8 this season too.

From a business and professional standpoint, this is only going to help Cutler professionally. I'm sick of not being able to argue against, "the talented QB that can't win".

[Tned]

I can understand the last part. But he isn't stupid enough to actually think the defense was formidable, and he knows SHanahan is in charge of that.

If I mark off a rough estimate of the top 10 QB's, every single one of them has a upper half of the NFL defense. With the exception of Philip Rivers, and he was 8-8 this season too.

From a business and professional standpoint, this is only going to help Cutler professionally. I'm sick of not being able to argue against, "the talented QB that can't win".

Your 'belief' that this will help him does not equate to Jay being torn. Based on his comments, he clearly isn't at this time.

As to helping Cutler, as Broncos fans, we 'hope' that this move will help Cutler develop and the Broncos win, but history shows us that more than likely it will hurt, not help.

However, with Bowlen being a smart owner and with the talent on offense, I 'believe' the Broncos will beat the odds and will come out contenders, even if it possibly takes a few years.

[silkamilkamonico]

As to helping Cutler, as Broncos fans, we 'hope' that this move will help Cutler develop and the Broncos win, but history shows us that more than likely it will hurt, not help.


There are many, many coaches, coordinators that are more than adequate at developing QB's.

Bowlen isn't stupid. He knows what he has on offense. He isn't going to take a chance on an unproven guy. He won't be in a position where he'll have to.

[Tned]

There are many, many coaches, coordinators that are more than adequate at developing QB's.

Bowlen isn't stupid. He knows what he has on offense. He isn't going to take a chance on an unproven guy. He won't be in a position where he'll have to.

So, all the other owners that fail in that regard are stupid? Bowlen is just smarter than 99% of the owners?

Anyway, all of this is moot, since we are going back and forth on what 'might' happen, and on differing opinions of how good or bad the Broncos have been the last 10 years.

One is trying to foretell the future (impossible), and the other is simply a matter of opinion (impossible for either of us to be 'right', when it is about differing opinions).

So, since I am falling asleep at the keyboard, I think we should move on to the "agree to disagree" phase.

[silkamilkamonico]

So, all the other owners that fail in that regard are stupid? Bowlen is just smarter than 99% of the owners?


You're not understanding what I said. I should have stated it something like, "how does history will more likely hurt, and not help", when it comes to the development of Cutler.

I'll humor you. Shanahan could keep developing Cutler into a top tier QB. History shows when you neglect the defense, it doesn't matter how good your QB is.

[Tned]

You're not understanding what I said. I should have stated it something like, "how does history will more likely hurt, and not help", when it comes to the development of Cutler.

I'll humor you. Shanahan could keep developing Cutler into a top tier QB. History shows when you neglect the defense, it doesn't matter how good your QB is.

No need to humor me, just don't cherry pick the 'best' events in NFL history. Look around the league over the last 10 or 20 years, and see how many franchises wind up rotating coaches every 2-4 years because the new guy is actually worse than the previous one.

As I said, probably best to just agree to disagree, because it seems we are talking past each other, rather than to each other.

[silkamilkamonico]

As I said, probably best to just agree to disagree, because it seems we are talking past each other, rather than to each other.

Yea. I don't think I'll ever get over the argument of, "keep shanahan, because we might not be able to find a coach that goes 7-9 to 9-7, with a playoff win once every 5 years" argument.

Shanahan was a great coach when he was given a plethora of talent. Unfortunately for him, Denver can't put him in that position again. And it's clearly evident that he can't field a talented "team".