Denver Prepping The 'Cutler'-y for Jay?

Over the past few days the airwaves, Internet and water-cooler topic concerning the NFL is not the upcoming draft and the free agent buzz has seemed to have dissipated. The issue many are talking about is Denver Broncos quarterback, Jay Cutler, feeling rebuffed by trade talks concerning him supposedly initiated by new head coach, Josh McDaniels. Cutler feels alienated to the point of selling his real estate in the Denver area, and subsequent talks via teleconference and a face to face meeting have pretty much gone nowhere. What exactly is the big deal here, you ask? For Cutler, it is a respect factor based on his accomplishments thus far in his career as a starting quarterback for a high profile organization in the NFL. For McDaniels, it is putting his stamp on a high profile team in the mold of his former organization, the New England Patriots. Both competing interests appear to be butting heads rather than working together in order to promote the overall improvement of the team.

According to numerous sources the Broncos, shortly after the free agent period began, initiated trade proposals with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New England Patriots which would have sent Cutler (pictured) to Tampa Bay, Matt Cassel to the Denver and draft picks to New England. The alleged plan back-fired when New England sent Cassel to the Kansas City Chiefs for a second round pick in this years draft which left McDaniels, and Broncos owner, Pat Bowlen in full spin control when Cutler got wind of the news. It is critical to remember that Cutler was a Pro-Bowl invitee (haha, torts) this past season in which he threw for 4,526 yards and 25 touchdowns; we are not exactly talking about a substandard player here. Secondly, the Broncos' downfall last season where they choked up a sure division title by submarining in the final weeks was mainly attributable to a porous defense. I mean, the defense was so bad, when a playoff spot was on the line in week 17 in a 'winner takes all' affair against division rival, San Diego Chargers, they were soundly beat by the score of 52-21. One question that was asked by many pundits shortly after McDaniels took over was 'why start revamping the offense when the defense was the problem?'

This is what leads us down the road we are looking at today. Cutler has officially requested a trade, the potential trade market has dwindled to 2-3 teams and the Broncos have no leverage whatsoever in their trade demands as they have no proven quarterback on the roster that has a full season's worth of effective play under his belt. The parties have reached an impasse and Cutler has every right to be miffed as he said that he was told by Bowlen (pictured during the glory days) after Mike Shanahan was fired that the offensive staff will stay intact and that he was not shopped by the team to others in hopes of consummating a trade. He feels lied to and has no trust factor in his dealings with McDaniels as during a meeting with his new head coach, that anyone can be traded. If it were me in those shoes, I'd be a little perturbed to say the least, but Cutler has to realize that he is employed in an industry where everyone is replaceable and as we have seen from Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, one hit can alter a career. If Cutler believed that he would spend his entire career with the Broncos, I am glad that he now (hopefully) understands his mortality especially in the shadow of 'the business'. Cutler recently no-showed an involuntary organized team activity (OTA) earlier this week and seems dead set on forcing the Broncos' hand in resolving a situation (via trade) that conceivably should have never been.

McDaniels (pictured) is a 32 year old head coach that spent his entire professional career with the Patriots, which has set up a coach manufacturing factory in Foxboro, MA. In his time, he has seen players such as Drew Bledsoe and Deion Branch who were mainstays on the team be traded as soon as the organization identified an individual who could fill his spot at a lower price and with equal to more compatibility with the team's system. It is understandable for him to want to bring 'his guys' to Denver in order to make his transition from offensive coordinator to head coach smoother. However, what gets many people scratching their heads is the fact that McDaniels allegedly never gave Cutler a chance to at least learn his offensive system and determine whether his skill set would fit into what he wanted to accomplish. If the player did not fit after year 1, trade the guy and rebuild the position during a conceivable uncapped 2010 season. If he wanted to make the big splash, I would have thought he would have done it on the defensive side, starting with cornerback Champ Bailey, who is still an elite player but may be declining and could have a good market via trade. The breakdown on Bailey's remaining years under the 7 year, $63 million contract signed in 2004:

2009: $6.5 million (+ $2 million roster bonus due 3/3/09), 2010: $9.5 million, 2011: Free Agent. *Cap charge: $13.669 million (2009).

I cannot see how the Broncos could have thought saving a substantial amount of cap dollars by trading Bailey rather than irritate a notoriously thin skinned Cutler, was not a viable option. Cutler is one of the better young quarterbacks in the NFL; he was drafted behind Vince Young who lost his starting job with the Tennessee Titans and Matt Leinart of the Arizona Cardinals who suffers the same situation as Young. I am not making a case for Cutler and nor am I excusing the behavior of the Bronco brain-trust; however, I am questioning the lack of foresight on both sides which if used, could have prevented a bad situation from getting worse. Cutler must realize that if he will make good on all of the potential he has, he must find a way to make this situation work and position himself into the holder of power down the line. Right now, the Broncos have the power and they also have the ammunition on draft day to either trade for a replacement or draft a player that can be developed under Cutler while Cutler takes the pounding and hits while the coach implements new players into a new system. McDaniels has learned (hopefully) the cardinal rule in any walk of life for any manager or CEO: never walk into a room and alienate those who have been there before you. If you do not carry a big stick and reputation to back it up, it is best to come in, let people know what you expect of them and weed out the misfits later.

I hope both McDaniels and Cutler find a way to work through this as they are both talented at what they do. However, the discontent in reference to McDaniels among the Broncos faithful is beginning to peak before he has even coached a game. I would expect something like this to occur after he guided the team to a 4-12 finish in 2009 rather than in the off season. If McDaniels is able to get Cutler back into the fold and on the same page, this will be an interesting team this year; all they have to do is fill in youthful depth on defense and win the games they are supposed to. If a trade is made, Cutler will need to adapt his attitude to different culture and also become proficient in a new offense with sub par personnel as any team that has the assets the Broncos want for him, will be a bad one. These two parties need each other in order to succeed and I hope this mess is sorted out before training camp as no player wants to be traded during this time and no team that expects to contend wants a question mark at the most critical position.

Re-'cap'ping Some Issues

Amazing how time flies when one is having fun (sarcasm)...while in the midst of my second semester of writing papers and studying, I had to prioritize my duties in regards to alphaleticarticles and make time for it during a full spring 'break', which features more paper writing and preparations for my final exams. It is refreshing to be back in the swing of things as I am alone in the library, on a Friday night no less, trying to make good on the promises I made to myself and the readers of this blog. I appreciate the emails from a couple of readers asking for another entry (Doris) and suggestions on potential articles (Puente). Rest assured, I will be putting in maximum effort to get this thing going for my...I guess it's called spring edition. So lets go in on it....

Many tidbits of news over the past few months have hit the sports pages and airwaves from basketball, football, baseball and soccer. We are now preparing for the NCAA's 'Selection Sunday' which will bracket 65 college basketball teams for an annual tournament crown a new National Champion. I have to admit, that this is an exciting deal which generates attention to many smaller schools who feature teams with talent we have not been exposed to. Just think of last year...I mean, did anyone even fathom Stephen Curry of Davidson College would be considered a potential first round pick in the NBA draft if he didn't get hot during the 2008 tournament? I have to look at it this way as my bracket is always garbage and 4th seed that I pick to win gets knocked off by a better, but lower seeded squad. A classmate of mine (Quintero) just came by and lobbied for his alma mater, Texas A&M, to get into the tournament and expressed his displeasure with the smaller schools playing to gain access to it. It still must be noted how exciting it is for basketball players at smaller schools to even get a chance to 'go dancing'...these players bring an exuberance that cannot be measured and provide interesting stories (personal and program-wise) to all of the games they play in which many people can relate to. Reminds me of 'caste system meets capitalism' in a strange way where all is equalized for a very short time and anything can happen...then it's back to normal. However, it is a far cry from the 'could he drafted?' question that is largely applied to standouts at more prominent basketball programs. It is also enough to keep people such as myself tuned into their games, provided they are not blitzkrieged within the first five minutes.

In a nutshell, I believe that the games will be compelling this year and there will be a few upsets, just like every other year. At the end of the day however, the impressive collection of talent coupled with superior coaching will reign as the Final Four will more than likely feature noticeable names such as Duke and UConn rather than Northern Iowa or Stony Brook.

Another issue that has been spoken of over the past month or two is the issue of free agency in the NFL. Albert Haynesworth is now a Washington Redskins member, Matt Cassel was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs and Terrell Owens was very wisely released the Dallas Cowboys, and subsequently found able employment with the Buffalo Bills shortly thereafter. Here is my take on the Owens saga; I believe that he needed to be let go by the 'boys not just due to the locker room disruptions and the demands he placed upon a quarterback who is still trying to find his way in the NFL. Many people seem to ignore his age and the salary cap number he was carrying going into 2009. I have not seen 35 year old receivers dominate on the NFL scene in my life much less get paid on par with one who is younger and does so. He was incompetently signed to a 4 year $34 million contract extension last year by the Cowboys who had to at least have knowledge that even Jerry Rice or Chris Carter for that matter, was not dominating at that age. He is still a good receiver, but due to his age and penchant for drawing needless attention to himself, the Dallas brain-trust, if they intended to keep him, should have given him at 2 year extension and front-loaded it as much as possible in order to lessen the salary cap hit if they decided to part ways in the subsequent off-season.

It seems as if Buffalo got it right with Owens, giving him a one year deal as they knew that he usually provides maximum performance in his first year with a new team. Look at the stats:

Philadelphia Eagles (2004): 77 catches, 1,200 yards, 14 touchdowns
Dallas Cowboys (2006): 85 catches 1,180 yards, 13 touchdowns

I expect a good season out of him, but he went to a division where every coach bases their defense on pressuring quarterbacks and taking away things that the opposition does best. If Trent Edwards is in obvious passing situations more often than not, Owens will be rendered ineffective as coverage will be rolled over to him and Lee Evans, although a good player and underrated in my opinion, has yet to prove that he can take take over a game and be a superstar. Edwards seems to be the type of quarterback that can play very well as long as the offensive game plan is dictated successfully and he can use is skills to improvise when plays break down. The biggest benefit of Owens' arrival will be for slot receiver Roscoe Parrish (pictured). He will be matched up against slower safeties or less physical corners and will have room to display his speed in space after the catch. Running back Marshawn Lynch should have a better season as a result as well as the passing game will keep teams from loading 8 men in 'the box' to defense the running game. Just having Owens on the team is good for about 2-3 more wins for the Bills; being that they finished 7-9 last season, I fully expect at least 10 wins out of them this year, which may still not be good enough as every other team in the AFC East has reloaded on defense.

The second side of this move is that the Bills are in financial peril. They reside in a small market that was gutted by the fall of industry in the latter stages of the 20th Century. The owner, Ralph Wilson is testing the lucrative waters of Canada (Toronto) with his team in order to get things turned around and will probably make a move there if things continue to go the way they have been. What better way to get a sudden influx of cash than bringing in a high profile player such as Owens? If he does well, the Bills get exposure, if he acts like a jerk, the Bills get exposure. There will a spike in sponsorships and the jersey sales will pick up. They may even get some prime time games which adds more to the signing. Good move on both sides as far as I am concerned. Both need each other equally.

The steroid era has apparently not ended in Major League Baseball. Apparently as long as the league features sluggers from that historical statistical era (1994-2005), there will be sufficient ink dedicated to the issue by all major publications and small time blog writers such as myself. The newest addition to the 'Juice Crew' is Alex Rodriguez, once touted as a boy wonder drafted out high school by the Seattle Mariners. I had suspicions about him especially when he was hitting 50 home runs as a shortstop; however, my scrutiny means nothing as the news is out and it is easy to say it now that the man has admitted to doing steroids. However, my main issue is this...why is it a big deal? Why must the U.S. Government be involved in all the appearances on Capitol Hill before committees? The use of steroids (in my opinion) is not for hitting home runs, but rather for recovery after long and tenuous exercise. Yes, the player gets bulked up at times, but does he give the fans what they want? Even Greg Maddux put it succinctly in a commercial from years back: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ltD21rYWVw I look at it like this...if I am working in an environment where in order to garner a contract to guarantee the future of generations of little Cooks' kids, I need to get an extra edge, serious consideration may need to be put into doing so. Especially if the means to that end is encouraged by the lack of policing by my employer (intentional blind eye) while it openly celebrates ones who reap the benefits of it's usage. Shoot, I am not standing around in 120 degree heat for a hometown discount and peanuts.

I feel that Rodriguez owed nobody an apology; who did he hurt except himself and his reputation? The people who paid for tickets? Not so. They got what they wanted which is a long ball, a strikeout, an acrobatic catch, a stolen base or the occasional brawl (the experience). The owners? No. They continue to reap huge profits (well in some cities) and are still handing out $100 million contracts like candy. Fellow baseball players? Once again, no-no. Contracts that are so high and in the case of Rodriguez, $200 million plus, drive the market upwards. Even a marginal player who goes out of his mind in his walk year can cash in better than he could have 5-10 years ago. What Rodriguez does with his body does not adversely affect me or any other follower of MLB; he will have to pay the price when he looks back in time after retirement and thinks of his personal legacy...then he can look at his bank statement and take a private jet anywhere he wishes to relax for a day or two, which is something many of us will NEVER be able to do whether we take steroids or not. However, it appears that the wear and tear is beginning for Rodriguez as he just underwent hip surgery; is it related to steroids? Who knows? I just wish him the best in his recovery and hopefully he will be back to form soon.

Another issue that has been widely discussed is Albert Haynesworth and the free agent contract he signed with the Redskins. It was widely reported that the contract is for 7 years, $115 million and believe me, I heard the outcry from the public, from friends and classmates alike about how he is not worth that much money especially in these days and times. Well, in the NFL the public is correct, he is not worth that much money. In the NFL the contracts are not guaranteed and agents, players and front office personnel alike spend allot of time trying to figure out creative ways of structuring contract that will lessen detriment on both sides. For instance, a player wants to equal or exceed their market value when they are a free agent, but there are limits in case of injury or ineffectiveness, which teams will argue over. A team may want to protect their salary cap flexibility within the foreseeable future and have an interest in keeping the numbers reasonable within a certain period of years while the player argues his skills are worth stretching that reasonableness. The interests of the player and the team make for interesting contracts and Haynesworth's is no different. Here is the breakdown, thanks to XtremeSkins.com and CNNSI.com:

2009: $5 million (signing bonus) $6 million (base) 2010: $21 million (option bonus) $3.6 million (base), *2011: $5.4 million, 2012: $7.2 million
Total: 4 years, $48.2 million.

The asterisk is for an additional $1 million he may earn in the form of an off-season workout bonus.

The remaining years of the deal calls for Haynesworth to earn $29 million in 2013, $10.8 million in 2014 and $12 million in 2015. Now tell me folks, if Haynesworth is 29 right now, who in their right mind will pay him $29 mill in 2013 at the tender age of 34, which in football years, may as well be 50 doing what he does? That's right, nobody. The $100 million issue is nothing but window dressing to to show how much a team is willing to go numbers-wise with a player in bidding for his services. Even in the NBA, which has guaranteed contracts, if a player is 34 and making $29 million, he will be traded around the league like Karrin Stephans in hip hop circles in order to create salary cap space. Or even perhaps he can be bought out of that contract for quarters on the dollar. There is no market for anyone outside of a 30 year old Michael Jordan or a 26 year old Lebron James perhaps, to make that kind of money...well, except maybe A-Rod, but we already covered that issue. So I tell fans out there, don't believe the hype. In the middle of every belief, there is a lie, so be careful when looking at an NFL contract. Except....

when looking at Matt Cassel's one-year $14.65 million deal he signed as a franchise player with New England Patriots before being traded to the Chiefs two weeks ago. Being a franchise player guarantees Cassel the entire balance during 2009. As I read through the articles devoted to the trade and the fans' reaction to why the Patriots were only able to garner a 2nd round pick for him while also giving up a well respected, veteran defensive player, I looked primarily at two issues: 1) Cassel was a 2005 7th round pick that carried no risk and the organization was able to parlay that into a 2nd round selection. That is a testament to the system the team runs and how they view value. If one can turn electroplate into a solid 10 carats, I'd have to say they did a good job of either knowing how to manipulate gold or finding a sucker who will pay a 10 carat price for the same old electroplate. We will see in 2009. 2) The pick that was garnered, #34, is two spots out of the first round. In essence, it is a player with a first round grade and value; he will drop into their laps at a price that is very palatable which helps salary cap wise. Alternately, the pick can be used as a bargaining chip to move up or down in the draft. Flexibility is the thing any organization wants, which is why a bad team dreads being No.1 as nobody wants to trade for the pick. The team this season, the (sigh) Detroit Lions, will be forced to pay top of the market money to a player who has not done a thing in the NFL. The Patriots have done well in creating flexibility for themselves.

What else has gone on in the sports world eh? Ah...David Beckham tried to back out of his Major League Soccer deal but was not allowed to. My question on that issue is: Whether the deal didn't go down not so much because Beckham relented as MLS had lined up so many sponsors as a result of his arrival and the fear losing them could further expose it to the economic crisis? Besides, I firmly believe that the contract is a hybrid of international and traditional U.S. contract law and that all parties, when reviewing it, said 'thanks but no thanks' when it came down to any potential revisions or ways to get out of it's obligations. Remember, consideration is a must in that situation and both sides don't want to give back any piece of what they've gotten thusfar.

Well, I am pretty much done. I will add a new addition later next week. Thanks for tuning in and please feel free to offer suggestions or give questions in my Ben Stabler inspired 'Mail Bag'....TMSL students only know that.