T-post Tom
04-30-2006, 08:39 PM
ROFL ROFL ROFL
NEW YORK -- The biggest loser in this year's NFL Draft wasn't Matt Leinart or LenDale White. It was Jake Plummer.
Think about it. The Denver quarterback has his best season ever, takes the club to the AFC Championship Game and is named to the Pro Bowl. The Denver Broncos reward him with an eviction notice.
That's what Saturday's draft of Jay Cutler amounts to. You don't draft a quarterback in the first round unless you plan to start him, and no, I don't think Cutler steps in tomorrow as Denver's starter. But I think the clock just started ticking on Plummer.
He has, oh, maybe a season to prove he should stay, and maybe it's not that long. Remember, Denver traded up to the 11th spot to draft Cutler, and you don't move -- or move to that position -- unless you have a conviction about a guy.
I think they have a conviction about Cutler, which means I don't think they have one about Plummer.
"They obviously wanted to get me," said a surprised Cutler. "It says a lot about what they think about me."
And maybe more about what they think about Plummer.
Jay Cutler is the future quarterback in Denver, not Jake Plummer. Not unless he pulls a Drew Brees and has the season of his career. Except Plummer just had the season of his career, and look where it got him.
I know, I heard coach Mike Shanahan say Cutler's an insurance policy against a serious injury to Plummer, but I'm not buying it. You don't invest first-round money -- especially at the 11th spot -- on a clipboard carrier.
Essentially, Plummer must take the Broncos to the Super Bowl or finish his career in another town. It won't be enough to reach the AFC Championship Game. Jake did that last year. Now the sky's not the limit, it's the object. Nothing less keeps him in Denver.
That's too bad because just when he seemed to be getting it, he's losing it. Plummer last year had a string of eight straight games and 229 consecutive passes without an interception. That was a huge step forward for a quarterback who once assumed too many risks and tied for the league-lead in interceptions in 2004.
But let's look at the big picture here, folks. Plummer is getting better; he's not getting worse. And it's not as if the Broncos floundered with him. They're 32-11 with Plummer as the starter, including a division-best 13-3 last season.
It's not as if Plummer had Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne as his wide receivers, either. Rod Smith is the star there, and he's 36. Ashley Lelie was virtually no factor, with nine games -- over half the season -- where he had no more than two catches. In essence, Plummer didn't have a surfeit of choices.
Denver must have agreed because it peddled its second-round draft pick to Green Bay for Javon Walker, bringing an experienced and productive deep-ball threat to a club that desperately needs one. Walker is a perfect addition for Plummer, except it's not Plummer the Broncos have in mind anymore.
It's Cutler. Cutler had the strongest arm of the top three quarterbacks in this year's draft and is good at making decisions on the run -- much like Jake Plummer. The only drawback is his footwork, and as he admitted, that's easily corrected.
"Me and Jake are a little similar in the way we play football," said Cutler. "We both like to get out of the pocket and have good arms."
Except only one has a future with the Broncos. And it's not Jake Plummer.
NEW YORK -- The biggest loser in this year's NFL Draft wasn't Matt Leinart or LenDale White. It was Jake Plummer.
Think about it. The Denver quarterback has his best season ever, takes the club to the AFC Championship Game and is named to the Pro Bowl. The Denver Broncos reward him with an eviction notice.
That's what Saturday's draft of Jay Cutler amounts to. You don't draft a quarterback in the first round unless you plan to start him, and no, I don't think Cutler steps in tomorrow as Denver's starter. But I think the clock just started ticking on Plummer.
He has, oh, maybe a season to prove he should stay, and maybe it's not that long. Remember, Denver traded up to the 11th spot to draft Cutler, and you don't move -- or move to that position -- unless you have a conviction about a guy.
I think they have a conviction about Cutler, which means I don't think they have one about Plummer.
"They obviously wanted to get me," said a surprised Cutler. "It says a lot about what they think about me."
And maybe more about what they think about Plummer.
Jay Cutler is the future quarterback in Denver, not Jake Plummer. Not unless he pulls a Drew Brees and has the season of his career. Except Plummer just had the season of his career, and look where it got him.
I know, I heard coach Mike Shanahan say Cutler's an insurance policy against a serious injury to Plummer, but I'm not buying it. You don't invest first-round money -- especially at the 11th spot -- on a clipboard carrier.
Essentially, Plummer must take the Broncos to the Super Bowl or finish his career in another town. It won't be enough to reach the AFC Championship Game. Jake did that last year. Now the sky's not the limit, it's the object. Nothing less keeps him in Denver.
That's too bad because just when he seemed to be getting it, he's losing it. Plummer last year had a string of eight straight games and 229 consecutive passes without an interception. That was a huge step forward for a quarterback who once assumed too many risks and tied for the league-lead in interceptions in 2004.
But let's look at the big picture here, folks. Plummer is getting better; he's not getting worse. And it's not as if the Broncos floundered with him. They're 32-11 with Plummer as the starter, including a division-best 13-3 last season.
It's not as if Plummer had Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne as his wide receivers, either. Rod Smith is the star there, and he's 36. Ashley Lelie was virtually no factor, with nine games -- over half the season -- where he had no more than two catches. In essence, Plummer didn't have a surfeit of choices.
Denver must have agreed because it peddled its second-round draft pick to Green Bay for Javon Walker, bringing an experienced and productive deep-ball threat to a club that desperately needs one. Walker is a perfect addition for Plummer, except it's not Plummer the Broncos have in mind anymore.
It's Cutler. Cutler had the strongest arm of the top three quarterbacks in this year's draft and is good at making decisions on the run -- much like Jake Plummer. The only drawback is his footwork, and as he admitted, that's easily corrected.
"Me and Jake are a little similar in the way we play football," said Cutler. "We both like to get out of the pocket and have good arms."
Except only one has a future with the Broncos. And it's not Jake Plummer.