TheBuffaloNews:When Denver Needed Something, Cutler Did It
By Bob DiCesare
09/10/07
Which play prompted you to draw the comparison that no one in their right mind is ever supposed to draw? At what point Sunday did you behold the work of Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler and blurt out, “You know what. He reminds me a little of John Elway”? Did those words spill from your mouth on Denver’s first possession, when the Broncos gained 33 yards on a Cutler-orchestrated option play that looked like something plucked from the highlights of Elway’s younger days? Or perhaps you bit on the second possession, when Cutler escaped the Alcatraz that was the grasp of Chris Kelsay to complete a 15-yard throw.
Maybe you held your tongue until the thirdquarter drive during which Cutler completed four of five throws, his passes accounting for 56 of the 81 yards on the touchdown march that put the Broncos a field goal from victory. But surely there was no avoiding the comparison during a final two minutes that Denver kicker Jason Elam said might have been more Elway than even Elway could have managed.
The Broncos had their backs to a third-and-23 wall, followed by a third and 13, en route to Elam’s winning kick and a 15-14 victory win at The Ralph. Twice they converted on fourth down, once on a Cutler pass, once on a Cutler run after the backfield was emptied of everyone but him. His poise was astonishing, his accuracy unerring when it absolutely had to be. And to think this was Cutler’s first seasonopening start and only the sixth start of his two-year career.
“That was unbelievable,” said wideout Brandon Stokley, who witnessed a few dozen sublime quarterbacking performances during his days with the Colts. “I’d go to battle with that guy any day. Lot of heart. Just get the job done and that’s what he did. It wasn’t pretty and we got a lot of work to do, but it was a win.”
“I’ve been involved with a lot of comeback victories with John over the years,” Elam said. “I’m not sure anything compares to this.”
It eats at you, doesn’t it? Broncos fans haven’t been waiting for the next Elway nearly as long as you’ve been waiting for the next Jim Kelly, nor have they suffered through seven straight seasons without visiting the playoffs. Certainly they’re not as deserving of quarterback salvation as are Bills fans such as yourself.
How can you be anything but discouraged by what happened in Week One of the NFL season, a day that began with unbridled optimism and deteriorated from there? Cutler, given veteran responsibilities, showed glimpses of the extraordinary while completing 23 of 39 passes for 304 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, the Bills’ J.P. Losman was exceedingly ordinary in executing a norisk game plan that demonstrated little belief in his abilities. What’s certain, you’d have to admit, is that it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence and belief to
see the Bills steer Losman gingerly while the Broncos tell Cutler it’s his game and he best go win it.
The Broncos are intriguing, a team full of potential as epitomized by the quarterback they moved up to select in the first round of last year’s draft. It says a lot about Cutler’s makeup when he can come into The Ralph and steal a victory in dramatic fashion, overcoming his own colossal blunder in the process.
No, the kid’s not flawless. His ill-advised backward pass nearly cut short the Broncos’ final possession. They lost 10 yards on the play, backtracking deeper into their own territory, setting up a challenge that when met served to elevate Cutler’s status.
“He got a game ball,” said coach Mike Shanahan. “To have that poise on third down and 23 — that’s what you’re looking for in a quarterback. That’s what separates the good ones from the great ones.”
Cutler can sense it’s becoming his team, that teammates are lining up behind him without reservation.
“I think the guys on the team have always believed in me, so I don’t think I had to win them over,” Cutler said. “But there are a lot of veterans on the team, and for me to go out and do what I did puts a little more faith in them and I feel pretty good about it.”
As for Broncos fans, they must be drooling. The kid leads them to an improbable victory in the final two minutes of the season opener, on the road, performing the seemingly impossible in the process. The long wait appears over. The QB of the future has arrived.
“That’s why we get paid the big bucks, to make third downs and make two-minute drives,” Cutler said. “Bronco fans know the situation well from John Elway doing it all those years.”
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Originally Posted by lex
