The championship seasons of 97 and 98 are long gone and the Broncos have struggled since then with just 1 playoff win. That win came during the Jake Plummer led (his last full season as starter) 2005 campaign where the Broncos amassed a stellar 13-3 regular season record. They upended New England in their first game and lost handily to the eventual champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game. Plummer was benched the following year during a somewhat disappointing season. The benching was controversial at the time given the fact that Jay Cutler was only a rookie and the Broncos were still in playoff contention. They were in the hunt for the playoffs all the way up to their last game against the pitiful San Francisco 49ers. The Broncos embarrassingly lost that game in OT when all they needed was a tie or win to secure a playoff spot. Of course Cutler was just a rookie so while Denver fans were upset, the future looked bright and Cutler's youth served to shield him from criticism.
Cutler's first full season as Denver's starter resulted in a 7-9 finish, the first time since 01-02 that the Broncos missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons and the first time since 99 (the year after Elway left) they finished the season with a sub .500 record. Last season was Cutler second as the full time starter. He put up great numbers with a slew of great wide receivers, a couple of good tight ends, and a dominant offensive line led by rookie Ryan Clady.
The injury troubles for the Broncos were widely reported. At one point in the season they started 8 rookies on O and D. They lost 7 running backs to season ending injuries which might lead you to believe that Cutler was forced to put up big numbers without any help from his running backs. Bronco running backs rushed for 1862 yards last year. In contrast, Chicago running backs gained 1673 yards on the ground. When you add receptions (by running backs), the total yards gained by running backs is nearly identical for both teams (2275 to 2276). Looks like Orton and Cutler received the same help from their backfield.
The Cutler situation has been a nightmare for Bronco fans ever since the day Mike Shanahan was fired. Cutler was very close with Shanahan and let it be known that he was not happy with not being consulted about the situation. He wanted the rest of the offensive coaching staff held intact. Then McDaniels was hired and he brought his own coaching staff with him, surrounding himself with people he thought he could work with and people he knew would excel at running his system. Cutler and McDaniels clashed right from the outset. Mike Shanahan was a great offensive coach who allowed Cutler to put up big numbers and surrounded him with weapons to do it. He's always been good at that. Unfortunately the same could not be said about the Broncos defense, evidenced by the coaching carousel of defensive coordinators over the past 10 years. The defensive problem was compounded by poor drafting as well as trades and acquisitions that netted washed up veterans; either guys who excelled in good situations with other teams or guys Shanahan thought he could turn into successful players. Perhaps the poor defense was Cutler's ultimate trump card. He was free to sling the ball around the field to receivers who could make plays; the losses were placed solely at the feet of the defense because who could argue with the numbers.
Ultimately it was Cutler's sense of entitlement that was his undoing in Denver. Cutler never reached the playoffs as starter for the Broncos, even when it was handed to him in 2007. Cutler finished his Broncos career with a losing record. Cutler has a reputation around the league for being a front-runner and whiner. He played poorly against the Broncos' biggest rivals, especially the San Diego Chargers who have treated Mile High Stadium as home-sweet-home the last few years. There were teams that were considered big players in the Cutler sweepstakes who had stars speak out AGAINST Cutler, that's how little respect he holds in some corners of the NFL. Orton may not be the most physically gifted QB but his Chicago teammates respected him and his attitude is reminiscent of Jake Plummer's (nevermind Plummer's faults). When Plummer was benched in favor of Cutler, instead of pouting he did what he could to help Cutler succeed. Orton played to his strengths in Chicago and we know that McDaniels has a history of succeeding with QBs who play within the system.
The dominance of Chicago's defense is well known, Cutler has that going for him. However his success rides on the shoulders of sub-par receivers, a sub-par offensive line, a good tight end, and a good young running back. A large chunk of the Bears' receiving yards went to their running backs last year as their offensive line didn't give Orton much time to look downfield. Maybe that's a good thing as his receivers were likely covered and overmatched. Will Cutler be ok with throwing screen passes and check downs all day or will he force the ball into bad matchups and covered receivers (a problem he had in Denver)? Orton was sacked 27 times last season. Denver's O line held opposing defenses to 11 sacks. If the Bears choose to change their offense to suit Cutler, will they provide enough protection to give him time to look downfield? In case he doesn't know, Lovie Smith is not an offensive mastermind. What will Cutler do after his first poor outing in Soldier's Field? If he thinks Denver is tough, wait until the boos are raining down during a cold game in Chicago.
Josh McDaniels has repeatedly said that the Broncos have a lot of issues they need to take care of. A lot of changes were needed to make Denver a Super Bowl contender. Nevermind being one win away from making the playoffs, had they made the playoffs last year they would have been embarrassed by Indianapolis. In Denver, it's not enough to just make the playoffs and it's certainly not enough to miss them. You can't win the Super Bowl every year but there is a difference between not winning it and not having a chance to win it. A good franchise puts themselves in the hunt every year. In order to do that, change is needed. Denver has signed many free agents this offseason, filling holes at cornerback, safety, defensive line, and running back. Players who haven't contributed have been released. New coaches were hired, there are no longer single points of failure. Mike Nolan was hired as the defensive coordinator and will bring in a new 3-4 defense, replacing the antiquated one of Shanahan's tenure. The Cutler trade has given the Broncos more room to work. They received a replacement QB as well as three first-day picks (including 2 first rounders). The Broncos now have 2 first round picks this year that they can use to fill holes on defense. In contrast, New England received only a second round pick for Matt Cassel earlier this year. Make no mistake, the Bears gave up a lot for Cutler. There is a lot of pressure for him to succeed and he has not dealt with that so well in the past.
Key points regarding the Cutler trade:
- The Broncos' offense, while prolific, was extremely inefficient last year. They were ranked 2nd in yards per game yet they were 16th in points per game (at 23.1).
- Chicago's offense was 26th in yards per game and 14th in points per game (at 23.4).
- Cutler finished the season with 4526 yards, 25 TDs, 18 INTs, 38.5 pass attempts per game, and a QB rating of 86.
- Orton finished with 2972 yards, 18 TDs, 12 INTs, 31 pass attempts per game, and a QB rating of 79.6.
- Cutler was sacked 11 times and fumbled 4 times.
- Orton was sacked 27 times and fumbled 3 times.
- Cutler's percentage of TDs per attempts was 4.1, Orton's was 3.9.
- Cutler's percentage of INTs per attempts was 2.9, Orton's was 2.6.
- Denver scored 80% of the times they were in the red zone (inside the 20 yard line). They scored TDs on 54.5% of their trips.
- Chicago scored 90% of the time and scored TDs on 56% of their trips to the red zone.
Here's to hoping Denver does not draft a QB in the 1st round. Draft DEFENSE.
-PSon
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