Tned
11-21-2007, 09:56 AM
Ok, first the article and then some comments:
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_7519830?source=rss
Cutler has Elway beat, for starters
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 11/21/2007 02:43:38 AM MST
Hold on. Don't crumple the newspaper and throw it at the cat just yet. For the sake of posterity, the first comment will be revised. Ready?
Jay Cutler is way better than John Elway.
Look it up and compare. Cutler has played in 15 NFL games. Put his numbers against Elway through 15 games. It's not close.
All right, all right. It's time to get serious. It's already established Elway overcame his early NFL struggles and became one of the best quarterbacks to have his bust bronzed in Canton. Cutler may have been more polished early, but is it realistic to expect him to lead his team to five Super Bowls?
If he does, Cutler will become only the second quarterback to do it. Elway was the first.
The reason the comparison is brought up is because Monday night was the first time Cutler played like Elway.
"I give Jay a lot of credit for hanging in this first 15, 16 games," Steve Young, the Hall of Fame quarterback and ESPN analyst, said after the network's Chalk Talk luncheon Monday to promote its telecast. "He's been asked to go through a lot. Legacy. Expectations."
The legacy of John Elway never was accurately depicted through stats. He didn't complete passes. He darted and twisted to escape the pass rush. His eyes bulging, Elway would seek greater open space to operate. He would scramble this way, gun it that way. The crowd would go berserk, the players would get an emotional lift, and momentum was colored orange.
Stats don't measure improvisation. Elway was the one of the best improvisational quarterbacks ever.
In a 34-20 victory Monday night against the Tennessee Titans, Cutler improvised. Before, he had shown poise, accuracy and a ball hard enough to squeeze between defenders, but not so hard he took skin from his receivers' hands. But Cutler also had seemed programmed, a cutout from Mike Shanahan's playbook.
Not Monday. On his first two completions to Brandon Stokley, Cutler looked
like he was a kid again, playing with his buddies at Holly Park in Santa Claus, Ind.
"Me and Brandon kind of drew both of those in the dirt," Cutler said.
Sweet imagery, drawing plays in the dirt. Sweet because it's fun.
"He's got the ability to make something when nothing is there," Shanahan said. "The sign of a good to great quarterback is he can make something happen when the play breaks down."
Cutler had the impressive stats to support his fine play Monday. But his 48-yard touchdown pass to Stokley cannot be found diagrammed in the Broncos' playbook. By design, Cutler rolled right. But no one was open. Oh, oh. Cutler stayed alive. He kept his feet moving and eyes searching.
"The first touchdown to me was kind of a broken play," Stokley said. "I broke my route off and he found me, and he made a great throw, right over a linebacker. And it kind of set the momentum for the game."
A scrambling quarterback performance was expected from the Titans-Broncos game. But the athletic demonstration was supposed to come from Vince Young, Tennessee's second-year quarterback. No disappointment there. Young combined for 379 yards of passing and rushing. But Cutler gave him company.
Cutler didn't just put up efficient numbers. He had fun doing it.
"Jay's mentally tough," said Steve Young, who also brought improvisational characteristics to his game. "Like all young quarterbacks, he sometimes does stupid things. Has he lost a bunch of games? He's maybe lost a couple. Has he won a few? Yeah, he has. But from an offensive perspective, Tennessee doesn't ask nearly as much of Vince Young as Jay Cutler. Not even close."
Don't feel bad, Vince. It's tough to find a quarterback who is comparatively close to Cutler through 15 games.
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2007/1121/20071121_124658_BronxChart112107.jpg
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_7519830?source=rss
Cutler has Elway beat, for starters
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 11/21/2007 02:43:38 AM MST
Hold on. Don't crumple the newspaper and throw it at the cat just yet. For the sake of posterity, the first comment will be revised. Ready?
Jay Cutler is way better than John Elway.
Look it up and compare. Cutler has played in 15 NFL games. Put his numbers against Elway through 15 games. It's not close.
All right, all right. It's time to get serious. It's already established Elway overcame his early NFL struggles and became one of the best quarterbacks to have his bust bronzed in Canton. Cutler may have been more polished early, but is it realistic to expect him to lead his team to five Super Bowls?
If he does, Cutler will become only the second quarterback to do it. Elway was the first.
The reason the comparison is brought up is because Monday night was the first time Cutler played like Elway.
"I give Jay a lot of credit for hanging in this first 15, 16 games," Steve Young, the Hall of Fame quarterback and ESPN analyst, said after the network's Chalk Talk luncheon Monday to promote its telecast. "He's been asked to go through a lot. Legacy. Expectations."
The legacy of John Elway never was accurately depicted through stats. He didn't complete passes. He darted and twisted to escape the pass rush. His eyes bulging, Elway would seek greater open space to operate. He would scramble this way, gun it that way. The crowd would go berserk, the players would get an emotional lift, and momentum was colored orange.
Stats don't measure improvisation. Elway was the one of the best improvisational quarterbacks ever.
In a 34-20 victory Monday night against the Tennessee Titans, Cutler improvised. Before, he had shown poise, accuracy and a ball hard enough to squeeze between defenders, but not so hard he took skin from his receivers' hands. But Cutler also had seemed programmed, a cutout from Mike Shanahan's playbook.
Not Monday. On his first two completions to Brandon Stokley, Cutler looked
like he was a kid again, playing with his buddies at Holly Park in Santa Claus, Ind.
"Me and Brandon kind of drew both of those in the dirt," Cutler said.
Sweet imagery, drawing plays in the dirt. Sweet because it's fun.
"He's got the ability to make something when nothing is there," Shanahan said. "The sign of a good to great quarterback is he can make something happen when the play breaks down."
Cutler had the impressive stats to support his fine play Monday. But his 48-yard touchdown pass to Stokley cannot be found diagrammed in the Broncos' playbook. By design, Cutler rolled right. But no one was open. Oh, oh. Cutler stayed alive. He kept his feet moving and eyes searching.
"The first touchdown to me was kind of a broken play," Stokley said. "I broke my route off and he found me, and he made a great throw, right over a linebacker. And it kind of set the momentum for the game."
A scrambling quarterback performance was expected from the Titans-Broncos game. But the athletic demonstration was supposed to come from Vince Young, Tennessee's second-year quarterback. No disappointment there. Young combined for 379 yards of passing and rushing. But Cutler gave him company.
Cutler didn't just put up efficient numbers. He had fun doing it.
"Jay's mentally tough," said Steve Young, who also brought improvisational characteristics to his game. "Like all young quarterbacks, he sometimes does stupid things. Has he lost a bunch of games? He's maybe lost a couple. Has he won a few? Yeah, he has. But from an offensive perspective, Tennessee doesn't ask nearly as much of Vince Young as Jay Cutler. Not even close."
Don't feel bad, Vince. It's tough to find a quarterback who is comparatively close to Cutler through 15 games.
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2007/1121/20071121_124658_BronxChart112107.jpg