Jay-C - dear, or departed? Love him
March 12
Denver Post columnist Woody Paige
"In his career, in regular-season games in which the opposing team scored 30 points or more, his record is 6-22. His name? Peyton Manning. Not even Manning, a three-time MVP, could save the Colts when his defense was atrocious. In his career, in regular-season games in which the opposing teams scored 30 points or more, his record was 6-31. John Elway. Not even Elway, who finished as the greatest comeback quarterback in NFL history, could save the Broncos when his defense was awful. In two separate seasons, the Broncos allowed 30 points or more five times when Elway played. They lost all 10 games. Trade Jay? No way. Give him a defense, and Jay Cutler will be one of the premier quarterbacks for a long time in the NFL. Any coach, columnist, commentator or football cynic who suggests otherwise doesn't get it. In his career, in regular-season games in which opposing teams have scored 30 points or more, Cutler's record, when playing two full quarters or more, is 3-12. In the past two seasons, no quarterback could have saved the Broncos with the defense they put on the field. Not Manning, not Elway, not Cutler. When he has played more than a half, and the Broncos have permitted fewer than 30 points, Cutler's record is 14-7. Attacked by a bunch of clowns, Cutler has gone for the juggler. I don't blame him. Nobody contemplated trading Manning, Elway, Tom Brady, Troy Aikman or Joe Montana early in their careers, and look what happened to them. The Atlanta Falcons traded Brett Favre after his first year, and look what happened. The Tampa Bay Bucs traded Steve Young after his second NFL season, and look what happened. Don't let it happen. Trade Jay, and the deal will bite the Broncos in the business end for years to come. Elway didn't win a playoff game until his fourth season, Manning his sixth. Cutler will be in his fourth season in 2009. Just imagine if the Broncos had an average defense, not the worst in the
league, last season and a healthy, 1,500-yard-type starting running back, instead of eight different (and indifferent) running backs. The Broncos would have been in the playoffs, and Cutler would have been heralded as an emerging star. As it is, he still made the Pro Bowl and, despite the Broncos' failures, must be considered one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the league. Who would you rather have? The two Mannings, Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Kurt Warner and Donovan McNabb? Maybe most on that list, but not all. Matt Cassel? The Patriots won 11 games, but they didn't make the playoffs, either. The Patriots beat two playoff teams: Miami (a split) and Arizona, (which didn't show up in the next- to-last game). The Broncos beat two playoff teams: San Diego (a split), and Atlanta on the road. Cassel had a better quarterback rating (89.4-86.0), fewer interceptions (11-18), a higher completion percentage (.634-.623) and more rushing yards (270-200), but Cutler had more completions (384-327), more passing yards (4,"
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