Who's NOT Dropping Plummer This Week?

[16 and 33 0]

The beat writer for the Rocky Mountain News understands what the Denver Post, Bronco fans, and Jay Cutler FF owners don't:

 

Krieger: Shanahan won't repeat Griese mistake

 

September 19, 2006 Quickie quiz: How many rookie quarterbacks have won the Super Bowl?

 

Uh, that would be zero.

 

This is Mike Shanahan's dilemma.

 

This, and losing his locker room.

 

Far from giving up his annual Super Bowl dream after a 1-1 start, Shanahan thinks back to the summer of 1999.

 

And regrets it.

 

"What you can't do is you can't put somebody in there until his teammates feel he has earned that spot," Shanahan told me Monday. "Not just me, but the guys that go to war. If I learned one thing with Brian Griese, it was that I put him in there too early."

 

You remember. In John Elway's final season, veteran backup Bubby Brister started four games and the Broncos won them all. When Elway announced his retirement in the spring of '99, Brister moved to the top of the depth chart. Griese, a third-round draft pick in '98, was the quarterback of the future.

 

Brister was not effective during the '99 preseason and even before the season began, Shanahan announced Griese would replace him as starting quarterback. The Broncos went 6-10 that year.

 

"Even though I was convinced it was going to happen eventually, the team was not convinced that he was the right guy at the right time," Shanahan said. "And it takes more than a head coach. It takes your team to understand that the guy that has earned that right should keep that position.

 

"Now, if a guy doesn't perform over time, then obviously everybody loses their position - coaches, offensive linemen, quarterbacks, receivers. That's just the nature of the game. But if I look back in retrospect, I think I hurt Brian by putting him in too early."

 

Seven years later, it's the same situation times 10. Same because everyone knows Jay Cutler will replace Jake Plummer; the question is when.

 

Times 10 because Plummer has 10 times the locker room credibility Brister had and the expectations for Cutler are about 10 times those for Griese.

 

Make no mistake: The organization has fallen more in love with Cutler, if that's possible, since drafting him.

 

And it understands that Plummer, at 31, is probably about as good as he's going to get.

 

But based on his experience in '99, Shanahan will not be so quick to pull the trigger this time.

 

Although Plummer has played poorly in the Broncos' first two games, he also led them to a 13-3 record last season.

 

"It's not just your decision, it's those guys that are sweating down there in the pit, those offensive linemen, the defensive linemen," Shanahan said. "It's not just your team, it's their team, and you'd better evaluate it before you make one of those decisions.

 

"When you're young, sometimes you make a very quick move because you think it's the right thing for the long term. But it might not be the best thing for your team this season or this game, whatever it may be."

 

Shanahan often deflects questions about Plummer by saying it is not just the quarterback; it is the entire offense. This sounds like the usual boilerplate, but in this case, it's also true.

 

For the first time since the Super Bowl years, the Broncos are getting mediocre play along the offensive line.

 

The line is too small and light to be good in traditional pass protection, but its athleticism is not opening the holes in the running game it has in the past. The line will not look the same next year.

 

But the focus always comes back to Plummer and Shanahan's dilemma: Who has the better chance to lead the Broncos to a Super Bowl championship this year, Plummer or Cutler?

 

History suggests Cutler has little or no chance. Even Hall of Famer Dan Marino, who got there as a rookie, lost the game. Worse, he never made it back, as if getting there so soon was bad karma.

 

And Jake? That is a matter of debate. But since no rookie has ever done it, you've got to like his chances better than Cutler's. Based on his performance last season, you can make the argument he could manage a Super Bowl winner, much as Brad Johnson and Trent Dilfer did, provided the defense did most of the heavy lifting.

 

Shanahan's dilemma suggests the Broncos aren't winning the Super Bowl this year in either case, which, in turn, suggests there's little point in rushing Cutler into the fire and risking his relationship with his teammates, as Shanahan now thinks he did with Griese.

 

Most important to the Broncos coach is keeping faith with his locker room and not making the imperious mistake he believes he made seven years ago.

 

"If a guy's proven himself, he has won for you and he has consistently done the job for you, you'd better give him a chance when there's adversity," Shanahan said.

 

Plummer can certainly force Shanahan's hand and play his way out of the job this season. It is still all about production. But it will take more than a bad game or two.

 

kriegerd@RockyMountainNews.com

 

Not that I honestly think anyone can predict what the Denver HC will do, but in this case I think that painful memory from 1999 will keep the Rat from pulling Jake anytime soon. Food for thought.

 

[FF_Guru_Guy 0]

Losing Terrell Davis in the 4th game probably had something to do with Denver's 6-10 record that year.

[itsbigmoni 1]

is someone missing gary kubiak?

[16 and 33 0]

Losing Terrell Davis in the 4th game probably had something to do with Denver's 6-10 record that year.

 

 

 

Not quite....here are the suprising facts:

 

 

 

1999 Denver Broncos

 

 

 

Terrell Davis | 4 | 67 211 3.1 2

 

 

 

team record in games he started (0-4)

 

 

 

Olandis Gary | 12 | 276 1159 4.2 7

 

 

 

team record in games he started (6-6)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never would have guessed it myself.

 

 

 

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/den1999.htm

[FantasyChick 0]

I am keeping him, I guess. Brunell, Carr, Frye, Loseman (Simms and Bulger on waivers until next week now) do not look any better.

[FantasyChick 0]

Crap! I didn't see Big Ben had been dropped for Rex on Wednesday. Someone grabbed him and dropped Brooks today. I am still keeping Plummer I guess. Or I'll pick up DavidCarr..............