Former Texans GM Charley Casserly speaks on the NFL Network as to which team he thinks got the better end of the Cutler trade.  Although we hauled in a “treasure trove of draft picks” to use Trent Dilfer’s term  (Dilfer loves the move for the Broncos by the way) Casserly cetainly makes it sound like the Bears got what they wanted for what they were willing to spend.

The Denver Broncos have agreed to trade Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears.

In return, the Broncos acquired quarterback Kyle Orton, two first-round draft picks (18th overall in 2009 and their 2010 first round pick), and a third-round pick. The Broncos also included a fifth-round pick in the deal.

Jay Cutler wants out

News just in! Pat Bowlen is not happy with Jay Cutler. Sorry for the picture, it was just too hilarious not to put up, no matter what your opinion is. So now where will this vexed quarterback land? Well this is the NFL so there are a slew of theories. According to Yahoo Sports, nine teams are interested in Cutler.

Several league personnel sources confirmed to Yahoo! Sports that at least six teams are expected to be seriously involved in trade talks: the New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns. The Jacksonville Jaguars have also shown interest, while the Minnesota Vikings actually pulled the plug on trade negotiations for Cutler back in February.

That’s just eight teams right there, the article further reports that the Redskins are in the market for Cutler as well. Many of you will think, “they’re content because Jason Campbell is their passer.” The article explains, that Jim Zorn and Dan ‘Money Bags’ Synder went out to visit USC players Mark Sanchez and  Brian Cushing, but they were possibly more interested in Sanchez. Synder may stop at nothing to make Jay Cuter a skin, and there has been unofficial reports of Synder meeting with Mike Shanahan.  I don’t feel as this trade will be a viable option for Denver because they won’t want Jason Campbell. Denver must have a replacement quarterback unless they feel like Chris Simms can do the job.

Trade Scenarios

Keep in mind that all of these scenarios are just that. The accuracy or validity of this article cannot be verified because we are an unofficial Denver Broncos Blog and News Site. Therefore if this article provokes any feelings of malcontent you should just remember that it’s a blog and people are bouncing around ideas and everyone is entitled to their own opinion, except Kerry. Just kidding Kerry, you know we all love you, I even gave you a tag.

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  Jay Cutler for Brady Quinn, 1st-2nd rounder, or Shaun Rogers.

  Anyone interested in a Brady Quinn? Click here to read the rest of this entry »

All hell has officially broken loose. Pat Bowlen has officially released a statement saying that he will comply with Jay Cutler’s trade requets. The AP article states,

Broncos owner Pat Bowlen released a statement saying both he and McDaniels had been unable to get Cutler to call them back over the last 10 days. Bowlen said he spoke with Cutler’s agent, Bus Cook, on Tuesday and came away convinced “that Jay no longer has any desire to play for the Denver Broncos.” 

It’s a sad day indeed. Hopefully this is all just a bad April Fools joke. Where will Cutler land? Who will take over the reigns?

The Denver Broncos‘ 2009 preseason schedule has been announced, with a few familiar preseason faces and a few new ones, too.

The team is set to travel to the San Francsico 49ers to start the 2009 expedition campaign, and will follow that up with a trip to face the Seattle Seahawks. They’ll have their home preseason opener against the Chicago Bears, to be broadcast on Sunday Night Football, and then host the Arizona Cardinals for their preseason finale. Exact dates are TBA except for the prime time match against the Bears, which will air on NBC at 6pm MDT on August 30th. Full press release after the jump. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

James Laurinaitis

According to the Denver Post (this article is mainly about Matt Prater, but ehh… I care about defense more), Ohio State inside linebacker James Laurinaitis and Utah defensive end Paul Kruger recently held workouts with Denver. Both of these defensive players are second round prospects at the 48th overall pick.

It’s strange thinking back a few months ago when Laurinaitis was projected to the Broncos for their first round pick, and now he’s fallen quite far. Laurinaitis could have been a first rounder had he came out last season as a junior. It’s very typical for Ohio State Big Ten linebackers to fall out of the first round, just take a look at Dan Connor and Paul Posluszny. Laurinaitis is categorized as a ‘pure’ 4-3 inside linebacker which shouldn’t pose too much of a problem for Denver’s multi-packaged defense this year. Laurinaitis wouldn’t be a bad selection in the second round.

Kruger is 6’4 and roughly 265 pounds. Unless Kruger plans gaining 40-50 pounds without losing any functionalitly he’ll have to play outside linebacker. Kruger’s production is pretty average with 7.5 sacks, 61 tackles, and 16.5 TFLs. The 16.5 TFLs is impressive though. Just like Laurinaitis, Kruger could be a good fit in the transisitonal defense in Denver. The ability to play with your hand in the dirt as well as standing up will be a big concern this draft at the defensive end position. Mike Nolan, Josh McDaniels, and Wayne Nunnely are all coaches who play out of the 3-4 but they will implement 4-3 packages this season as well. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Lou Saban

Former Denver Broncos head coach Lou Saban passed away early this morning. According to the article, Saban had ‘recently suffered a fall’ which caused him to be hospitalized. Lou Saban was known as a ‘jack of all trades/, holding many jobs throughout his career.

There was a reason Saban was dubbed “Much Traveled Lou.” In the first 33 years of a career that spanned five decades, Saban held 18 jobs, an average of 1.83 years per stop. Among those jobs was president of the New York Yankees from 1981-82 for his longtime friend, team owner George Steinbrenner.

Lou Saban was highly respected by his players.

“He was like a father to me,” former Bills defensive back Booker Edgerson said. “He steered me in the right direction. He gave me advice. Some of it, I didn’t like, but isn’t that what a father does?”

Saban left his footprint on the world of football on and off the field, may he rest in peace.

Marcus Thomas

Finally the fans have been addressed publicly about the Nose Tackle position. The Denver Post quotes head coach Josh McDaniels has stated clearly that there is no obvious starter and it will be an ongoing process.

“We’re going to try multiple people there. It will be interesting,” McDaniels said. “We’re kind of excited to see who can or who couldn’t and what we need to do with those guys. I think they all present different problems in their own right.”

The Broncos have picked up a few different players to fill this position but no standout has emerged yet. Former San Francisco 49er Ronald Fields has plenty of experience but only as a backup last season. J’Vonne Parker is huge at 6’4, and 325 pounds but he has bounced around four different teams, not exactly screaming “start me!” The article also states that Marcus Thomas could some reps at the spot as well as practice squader Matthias Askew.

“We want them to be big,” McDaniels said. “One of the things, I’ve said it since I arrived in Denver, is we want to be tough, physical, and I think that’s going to start up front on both sides of the ball. We’re looking to add size and versatility, and we want to be able to stop the run.”

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According to NFL.com the ‘Lions are open to trading (their) top pick.’ When specifically asked about Jay Cutler, general manager Martin Mayhew did not shy away from the prospect.

“We’re open to all options with that pick,” Mayhew said during a break at the NFL Annual Meeting. “Obviously, it has value to us, and if it has value to somebody else, then we can talk about that.”

The article also states that there are ‘speculations’ that the Lions are interested in Baylor’s offensive tackle Jason Smith.

If Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels is serious about his commitment to keeping quarterback Jay Cutler then the Lions will have to look elsewhere. However, the commitment also needs to be a two way road between the coach and passer.

Head coach Josh McDaniels spent a lot of time taking questions yesterday, here is some of the quotes that can be found by him.

“I’ve always been optimistic,” McDaniels said at the NFL Annual Meeting. “He’s on our team, he’s under contract, and I understand there’s things we have to work toward in our relationship

When asked about the infamous Matt Cassel for Jay Cutler ordeal he responded,

“You take into consideration what anybody is trying to offer up,” McDaniels said. “If the quality of the trade you feel, in the long run, improves your team, you analyze it.”

“It’s been made very clear to me it’s my job to listen to a number of scenarios that would improve the team.”

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