Bronco Fan....Plummer or Cutler?

[samikeyp]

Next week....who do you go with?

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

Plummer :smokin

You dont turn over a playoff team to a rookie just yet.

I think Jake is copping alot of extra crap coz the offensive line sucks and also guys are dropping some pretty simple catches.

Wait till next season before Cutler takes over

[PaceMonster]

Both of them suck, but i'd take Cutler so he can get a chance

[JMarkJohns]

Like NuGGeTs-FaN said, it's not all Plummer. They went in without a top-quality feature back, figuring their offensive line would pull another 1000-yard rabbit out of a hat and while it still could (likely will), it's not the same threat, nor impact, it has been in years past. Factor this in with the inconsistancy of the offensive line to block for Jake and now you have just six man fronts that can consistantly get to Plummer, therefore illaffording Jake the time to make the proper throws down field. When he gets the time, he makes some plays. Still, more often than not, he's in scramble mode and the passes that result from hurried or broken plays tend result in incompletes, drops or turnovers.

Fix the line, draft, trade for or sign a feature back, then give Plummer five games next year. If there's no significant change, then bench him and play Cutler.

As for this year, Plummer is taking the majority of the blame because of reputation and because he's the one who throws the picks. However, with regards to the latter issue, what everyone is overlooking is why he's throwing the picks as compared to last season. Kubiak's departure hurt and everyone in the media seems to be forgetting how important he was.

Plummer isn't the problem. Still, without an improved offensive line (or scheme) and a feature back, he may not be part of the solution either.

[Sam]

Cutler. Try him out for the rest of the season. You might be surprised like Dallas was. He's pretty smart and will make some plays for you. Plus from what all the "experts" are saying more respected in the locker room.

[dallaskd]

Plummer, i dont watch the broncos but im not sure why everyone is so down on him, the broncos are having a real good season.

[leemajors]

Cutler. Try him out for the rest of the season. You might be surprised like Dallas was. He's pretty smart and will make some plays for you. Plus from what all the "experts" are saying more respected in the locker room.

their line isn't playing well. the snake can at least move well - if i remember correctly cutler isn't terribly mobile.

[Sense]

Plummer.. you can't expect the same thing to happen as it did in Dallas.

[ducks]

Plummer's poor play might finally cost him his job

By ARNIE STAPLETON, AP Sports Writer
November 24, 2006

DENVER (AP) -- Jake Plummer's been looking over his shoulder since the Denver Broncos chose Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler with the 11th pick in the NFL draft back in April.

He may not be craning his neck much longer.

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A season-long slump that culminated with back-to-back losses to San Diego and Kansas City in a four-day span finally might have cost Plummer his starting job in Denver, where John Elway set the championship standard that has yet to be matched in the seven seasons since he retired with two Super Bowl rings.

Coach Mike Shanahan isn't saying who will be under center when the Broncos (7-4) host the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 3, but the buzz is he'll turn to Cutler, the last of the "Big Three" quarterbacks taken in the draft, behind Texas' Vince Young and USC's Matt Leinart.

"I can't tell you what's going to happen," an emotional Plummer said after the Broncos' 19-10 loss to the Chiefs on Thursday night. "All I know is that I'm getting on the plane, going to take a few days off and come back. And if I'm still behind the trigger, I'm going to play as hard as I can, like I always have."

Like Plummer, Cutler said he's not been told by the coaching staff of any impending move -- but he's ready.

"Yeah, I think I can go out there and play and be efficient with this offense," Cutler said. "I don't get a lot of reps in practice and haven't played since preseason, so if I do get in there, I'll have to knock the rust off."

The Broncos began thinking about the future back in April, when they chose to go with Cutler after coveting running back Laurence Maroney. Still, the plan was to stick with Plummer this season while letting Cutler absorb as much as he could while holding a clipboard.

Plummer, though, has looked nothing like he did last year, when he shook his "Jake the Snake" and "Jake the Mistake" nicknames from his wild days in Arizona. He threw 18 touchdown passes and just seven interceptions while leading the Broncos to the AFC championship.

Plummer, 40-18 as Denver's starter, admittedly began the season wondering if he'd get a quick hook if he played poorly. Shanahan, however, showed plenty of patience in Plummer, who has 11 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions, a completion percentage hovering around 50 percent and a passer rating that ranks near the bottom of the league.

It would have been hard for Shanahan to bench Plummer during Denver's 7-2 start, when a stifling defense covered for Plummer's poor play. That's harder now with injured safeties Sam Brandon and Nick Ferguson out for the year.

Shanahan has been quick to point out the offensive struggles aren't entirely Plummer's fault:

-- The pass protection has been spotty with Matt Lepsis (knee) and George Foster (inconsistency) forcing some shuffling at tackle.

-- The tailback tandem of Tatum Bell and Mike Bell has been terrible. Tatum can't stay healthy and has been inactive three of the last four games; he's rushed for 27 and 37 yards in his last two starts. Mike can't stay consistent, and he's rushed for 25, 136, 28, 90 and 28 yards in his last five games.

-- Wide receiver Rod Smith has lost a step, leaving newcomer Javon Walker facing almost constant double teams while David Kircus and Brandon Marshall prove powerless to make teams pay for it.

-- And the pass-catching tight end has all but disappeared from Denver's offense. Rookie Tony Scheffler was supposed to be that guy, but he's caught just six passes all year -- none since Oct. 29 against Indianapolis.

So, tight end Stephen Alexander wonders about the wisdom of switching quarterbacks now, suggesting Cutler certainly is no quick fix.

"I've said all along that it's not all about Jake," Alexander said. "You guys want to make a big deal out of Jake Plummer and what he's not doing, but this is not a one-man team. There are a lot of guys that need to go out and play better. Whether that's protection issues up front, whether that's guys running routes and getting the proper depth, dropped balls, there are a whole slew of things."

Plummer, however, got no words of encouragement or votes of confidence after his latest bad game.

"No, I haven't heard anything," Plummer said. "I get little bits and pieces from people around me. People are saying, 'Hey, hang in there. Don't listen to what's going on.' I realize it's the media: you guys that start that stuff because it is your job to. And the best I can, I shut it out because I know I have a lot of fans that are rooting hard for me. Yeah, there are some that don't want me to play anymore, but I can't control their thoughts unless I play well."

Does he think he deserves to stay the starter?

"I'm the starter right now," Plummer said, "and if Mike feels that he wants to put Jay in there, then my play hasn't warranted him to not do it."

[ducks]

-- The pass protection has been spotty with Matt Lepsis (knee) and George Foster (inconsistency) forcing some shuffling at tackle.

-- The tailback tandem of Tatum Bell and Mike Bell has been terrible. Tatum can't stay healthy and has been inactive three of the last four games; he's rushed for 27 and 37 yards in his last two starts. Mike can't stay consistent, and he's rushed for 25, 136, 28, 90 and 28 yards in his last five games.

I am not a fan of jake but no running game in denver is amazing
they have always had a line for a running game
any quarterback without a running game not not look that great

[Slinkyman]

The Denver Broncos quarterback controversy is headed for a resolution.

Head coach Mike Shanahan will turn to rookie Jay Cutler to replace incumbent Jake Plummer for the rest of the season, starting with the team's Dec. 3 game against Seattle.

The Denver Post first reported the change Sunday, and team sources confirmed to ESPN's Chris Mortensen that Cutler will take over. ESPN.com's John Clayton said there's "no question" Cutler will be the starter against the Seahawks.

Jake Plummer
Quarterback
Denver Broncos

Profile
2006 SEASON STATISTICS
Att Comp Yds TD Int Rat
315 175 1886 11 12 70.5

Plummer has struggled all season despite leading the Broncos to a 7-4 record. Denver ranks 26th in the NFL with 171.5 pass yards per game and is tied for 21st in the league with 17.7 points per game. Plummer's passer rating of 70.5 is 29th in the league, ahead of only Bruce Gradkowski (70.1), Drew Bledsoe (69.2), Matt Leinart (68.1), Vince Young (56.1), and Andrew Walter (55.0).

That's not the most prestigious list. Bledsoe was benched after six games for Dallas in favor of Tony Romo; Gradkowski, Leinart, and Young are all rookies; and Walter is in his first year as a starter.

Plummer, meanwhile, is in his 10th season and has started 46 straight games for the Broncos since 2003 but has been unable to get the offense moving in 11 games this year.

[JMarkJohns]

My guess is Cutler comes in and immediately reminds everyone of Brett Favre... Last season's second-half Favre, to be exact... More INTs than TDs and more losses than wins...

Oh well.

[RealEstateDude]

Cutler>Plummer :smokin

[JMarkJohns]

Yeah, right... Not on this team. He'll be hurried every other dropback, rendering his cannon of an arm useless for big plays downfield. He won't have a consistant running game, so he'll be passing into double coverage more often than not and doing so on the run or off balance.

He's a rookie who's now taking the field in front of two violently inconsistant backs and in back of a line who's been even worse.

I'm not seeing how this turns out well for Denver.

[TheSanityAnnex]

The Broncos are fucked. What a stupid move.


This can't all fall on Plummer's shoulders. He has no pass protection what so ever and the running game has been inconsistent. No QB will have success with that formula, and Cutler will be no different. As a Charger fan though, I am enjoying the drama in Denver and would love to see your team miss the playoffs.

[JMarkJohns]

The Broncos are fucked. What a stupid move.


This can't all fall on Plummer's shoulders. He has no pass protection what so ever and the running game has been inconsistent. No QB will have success with that formula, and Cutler will be no different. As a Charger fan though, I am enjoying the drama in Denver and would love to see your team miss the playoffs.

It wouldn't shock me if they lose out.

Sun 12/3 - Seattle, 8:15 pm
Sun 12/10 - at San Diego, 4:15 pm
Sun 12/17 - at Arizona, 4:05 pm
Sun 12/24 - Cincinnati, 4:15 pm
Sun 12/31 - San Francisco, 4:15 pm

Only likely win is at Arizona, but AZ should be better offensively by then and could pull an upset.

I don't see them winning at other game. San Fran is a looker, but they'll clobber them before Denver knows what's what...

[TheSanityAnnex]

I don't understand this move @ 7-4. Why throw in the towel at this point?

[Melmart1]

Cowboys, Redskins and now the Broncos will have all switched QBs at critical times in the season. Be interesting to see which of these teams it has paid off for when all is said and done.

[JMarkJohns]

I don't understand this move @ 7-4. Why throw in the towel at this point?

Maybe Shanahan had McNabb as his fantasy league starter and Daman Huard as his backup, so without an adequate backup from here on out on his roster, he picked up Cutler knowing he could control his starts and pass attempts and whatnot?

It's about as sensical as any other theory.

[j-6]

I don't understand this move @ 7-4. Why throw in the towel at this point?

It's not like Denver just lost to Oakland and Cleveland back to back either - they laid an egg in KC four days after that Sunday night shootout against San Diego. And looking at the upcoming sked, why throw the kid to the wolves like he's back facing the big bad SEC in a Vandy uniform?

If Shanahan wanted Cutler on the field this season, it should have been before the Raiders game.

[TheSanityAnnex]

Oh well, I'll enjoy watching him get the shit beat out of him in San Diego when Merriman is back. Welcome to the bigs Cutler.

[Slinkyman]

The Broncos are fucked. What a stupid move.


This can't all fall on Plummer's shoulders. He has no pass protection what so ever and the running game has been inconsistent. No QB will have success with that formula, and Cutler will be no different. As a Charger fan though, I am enjoying the drama in Denver and would love to see your team miss the playoffs.

Both those statements are false. Plummer has been sacked 17 times this season in 11 games, only a few teams are better actually. The running game has had one bad game which was thursday (T.Bell still out with injury), take out that game and we've rushed for over 100 yards 9 out of 10 games. That sounds pretty consistant to me.

Plummer was benched because he has no arm strength, completes 55% of his passes and has thrown more INTs the TDs. He's like Vick without the running ability. Putting in an inexperienced QB isn't the end of the season, Romo, Rivers and Jason Campbell are all doing well and their teams are winning.

[JMarkJohns]

First off, you can't guage Denver's line play by the amount of sacks they've allowed as Plummer is one of the elusive quarterbacks within the pocket. Part of why the sack totals is down and Plummer's percentage is down is he's scrambling out of the pocket and just throwing the ball away to avoid the sack. He's hurried almost every other dropback.

Secondly, Romo, Rivers and Campbell are not rookie's. Each has a minimum of a season and a half of learing behind veteran signal callers to start their career. Cutler does not.

Lastly, Romo and Rivers had GREAT weapons surrounding him when they entered while Campbell was insurted because their season was likely done and their QB play was as bad as anyone's in the League despite good rushing and wideout weapons. Cutler enters with an inconsistant rushing game, inconsistant line and perhaps won't be given the ability to find is quality receivers because of it.

[dg7md]

I'm not a Broncos fan, but you go with Plummer. He's a good quarterback, and Cutler still isn't proven. Don't turn to a rookie unless things are looking REALLY bad.

[TheSanityAnnex]

Both those statements are false. Plummer has been sacked 17 times this season in 11 games, only a few teams are better actually.
What the fuck? I watch Broncos games along with my friend every week. Plummer may not be sacked much, and I never said that, but Plummer has to scramble constantly. You my friend are wrong.

[TheSanityAnnex]

First off, you can't guage Denver's line play by the amount of sacks they've allowed as Plummer is one of the elusive quarterbacks within the pocket. Part of why the sack totals is down and Plummer's percentage is down is he's scrambling out of the pocket and just throwing the ball away to avoid the sack. He's hurried almost every other dropback.

What he said. I'm quick to type and slow to read. Plummer's strength is scrambling, its no wonder why his sacks are low.

[ShoogarBear]

Panic move.

[JMarkJohns]

Cutler: 10-21, 143 yards, 2 TDs to 2 INTs and a lost fumble.

Considering one of those two touchdowns and 71 of the 143 yards came on one play, I'd say his first start was pretty bad. BTW, this was with a great running game.

That offensive line is truly one of the worst they have ever had and may be among the worst in the NFL this year. They gave up three sacks and it could have been more.

[ducks]

yes bell had over 100 yards in the first half
cutler is not greater then plummer yet

[leemajors]

will denver make the playoffs?

[T Park]

once again, Plummer is laughing his ass off.

[TheSanityAnnex]

That offensive line is truly one of the worst they have ever had and may be among the worst in the NFL this year. They gave up three sacks and it could have been more.

And they get to come to San Diego next :hungry:

[MannyIsGod]

once again, Plummer is laughing his ass off.Only if he likes losing.

[johnsmith]

once again, Plummer is laughing his ass off.


That's just dumb.

[tlongII]

Great game for the Seahawks. Hasselbeck is still not recovered from his injuries so it was nice to get a road win. He should be much better next weekend in Arizona.