Posted Tue Dec 30th by Kyle

Mike Shanahan has been fired, and Jay Cutler is not happy. Per the Rocky Mountain News:
“I’m disappointed, I’m shocked, I’m not happy about it, I’m not pleased with it at all,” Cutler said by phone Tuesday. “We had zero inkling this was going to happen. I didn’t have a clue.” …
“I think with the offensive staff we had, we were moving ahead,” Cutler said. “I had just met with Mike to go over everything, talk about the things we wanted to do, make sure we were going the right way on offense.” …
“I hope it all works out. But I know I’m disappointed, I’m not happy, and it’s a lot to think about. I just want to continue the things were able to do this year on offense and get better all the time.”
At the least, a once clear direction for the franchise has turned cloudy. I’m still speechless…

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59 comments
It will be interesting to see how he responds to a different coach.
Jay Cutler needs to look close at himself. He added to the demise of this team and the ultimate firing of Shanny with his lack of a winning attitude and not being able to throw the ball to a wide open reciever without over throwing, under throwing or plainly not looking that direction. He has all the mechanics of a great quaterback but lacks the heart and brains it takes to lead a team to win. Cutler will be on losing teams his entire carrer but fail to see “the light” to the winning side. Grow up Jay, understand that it takes much more than a strong arm to win. Ever hear of lofting a pass to your wide open reciever? Your play answers my question. GLTY
In all the talk about how shocked we all are there is something we are missing. We are all wondering who will replace shanahan, but realize this: the Broncos job becomes the best job there is available in the NFL. Every coaching candidate, even Cowher, will see that this is the best job, the best chance to win now, the best chance to do something. I for one am very encouraged that we will find the best guy available, and this team will be forward successfully.
Oh my GAWD!!!!!!! 16 starters injured….. 2nd youngest team in the league…. one game from the play-offs…..
You’ve got to be kidding me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
one can only hope for the best right now, bad news tho… really don’t know what to think about this one. Could be a bad mistake for our offense. Time will tell. Hope Pat hasn’t been reading Al Davis’s book on how to better run a team…..Good luck Bronco’s, we are now really going to need it……
ok, processing….
Terrible coaching this year.
Terrible delegation of responsibility.
Draft? Look at our young talent!!
Hope? Tons!
Now?
Scared.
Still hopeful.
Who wouldn’t want this job??!!
Cowher? Sign him NOW. He never coached for a guy who’d spend money like Bowlen!!
Shanny? Thanks SO MUCH for the years of success!
I remember the losing years and the lost superbowls!
Thank you Shanny!
This, I think, is the worst part about this move. It upsets our best young talent — Cutler, Marshall, Royal, et al. right when they are starting to succeed under Shanahan’s offense.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
Cutler said it. THE OFFENSIVE STAFF. Jay here is a news flash: you had no defensive staff for the longest time. all offense and no defense means a bad team. just like this year. now Cutler will have to show what he is made of. no pampering from Shanahan anymore. a new coach will be here who will get in cutlers face if he keeps messing up.
Buckhard- Dude give me a break, cutler has been awesome this year, top 5 in the rankings, all you fools smashing on cutler need to go check Payton Manning stats early this year when he had no running game, I don’t care how good you are in the NFL these days you have to have some support from the run game to be good, Cutler didn’t have that all year and he still made top 5. This kid will be a Superstar for years to come.
Man i just love all you D oriented blow hards trying to lay blame on Cutler, it is clear that you know little or nothing about Jay and what he did this year, the kid should be commended for the drives he was able to put together against a SD team that knew we were going to pass on EVERY PLAY, you keep going off about how he needs to get the fire and grow up and all this other garbage, but Cutler has those things, he just shows them the way Manning or Brady do, with composure, true leadership, not popping off at the mouth like Rivers.
some turd up there blamed cutler for the demise of this team…..???
oh so i guess cutler must have been playing his old safety spot when the broncos were getting blown out on defense.
kerry,
First you’re all over Shanahan and you got your wish. Time will tell if this was a good move or not. Certainly a case to be made either way, no doubt.
Now it’s Cutler’s fault? “Cutler will have to show what he is made of” are you kidding me? The #2 offense on the league with no running game…I guess he should have ran more often huh?
I was actually beginning to think knew what you were talking about, but Cutler is the LEAST of our problems dude.
Quite frankly, I am tired of Cutler’s crying. I hope they bring in a coach that puts him in his place. He spent too much time reading his own clippings. Cutler has thrown roughly 37 interceptions in 2.5 years and has a QB rating of 87% during the same span. Last time I looked, that’s not all that impressive. I think Matt Cassel had a better season and he hadn’t started a game since highschool. Don’t get me wrong, I like Cultler. The problem is, he like himself too much.
Stats say, he is not as good as he thinks he is. Time to look in the mirror and come back to earth. If you are going to take the credit, it’s time to take some blame. As the leader of this team, you cost your Coach his job!
News is that Shanny might be positioning himself for the Chargers coaching job. I don’t believe it but it is a possibility.
very sad i met coach shanahan in canton ohio when steve young was elected to the profootball hall of famei walked up to him he was a class act good luck coach
attitude adjustment needed:
all things considered… cutler has better 2nd season numbers than elway, griese, and plummer did in theirs (not in any way trying to say cutler is better than elway, just stating a fact). losing shanahan (which really sucks) will force cutler to mature. we’ll see what he’s made of next year…i personally think he’ll step up and be just fine.
and its definitely not fair to say he cost mike his job. player-wise, cutler is the main reason we won the games we did this year. yes he threw his share of ints, but the number of passing attempts per game was insane because of our backfield problems. leave cutler alone- he’s young and he’s only going to grow- he’ll be fine. lets focus on shoring up that defense
tgh210:
I agree… I believe in Cutler’s talent. I just don’t care for his attitude. In many cases he appears to more of an individual than a team player.
I would like to see a defensive minded head coach, who brings in a creative son of a gun as Offensive Coordinator.
At the risk of a mutiny…. What about Mike Martz at Offensive Coordinator? He had nothing to work with in San Fran.. The greatest show on turf had Kurt Warner, Issac Bruce, Tory Holt and Marshal Faulk. We can certainly top the QB and Receiver positions, the only thing missing is the right back. Thoughts?
i think the individual over a team player statement is pretty bogus, considering from multiple articles Jay,Brandon, and Eddie had already discussed working in the offseason together. Last year Jay and Tony worked together, and before the shanny firing, he had already spoken to mike about where the team was heading in the offseason. This isnt one of those “me” guys that goes back to the U or home or wherever to work out in the offseason alone. Jay and co lost sunday and he is seemingly already focusing on next year.
i think martz would be an awful choice. Im from st louis and had to watch his style of play.. and when contained by Vermeil it was a thing of beauty to watch, but once he got full control he seemed to believe he was better than any other d coordinator, he was buying the hype about himself.
Look at how he basically ignored Frank Gore in SF, look at his awful mismanagment of the clock, his utter waste and misuse of time outs..
i hope he gets nowhere near Jay and co.
This honestly was the first thing I thought (well, actually the first thing was “what the h***!”) after turning on ESPN and seeing the world come crashing down. What is going to happen to this amazing offense? Shanny handpicked these guys. He had a plan. He has raised Cutler. How will Cutler be able to play under a new coach with a whole new scheme?
This is the reason SLOWIK was the issue, NOT Shanny. At least keep him here for this offense!!! What are we going to do now? I think Cutler will be professional and accept this eventually, but firing Shanny nis really going to hurt this team. Put me down in the records for that one folks. This IS NOT a good move.
I am talkin gabout game siuations….. When Eddie Royal drops the ball we see “Catch the #$%@ing ball Eddie” come from Cutler’s mouth. When he overthrows a wide open receiver, we see a blank stare. How bout a little slf reflection and ownership??
None the less… I am still a Cutler fan. He simply needs to accept as much blame as he passes out.
This is the worst thing Pat Bowlen could have done. Mike Shanahan is an offensive coordinator, not a defensive coordinator. Anything that went wrong with the defense is NOT Mike’s fault, it’s his defensive cooridnator’s fault. Why didn’t Bowlen fire him? I will not continue to support the Broncos without Mike Shanahan. Pat Bowlen should be fired.
I have never once seen Jay cry about anything. He controls his emotions pretty well for a young QB forced into a horrible situation. How many passing attempts did he have this year? 45 passes roughly a game, and he only averaged 1 int a game…you do the math. What other QB in the league played every game against a defense specifically designed to stop him, without threat of a run? With all that going against him, and playing from behind every week because his defense couldn’t stop a college team, He did far more than should ever be asked of a single player. I am proud of Jay, he will be fine under another coach.
I think it is an embarassment to the Bronco organization, that they will not support a gentleman that has such a great track record. Individuals can only be successful if they are given the opportunity and resources. P.S. When I responded on the website that I thought MS’s firing was a mistake, they told me that I had already responded. I had not! I have been a Bronco fan for 28+ years. This is just not right! I would think every member of the team will be wondering what will happen to them if they have a bad day/season after years of success.
Amazing, I am expressing my views and my comment is “awaiting moderation.” No bad words used, just expressing my opinion! Wow, are you going to edit everyone who doesn’t agree with your decison?
No, first-time commenters just have to get that approval because I get 5,000 spam comments per week.
Stats lie all the time. Cutler has had no run support and no field position (horrid Spec. teams) and no defensive help. Cutler is stuck between a rock and a hard place. If he shows emotion he is a whiner and if he doesnt than he is clueless. The guy led our offense to top ranks all on his own. He had no RB and our WR’s ranked at the top for DROPPED passes. The guy should get pissed if the receiver doesnt catch the ball. Thats what receivers do, they catch the ball. Cutler is one of the main reasons we even won 8 games this year. He has to score 40 pts a game to win. Our QB is not our problem. Our problem is that we dont force teams to punt until the 4th quarter. Cutler = 2nd ranked offense in the NFL and 400 yds a game.
Lisa, this is an unofficial fan site run by fans. It has no offiliation with the Denver Broncos organization…and everyone’s first comment on the site says awaiting moderation. After your first post, you will not await moderation again.
Good to know. Thank you jchase8410.
Haynesworth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Glad to help Lisa Whitney
I’ve been a bronco’s fan since before Elway, and all I have to say is: About time!!! Shannahan was great when he had Elway and Davis, hell any coach would have been great. But I’ve watched Shannahan make some really stupid moves. Anyone remember Greasey? And what about all the running backs he traded away the year after they would run for 1000 yds. Since Elway retired Shannahan has won only a single play-off game. Sure doesn’t sound like the team from the 80’s and 90’s. As for Cutler, as far as I’m concerned the jury is still out on him. I haven’t seen even an a small bit of greatness in him yet.
I just heard San Diego is interested in Shanahan, any truth?
wow JD you must not be watching the games I’m watching, i see greatness in every game i watch.
4500+ yards (with only 2 games where we had a 100yd rusher) and “the jury is still out”
Lmmfao.. wow..
Chris Mortensen commented this evening that by the end of next week, there will be another firing in the NFL, because some owner is lying in bed right now getting ready to fire his coach to go after Shanahan.
Final thought on this whole deal- for those of you who wanted Shanahan gone:
1. I think you were in the minority, but in the end you were right.
2. Please have enough respect for those of us who are grateful to Shanahan for all he’s done for this team. As a five year old, I cried when Red Miller, Craig Morton and the Orange Crush lost Super Bowl 12, so a lot of us waited a long time to see that Lombardi Trophy come to Denver. A lot of people have made it sound like any coach could have taken Elway, TD and that bunch and won a Super Bowl, but Shanahan was our guy, and for that, we’re personally most grateful.
Time to move on, but shut the hell up and let us remember the good times without trashing us.
are you kidding me? F you Pat Bowlen!!! so you mean to tell me cutler, scheffler, marshall, royal, clady, and don’t make me name the free agents that there are many coaches that have the knowledge to draft them with ease.the only reason why the broncos even had a chance was because of shanahan. how many people can keep a team in contention with 8 rookies starting. payton hillis sucks or what? f you a million times and then some bowlen. i hope you die you son of a bitch. who is going to teach cutler better than mike. did i tell you f you? If not than f you you stupid f bitch. you deserve to die!
well said BUCKY
Cutler is GREAT
Brandon:
Well said BOWLEN you made the biggest mistake ever and let’s pray he doesn’t go to San Diego because then they will finally get their SB
You suck BOWLEN
Hey J if you are so upset please feel free to go with him. Big arms, bad haircuts, and a losing records don’t impress me. P.S. if you stay please get some off season work in on your deep ball touch.
F u Pat you screwed up big time
This is worse than losing to San Diego Sunday and I didn’t think anything could top that
You’ll regret this dumbass
f u pat bowlen. I hope you die you son of a bitch! what coach can win games with 8 rookies starting and an 8th different starting RB. F U again you stupid jerry jones. How do you think cutler, scheffler, marshall, royal, hillis just to name a few are on your team? You sure as hell did not draft them! You should be happy we had a chance to make the playoffs. Name one mag that had our broncos in the playoffs over the stupid a chargers. F U again you stupid M F er.
the greatest bronco fan ever Brandon Muise
You just better be glad i do not live by invesco field you coward M Fer
Wow, you guys are living 10 years ago…I’m talking to you Brandon and Thunder. Why is everyone so okay with 10 years of nothing? 1-4 in the playoffs since 98, 1 division title since 98. Is this what Broncos football is all about? Mediocrity? .500 over the last 3 years? Giving up 30 points a game this year? 28th ranked defense this season. I am not okay with .500 football. This is a franchise with a proud history, seeing it reduced to blowing a 3 game lead in the west and going out getting Destroyed by Phillip Rivers and the Chargers really bothers me. If that doesn’t bother you then we don’t need you as a fan…might as well cheer for Oakland.
I know that Shanahan is a great head coach. He is not good when he takes time away from being a coach to be a GM and VP of football operations. His time in Denver (while he did great things with a team Reeves built) has just gone stale. I am certain he will go somewhere else and do a great job, but sometimes you just need a change of scenery so to speak.
He is not washed up, he is not past his prime, he is just done in Denver. Thank you for your devotion and memories you have us, but if you don’t produce winning teams for 3 years you get fired…any other coach would have been fired, and if you look around the league right now, you will see that.
Im sorry jchase, I agree that it’s been a while since we’ve had a winning season but the problem wasnt Shannahan it was Slowik and his D that had to go. The Offense ended second in the league and that was all due to the offense orientated mind of Shannahan.
I was willing to wait one or two more years at least but not right now work on fixing the defense which is our problem…name one coach that is good enough to take his place? I sure the hell don’t want any of the losers that got fired elsewhere coaching my team that’s why they got fired. Pat Bowlen made a terrible mistake and you will see it soon enough next season
I remember how I felt when I knew T.Davis would never be the same, and I feel the same now. I am sad, I’ve been a fan since 85, and Shanahan has taken us to heights that we as an organization has never been. He should always be a legend here just like Elway. I don’t like the move, I wish they just would have taken the Vp role from him and kept him as coach. Thanks Shan for all the good memories my friend, I’ll always be a fan.
I agree with Jay I am VERY disappointed too. I will always be a Cutler fan and I do believe in that young man. As far as the Broncos decision in letting one of the best coaches in the country go that is a different story. What in the heck were you thinking ? I am sure you made someone like the Cowboys very happy.. way to go Denver for making the worst blunder in Bronco History.. not smart.. not smart at all. I guess when you have all the money in you could ever hope for doesnt make you the sharpest tool in the shed and you proved it with that bone head move. Jay we are still rooting you on I have followed you since I lived in Tenn I believe in you young man and you will be the best just keep at it young man… as far as the Broncos go I am not sure I have those same feelings. Very disappointed just sums it all up. Keep plugging away young man you are a winned no matter what bone head stunts the team you play for does.
I will miss Shanny but I totally agree with the firing. A good coach should win all of the games he should win and a few that he shouldn’t. Over the last few years especially, the Broncos repeatedly failed to win games that should have been easy. Furthermore, the team lacked discipline, which comes down to coaching. Luck at Cutler. He shouldn’t be running his mouth like this. He needs to act like a man, not a boy.
Keep in mind, Shanahan will be fine. I guarantee you that if he wants to continue coaching there will be no shortage of offers out there.
Good luck Shanny, we all had a good run.
Truman
whoa whoa whoa, lets all calm down. i never said it was Cutlers fault at all. not once did i say that. im saying he is gonna have to show what he is made of because now there will be a coach in his face when he throws an INT or makes a mistake. he wont be able to sit and pout on the sidelines like he normally does. none of you can deny Cutler pouted quite a bit on the sidelines after a mistake. a new coahc isnt gonna pamper him like Shanahan did. i think Cutler can be great. already has shown himself to be great. but he needs to take more of a leadership role. especially now that Shanahan is gone. and everybody, dont assume that you know what im saying. if i dont sit there and say “ITS CUTLERS FAULT” then im not saying its Cutlers fault. i say what i mean and mean what i say.
way to go Pat, thats a good idea lets fire Mike… who the hell are you gonna get thats better then he is. POSSIBLY Cowher who has allreadys said that he’s not going to coach this year and just resigned a new deal or let me guess Jason Garret. nope he’s a lion. Mike Martz F U. Romeo Crennel god I hope not. Wade Phillips wouldnt that be weird. Guys get ready cause I believe were about to see some hard times.
I said it a couple of months ago as well, Cutler needs to grow up. He became a bigger whiner than Rivers!! Cutler is young and I believe he will mature but he didn’t carry himself w respect after mistakes, good and bad ref calls, and dropped passes.
He certainly has shown that he is talented. 4500 yards is nothing to sneeze at but when you throw the ball 600+ times in a season?!? As important for that position is that they limit their mistakes and he made some bad ones. However, who doesn’t think he is the franchise QB we need? He is.
Obviously he is not our problem. The defense is to blame. Shanahan is responsible for the Defense!!!! He is the GM/VP of Ops and Head Coach. Our defensive woes are his fault. We have had the best defensive player in the game the past few years (hurt this year and not the same) and still we stink!
Despite all of this I would have liked to see a new D Coordinator come in this year and given Shanny 2 more years. I remember Jess Fisher and John Fox being on the hot seat lsat year and look what they were able to do with another season!!!!
Next year is going to be rough considering our schedule and home record the past 5 years. I believe our D would have made strides next year and then in 2010 we would be primed for a real SB run.
Maybe that can still happen if we make the right choice!
Kerry - You called it and got a lot if sh-t for it so you deserve some credit dude….
you people ahould be glad Cutler is your QB
cause you have nothing else and if he swears at a receiver
then that receiver deserves it Cutler runs the offense on the
field he can yell at whoever he wants to –you dont drop
passes in important situations he should be pissed they are all
innept except him and he knows it ………
cutler is stuck between a rock and a hard place
now wonder he whines! now he loses his coach too
no defense - receivers that drop passes –no running game
your lucky he doesnt QUIT — other teams would kill for that
stud at QB !
and as a woman he is rather an attractive guy too!
when does he whine I never seen that when does he swear
at receivers? he is a great QB with nothing around him
do yu think the next coach will SPOIL him like shanny did ?
lol
if you ever saw him interviewed he has a NICE SMILE
and very cute eyes too! but never heard him whine!
what is between Rivers and cutler anyways?
is it a fight over a woman! why do they have
such dislike for each other? why do i keep hearing
that cutler is gay and has a crush on rivers?
can that be accurate? OMG gross!
One thing I know Jay Cutler is anything but Gay!
Dude, Cutler isn’t pouting on the sidelines, that is just how the man looks. Seriously, how is he supposed to act? He gets blamed when he tries to force a ball downfield, makes a perfect throw and the receiver can’t catch the ball. He gets blamed for an INT when Shanny call the 9th bubble screen in a row and the defender gets a hand on the pass. He has been forced into a terrible situation, and he handles the pressure well.
I would yell at my receivers too if they kept dropping good passes. I’ve always gotten upset when I threw an INT. Give the man some help in the running game and a defense, and he will dominate. If he doesn’t, then you guys will have room to talk sh!t
I agree with folks about the lack of “D” over the past years. However, even in our best years we never had a dominant D. It was always a matter of our offense blowing people off the field and our D taking advantage of the other offense having to resort to a predictable set of plays.
With Cutler at the helm (which was Shanahan’s decision) we have been made to suffer under a QB with a serious IQ problem, and if not, then one of ego. Who in the world could imagine a Denver QB popping of in braggart fashion about the strength of his arm in relation to Elway without even having won a single playoff game?!!! Furthermore what this redneck doesn’t realize is that while Elway’s arm was famous, his role as the winningest QB in history is what made him a legend.
One good thing about Cutler’s “strongest” arm: It kept his ridiculous interception rate a bit lower because half the time those moments when he would stare down a single receiver forever and launch the ball into triple coverage the defender wouldn’t be able to catch it though it hit him in his chest.
I’m not saying the Shanahan is blameless — the decisions on the defensive side of the ball including the coordinator carousel cannot be overlooked…
But I feel his worst decision was to bank on this blowhard who, despite all the hype of him being the next Bret Favre, has proven nothing but how he can end drives with repeated blunders. I always hoped that Shanahan would pull a Bob Knight and give him a little choke-hold as he came to the sidelines with that dimbwitted blank look on his face after throwing a pick.
Shanahan will win wherever he lands. We won’t until we get a new QB and defense.
Bronco Fan 4Life
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