This week has been full of news from the Broncos’ practices, and unfortunately BroncoTalk hasn’t been able to cover it as well as most. But for a recap so far, our Organized Team Activities (OTA’s) were full of plenty of news involving long time vets, departed friends, newcomers, and a strong-armed quarterback who still impresses after the initial flash has passed.

Honoring Those Fallen

Photo Courtesy – Andrew Mason’s Blog

The Broncos revealed their admittedly first method of honoring fallen team members Darrent Williams and Damien Nash – the helmet decals you see in the image above. Thanks to the Official Denver Broncos blog by Andrew Mason for the images in this post.

Also, players’ new numbers were announced, and it appears that no one has taken either 27 or 29. I understand Pat Bowlen says that it would take some incredible contribution to the team to get their jersey number retired, something as big as the effect #7 has had on our team. So it’s unlikely either number will be retired. But at least for this year, the numbers should be temporarily retired, in honor of our fallen comrades. Roderick Rogers, an UDFA Safety, hasn’t chosen a number yet. He wore 22 in college, Domonique Foxworth‘s current number, so he’s the only one out there who could possibly take one of these guys’ numbers. I don’t know if that’s the issue behind him not choosing or not, but if it is – do the right thing, Rod – show the proper respect and select a different number.

Golden Boy with Big Expectations

Everyone’s still impressed/amazed with Jay Cutler‘s big arm, and the coaches are celebrating by dusting off the “long bomb” section of the playbook. Ever since Jake Plummer donned #16 for Denver, the big plays have been toned down in favor of bootlegs and scrambles. Now that we have someone that rememinds everyone of ole 7, the big plays will return.

It was interesting to hear John Lynch‘s take on the whole thing, because it’s similar to mine. He feels bad for Jay and all the pressure he’s getting – I mean, how can anyone live up to John Elway? I sure as hell haven’t crowned Cutler yet – I mean, he’s done everything you want a quarterback to do except for the most important thing – win. He’s broken a record or two. He has great stats. He scores and is on the mark on deep passes. But he is yet to be a winner – and nothing is more important to Broncos fans than winning. Jake Plummer won 70% of our games – if Cutler can’t match that over the next few years, can we really say it was a good move, no matter what the stats and highlight reels say? I hope the media eases off our young QB and let him play – I’m not saying I don’t have faith, but as Dennis Green would say, I haven’t crowned him yet either.

Comeback Player of the Year?

Photo Courtesy

Here is my early nomination for Rod Smith for Comeback Player of the Year. Huh? What’s that you say? We haven’t played any games yet so hold my horses? Nah, not in the mood. Nothing pained me more last year than seeing Rod’s game falling off after so many consecutive 1000-yard seasons. After news broke out that he was having major hip surgery, the pieces seemed to fall into place. And frankly, nothing excites me more this season than to hopefully see Rod come back and perform to that level – more than our defensive changes, more than our running game, and more than Cutler’s untapped potential. I want to see Rod succeed.

Talking out on it, it seems that Rod is set to do just that. He talked about his surgery and his rehab, how he’s ditched the crutches and is working harder than he ever has. Apparently this injury has been rattling him since 2004, and being the trooper that he is, he’s been fighting it ever since.

I want Rod to be healthy, and hopefully he will be, but if not, we Broncos fans must have faith in Brandon Marshall and Brandon Stokley to catch the rock as our second and third receivers.

The season can’t come soon enough for addicts like me, and reading up on all the news makes it only harder. There’s tons more to be read – just check out the links on the sidebar to the right – as we get ready for our 2007 campaign.

All eyes and cameras and microphones are trained on Rod Smith these days.  Since the beginning of Denver’s first 2007 OTA days, everyone wants to know something that Rod Smith doesn’t even know – Can he return to his 2005 level of performance?

And at this point not even the doctors can tell you what condition Smith will be in when the season rolls around — and these are very good doctors (Smith’s surgeon was the same doctor that repaired Priest Holmes knee). 

Although Greek (Steve Antonopulos), Denver’s head athletic trainer, also doesn’t know exactly when Smith will be ready for field work, he has every confidence that he will be ready when the season starts.

“Obviously, you want him ready for the season. But based on the time restraints from the injury, (training camp’s) about the right time, somewhere in there. If it takes a few weeks less, great. If it takes a few weeks more, whatever it takes. You know he’s going to give you everything he’s got when he’s ready to go.”

— Steve Antonopulos 5/18/07

Right now, Smith is off crutches and working every day on stationary bikes and ellipticals.  While none of us know when he will return, Rod assured a host of reporters yesterday that his age (he turned 37 Tuesday) has nothing to with situation or his decision to play in 2007.

“I don’t want to talk about age - my age has nothing to do with it. If they didn’t think I could go out there and perform, they wouldn’t have me in the building. It’s that simple.”

— Rod Smith 5/17/07

As a fan, I’m pulling for his return.  I think that a pain-free Rod Smith still has a couple of meaningful years with our club and his reliability and leadership can’t be calculated with simple game stats.  Above all else Rod is a symbol of what a REAL team player is.  He has always put the team ahead of himself and for that reason he will always be one of my all-time favorite Broncos.

Thanks, Rod — and get well soon!

DenverBroncos.com Story & Video

Denver Post Story #1   Denver Post Story #2

Rocky Mountain News Story

Associated Press Story on ESPN.com

Brandon Marshall, like many of our younger broncos, is expected to step up – not only into a starting position but also a leadership role. While Marshall ran with the first team this week during “Quarterback Camp,” 2007 has hit Marshall with not only losses of fellow teammates Darrent Williams and Damien Nash but also a run in with the law.

Marshall was the only member of the Broncos to be present at both the night club last visited by Darrent Williams on News Year’s Eve and the charity basketball event that Damien Nash organized and participated in prior to his death. For many, it seemed like Marshall’s off-season couldn’t get any worse — but then it did. On March 26th, Brandon was arrested on a false-imprisonment charge following a verbal altercation with his girlfriend. With the league clamping down on bad behavior, it seemed a very untimely situation.

Now, however, Marshall must put all of that behind him so that he can concentrate on scoring the #2 wide receiver spot across from Javon Walker. Marshall doesn’t plan to forget either his fallen teammates or his brush with the law. Rather he must learn from them and move on.

“I’ve definitely grown up. It’s sad to say, but sometimes you have to bump your head or go through some things to actually learn. So I’m glad that it happened now rather than down the road in my career. And I can guarantee that I’ll be on top of everything from here on out.”

–Brandon Marshall 5/17/07

Rocky Mountain New Story

LongmontFYI.com Story

As expected, with the commencement of Denver’s first OTA days, we once again have news and info flowing out of Dove Valley! Here are some things of interest – in no particular order.

Enjoy!

Photos from Mason’s Morsels: Day One, Day Two

Denver’s missing some of their leaders from last year. Along with departed 2006 defensive team captain Al Wilson, offensive captain Rod Smith won’t be participating in drills during this week’s “Quarterback Camp.” Off-season hip surgery has kept him off the field, but not out of work. He has been working out (in rehab) at Dove Valley and at the practices talking and encouraging the players. He reports that his recovery is ahead of schedule.

“I’m just going day by day. I can’t even jog right now, but you know what? Next week, I might be (able to). The body is weird, man. Everybody’s body is different so you can’t put together a schedule and say, ‘You’re ready by this day.’ I wish we would know that.”

— Rod Smith 5/17/07

“Rod is a competitor; he’ll get out here as soon as he can. We’re hoping to have him out by the start of training camp. That’s our goal – that the first time we start (regular) practices, he’s ready to go.”

— Mike Shanahan 5/16/07

Video on DenverBroncos.com

Full Story on Andrew Mason’s Blog

Story from Rocky Mountain News

So, how are the new leaders doing?

Well, all the talk around Dove Valley is how much the play book will change with strong-armed Jay Cutler behind center. While that makes great water-cooler material, I would seriously doubt Mike Shanahan will be throwing away Denver’s ‘establish the run first’ offensive strategy just because Cutler can throw down field. With that said, I’m sure their will be less emphasis on bootlegs and more deep passes called this year.

“I don’t want to take anything away from Jake Plummer, because he won 70 percent of our games and he did a lot of great things when he was here. But it’s a new era, and we have a quarterback with different skills.”

— Mike Shanahan 5/16/07

And what does Jay have to say? Cutler says he feel loose and comfortable at QB now. In fact, this year instead of learning from Jake, he’s the one teaching the system to new backup QB Patrick Ramsey.

Another new leader, DJ Williams, assumed his new role as Middle Linebacker… and that includes the role of warm-up leader. Starting off with the rookie Moss and then moving quickly to the entertaining antics of David Kircus. Williams did a fairly decent job — let’s hope his move to the middle of the defense is as smooth.

DenverBroncos.com story & video on Williams

Denver Post Story on the NEW play book for Cutler

Andrew Mason’s Blog entry with lots of pictures from camp

Denver’s Travis Henry was listed as 12th in Michael Harmon’s recent FoxSports.com article on the best backs for 2007. No surprise that LaDainian Tomlinson tops the list, but Travis at 12th?!? I would be stunned and wildly disappointed if Henry isn’t in the top 5 this year – if he wins the starting job outright.

“Henry was impressive in his efforts for the Titans last year, averaging 4.5 yards per carry with seven touchdowns. Some detractors point to his age as a negative. They neglect to factor in that Henry has carried the ball a total of 452 times over the past three seasons.”

–Michael Harmon 5/16/07

FULL STORY

Injury updates were made today on a some of our guys. Offensive tackle Matt Lepsis (knee), safety Sam Brandon (knee) and wide receiver Brandon Stokley (Achilles tendon) will miss “Quarterback Camp.” The good news is that all three are on schedule to return fully by the regular season. Also, safety Nick Ferguson (knee) and running back Cecil Sapp (fractured fibula) have returned from their season-ending injuries in 2006 and will participated in all scheduled OTA’s.

Domonique Foxworth posted again on his official blog. Mostly about his recent off-field charity work with the John Lynch Foundation and his desire to work on the Darrent Williams Teen Center.

“I welcome the challenge of giving that 100% positive role model to young kids. And not only being a role model, it’s going out and participating hands-on. Not only just giving money and hoping they do the right thing with it. You’ve got to go in there and work with it. …this Darrent Williams Teen Center is going to be my new passion, I think. I’m really excited about that.”

— Domonique Foxworth 5/17/07

FULL POST

Howard Griffith, Denver’s Super Bowl FB, will be providing the color commentary for University of Illinois football games broadcast on the Illinios Sports Network. Griffith is a Chicago native and set the NCAA record for touchdowns in a game with eight against Southern Illinois in 1990.

“He and his wife had already made a decision to return to Chicago from the Denver area, wanting for their two sons to be closer to their grandparents. When he learned of this opportunity in December, he decided to pursue it and push hard for the chance.”

— Mark Tupper 5/16/07

FULL STORY

Peter Schrager over at FoxSports.com has posted an article ranking each NFL team’s off-season in relationship to whether or not they improved their 2006 roster.

Interestingly, the Broncos are near the top of the league when it comes to helping themselves in the off-season. According to Schrager, Denver ranked 4th overall siting the addition of Travis Henry, Dre Bly and Daniel Graham as the best moves this spring.

“A 1,500-yard running back in Travis Henry comes to Mile High, serving as the first big-name back to grace Denver ‘s backfield since the Clinton Portis trade. Veterans Dre’ Bly, Daniel Graham, and Patrick Ramsey join the squad as well. On draft weekend, the Broncos addressed their defensive line needs, scooping up Jarvis Moss, Tim Crowder, and the draft’s biggest question mark — Florida DT Marcus Thomas. Jay Cutler’s ready to go, and the re-vamped defensive line is too. “

–Peter Schrager 5/16/07

Biggest gain: Travis Henry, RB
Biggest loss: Al Wilson, LB*

* While I agree that Al Wilson’s leadership will be greatly missed, I would have him add Darrent Williams to the ‘Biggest Loss’ line. Emotionally, I believe, that loss may prove to be far longer lasting than the loss of Big Al.

So, who scored the best off-season?

That would be the Pats, of course…

“No team cleaned up this off-season quite like New England. Aside from the Randy Moss deal, the Pats also picked up arguably the number one defensive player on the free agent market in Adalius Thomas, a guy who led the Dolphins in punt returns, receptions, and receiving yards in ’06 in Wes Welker, and Sammy Morris, Kyle Brady, and Tory James. “

–Peter Schrager 5/16/07

And how did our AFC West competition do?

SAN DIEGO — 24th

KANSAS CITY — 16th

OAKLAND — 3rd best off-season

On Oakland’s off-season:

“It’s not hard to improve from a 2-14 season that featured one of the worst offenses in NFL history.”

–Peter Schrager 5/16/07

FULL STORY

Week 2 of he BOAs are underway, and this week BroncoTalk looks at all the tradse that have been made over the past few months. While Dre Bly made headlines all over Denver, and Randy Moss made headlines all over the sports world, they both must settle for honorable mentions. On to the awards.

The BOA for Best Offseason Trade goes to…

The Houston Texans for Trading for Matt Schaub

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
2) Denver Broncos, Dre Bly
3) New England Patriots, Randy Moss
4) New York Jets, Thomas Jones

The Texans showed they weren’t afraid to get their guy

There is no position more important to a football team’s success than quarterback. And while I’ve always been a David Carr fan, his play became way too inconsistent down the stretch, and former Broncos staff members Gary Kubiak and Rick Smith decided to make the move for Schaub.

While the move came with its fair share of questions, particularly regarding Schaub’s experience (or lack thereof), the aggressive nature of the move just feels so Shanahan-esque to me. Kubiak and company recognized a quarterback they felt could improve their team. They aggressively pursued Schaub’s talents and made the moves to get it done. Combined with Ahman Green, their offense looks completely different than it did a year ago. I expect big things from the Texans this year, and I’ll be cheering them 15 weeks out of the year.

The BOA for Worst Offseason Trade goes to…

The Kansas City Chiefs for Trading Away Dante Hall

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
2) New England Patriots, Wes Welker (2nd, 7th Round Picks)
3) Cleveland Browns, Tim Carter (Reuben Droughns)

The St. Louis Rams would be 5th on my list of honorable mentions for best trade, getting long time playmaker Dante Hall for a mere 5th round draft pick. But the move was so bad for the Chiefs because it was their #1 playmaker at the wide receiver position. I mean, is Dwayne Bowe ready to be a #1 in this league – I don’t think so, and the Chiefs traded Hall away before the draft anyway. I understand his game had fallen off a bit of late, and that he isn’t the incredible return specialist he once was, but the Chiefs made a bad move by trading Hall, a fan favorite, for a mid Day 2 pick. More compensation should have been demanded, and if not there, KC should have kept Hall outright.

The BroncoTalk Offseason Awards continue every Thursday, so tune in then. Next week: Best/Worst Cut.

The wait is finally over!  Soon we’ll have some real Broncos news flowing out of Dove Valley as the Broncos begin their first OTA today.  Organized Team Activities (OTA’s) are comprised for 14 days of on-field training/practice, one 3-day ‘mini-camp’ and, of course, Training Camp. 

Most NFL teams schedule their mini-camp soon after the draft as a way to initiate the rookies into their program.  The Broncos, instead, use their mini-camp in July right before their main Training Camp.  With the current OTA schedule, once they begin their practice days, there are far fewer weeks off in between the OTA’s — which hopefully translates into more productive training periods. 

“I think it’s smart the way Mike schedules (OTA’s).  We are the last team in the league to have a minicamp; it keeps it kind of fresh in your mind rather than taking a whole month off before camp.”

— John Lynch 7/6/06

Don’t be confused by the title… 

“Quarterback Camp” is  just the name the Broncos use for these OTA days – everyone attends.  That means we should also hear quite a bit about our newest Broncos, as both free agents and draftees will get their first reps with their new teammates this week.

“It’s always nice to get the draft choices in and obviously get a practice going, with a lot of free agents. We got a lot of good work done today. We weren’t out here for a long time, but we did get in some quality work.”

— Mike Shanahan 5/16/07

We should also get updates on some of our personnel that were injured last season.  Some of the bigger names we’re waiting to hear news on are Matt Lepsis, Nick Ferguson, Sam Brandon, Brandon Stokley and Rod Smith. 

Most exciting is one of last year’s highly anticipated rookies, Domenik Hixon.  Domenik, who sat out all of last season on the injury reserve, says he is ready to impress this year beginning today (Full DenverBroncos.com Story).

“I’m excited!  Just to get out there and actually run around and catch footballs from everybody — I can’t wait.”

— Domenik Hixon 5/15/07

And if you’re wondering who’s that wearing the #56 Jersey, Andrew Mason has give us a great list of the new (or changed) player numbers — Thanks, Andrew!  :)

Changed in the Off-Season:

RB Mike Bell: #20 changed to #30

WR/KR Brian Clark: #19 changed to #86

TE Nate Jackson: #89 changed to #81

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

 
Today, as the first OTA days begin, the Broncos got to show off the first of several way they will be honoring the memory of their fallen brethren.  Darrent Williams’ #27 and Damien Nash’s #29 will appear in a circle decal on the back of all Denver helmets this season.

“Their memory is going to stay here for a long time. We’re going to embrace it and not be afraid to talk about it. They were two young guys that meant a lot to this organization that died at an early age. We don’t understand why. But their memories are with us.”

— Mike Shanahan 5/16/07

Complete Denver Post Story

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. That’s exactly what I’m doing for this week’s Top 10, listing the completely heterosexual reasons why every Denver Broncos fan out there should have a legitimate man crush on our head coach. Mike Shanahan is almost as big of an idol as John Elway in the Mile High City, and for good reason – he has brought this team to a level of success that we haven’t experienced in our history. With his recent contract extension, Broncos fans can look forward to continued success – hopefully including a berth in a Super Bowl or two with a third ring on the horizon.

10) January 14, 2006

Easily the biggest concern Denver fans have had regarding their coach is the lack of postseason success since Elway retired. No such wins in 7 years will do that to a team – so when our first home playoff game since ’98 took place last year, it was against none other than the defending world champs. But the bottom line was that we won – we beat Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, something no other team had ever done in the postseason (and now only a feat the Colts have matched). It was needed, too – we needed the reminder that Shanny knew how to win in January. While Broncos hearts are still mending from the results of the week following, our confidence in Shanahan was reassured when we beat the Pats in the divisional round.

9) Risk Taker

Shanahan has showed, in more ways than one, that he isn’t afraid to take a chance. From going for it on 4th and long to drafting Maurice Clarett (oh, and half of this year’s class), Shanny excites fan with his no fear, kill attitude. Even John Madden is often quoted on his primetime coverage of calling Shanny “The Riverboat Gambler.”

8) Deal Maker

This quality has developed like a fine wine over the years, but since 2005 the art of the deal has landed us Jay Cutler, Javon Walker, Dre Bly and Jarvis Moss (among others). While other GMs and coaches can be paralyzed through overanalysis and plain fear of the deal, Shanahan’s embracing attitude is rare in today’s NFL. He isn’t afraid to go after the guy he wants, but he’s not reckless either.

7) Loyalty

Doing a bit of research for this article, I found out that Shanahan actually coached for two years at Northern Arizona University. Being a current student there, I was always curious why we’ve had an unusual amount of Lumberjacks on our squad – from Punter Paul Ernster to 3rd-String QB Preston Parsons, Denver has always embraced NAU with these players. So when I saw that Shanahan coached here in Flagstaff, it was an “aha” moment for me. He is loyal to his teams, even selecting almost all Florida Gators in the draft and after.

6) The Future

Seemingly overnight, we went from one of the oldest teams in the league to one of the youngest. And most of our draft picks last year were hits, big time – Cutler, Scheffler leading the pack, with Dumervil and a plethora of promising O-Linemen closing it out. Combine that with another solid draft and a bit of trimming the age of our starters (Jake Plummer, Al Wilson), and the long term future looks just as bright as 2007.

5) Super Bowl XXXIII

John Elway’s last game was one for the ages – a dominating period at the end of one of the most successful sentences in NFL history. Having exercised his Super Bowl demons the year before, John was able to perform to his standards in 1998, something he wasn’t able to do in the win the year before. Before, the team carried John – this time, John was the true MVP of the game, passing for 336 yards and a touchdown, running one in as well. Shanahan helped ensure that John’s career would always be remembered with a riding into the sunset finish.

4) The Biggest Raider Hater

More than I do. More than you. More than Broncos cheerleaders do (actually Mile High Report interviewed one, and I guess the girls are a little more amicable to each other than the fans…). More than Al Davis hates us, and more than any Raiders hate us – Mike Shanahan HATES the Oakland Raiders. And with good reason. After an 8-12 record our coach was fired, and history knows who won in that situation. Shanny has an 18-5 record against the Raiders as our coach, and he has led the march of the Raider Hater Nation for over a decade.

3) Mastermind

Pure and simple, Shanahan is a genius. He was among the architects of the West Coast Offense, and along with Alex Gibbs, built the infamous zone blocking scheme the Broncos employ. He seems to have Belichick and Brady’s card, as the duo have beaten the Broncos only once (and in a miraculous Monday Night comeback, at that). A master playcaller, Shanahan is often called The Mastermind in Broncos circles. His small frame doesn’t reflect his huge intellect – he knows just as much about this game, and possibly more, than every other coach in the game today.

2) Super Bowl XXXII

Our first ring can be attributed to the addition of Shanahan almost single handedly. He found Terrell Davis in Round 6 of the draft a few years before and used the superstar to lead our team to its first victory. 14 point underdogs, the Broncos took it to the Packers in a classic game that wasn’t decided until deep in the second half. Broncos fans should be forever grateful for the instant culture change from losing championships to world champions.

1) Annual Contender

Year in and year out, NFL fans know they can’t count out the Broncos. We’ve won more games in the past decade than any other team, and we’re always in the hunt for the AFC West title. And Shanahan is the reason behind it all. Despite inconsistencies at the quarterback position, despite different runningbacks nearly every year, and despite Assistant Coaches that are always on the move – the Broncos find a way to win games. With Shanahan on the sideline, and (finally) with a franchise quarterback to lead the team, it looks like our contention will only improve as the years go by.

As mad as I can get at some of the decisions he makes (ahem cutting Al Wilson), our coach still has my full support. We’re in the hunt again this year, and are among the top teams in the league when it comes to Super Bowl odds. All Broncos fans should be in love with our coach – and in case you forget why, refer to the list. Just shy of 30 teams out there would kill to be able to back up their coach with this kind of resume. Be grateful.

Waiting for the 2007 season to start is killing me, so I decided to take a closer look at our starting QB and his background. I’ll skip his much discussed Vandy experience as that topic has been beaten to death.

Yes, they didn’t win much.
Yes, it was a small school with no talent.
Yes, Cutler single-handedly beat Tennessee in Knoxville.

However, his last minute touchdown pass in the last game of his college career was not the first time he pulled out a big win in the closing minutes of an important game.

Years before that, Jay Cutler was a Patriot. Well, a Patriot from Heritage Hills High School in Lincoln City, IN that is. Heritage Hills did not suffer from the perennial losses that Vanderbilt did. In fact that school has a long history of winning teams. So, when young Cutler joined the team, he had to compete for a varsity spot — and Heritage Hills plays both ways.

Jay Cutler ended up starting three years of his High School career and played both QB and Safety. Anyone what thinks Cutler doesn’t have a winning background should research his time with the Patriots. Cutler lead the school to a 26-1 record his last two years including a perfect senior season. During these seasons in Indiana, Cutler completed 60% of his passes (going 122 of 202) for 2,252 yards and 31 TDs. He also recorded 493 yards rushing and 11 TDs on 65 carries — that’s an average of 7.6 yards.

While most of the glory comes from running the offense, Jay had 88 tackles and nine interceptions as a safety during those years. In addition to that he returned six kicks, a fumble and interception for touchdowns. By helping on both sides of the ball, Cutler’s Patriots outscored their opponents 746-85.

However, it was his final game at the High School level that raised many eyebrows…

Larry McWhorter had led Zionsville into the state finals for the second time in five years. While the Patriots, coached by Bob Clayton, had finished an undefeated season on their way to their first appearance in the state finals.

After falling behind 7-0 in the first quarter, Heritage Hills responded with three scores including an 11-play, 69-yard drive that consumed 5:37 and ended with a one-yard run by Jay Cutler. The Patriots led at halftime 21-7.

However, Zionsville responded with two early scores in the third quarter to tie the score at 21.

In the first overtime state championship game in 14 years, Zionsville scored first with a 24 yard field goal — Cutler’s Patriots were in need of a big play.

Two downs later they got it their wish. The play started with a lateral from Jay to running back, Cole Seifrig, who then threw the ball back to Jay. Jay Cutler, with a wide lane in front of him, ran the ball 16 yards into the end zone to score the winning touchdown.

Heritage Hills claimed its first state title in any team sport in the school’s history with this game, and Jay went on to play for Vandy (and then, of course, for the Broncos).

I think it’s a good thing that Cutler ended up at Vanderbilt and had to play under harsh conditions (Elway had quite a few years like that with the Broncos). But I also think it’s good to know we have a clutch QB, that’s tough enough to play both ways (he recorded 19 tackles in that championship game). But above all, we should remember that Cutler does have a championship pedigree.

I can’t wait to see what 2007 holds for Jay Cutler and the rest of our Broncos!

Go Broncos! :)