I still think this decision is kinda crazy. The Denver Broncos quarterback controversy is headed for a resolution. Head coach Mike Shanahan plans to turn to rookie Jay Cutler to replace incumbent Jake Plummer for the rest of the season, starting with the team's Dec. 3 game against Seattle. The Denver Post first reported the change Sunday, and team sources confirmed to ESPN's Chris Mortensen that Shanahan plans to install the rookie behind center. ESPN.com's John Clayton said there's "no question" Cutler will be the starter against the Seahawks. Jake Plummer Profile 2006 SEASON STATISTICS Att Comp Yds TD Int Rat 315 175 1886 11 12 70.5 Shanahan was planning to meet with his staff Sunday, The Associated Press reported, but the soonest he'll address the issue publicly would be after Monday's practice, team spokesman Jim Saccomano said. Plummer said Thursday night after the Broncos' 19-10 loss to the Chiefs that he hadn't been told his days as the starter were over, but he appeared to be steeling himself for a benching nonetheless. "I'm the starter right now, and if Mike wants to put Jay in there, then my play hasn't warranted him to not do it. Whatever he wants to do is what I have to go with," Plummer said. Plummer has struggled all season despite leading the Broncos to a 7-4 record. Denver ranks 26th in the NFL with 171.5 pass yards per game and is tied for 21st in the league with 17.7 points per game. Plummer's passer rating of 70.5 is 29th in the league, ahead of only Bruce Gradkowski (70.1), Drew Bledsoe (69.2), Matt Leinart (68.1), Vince Young (56.1), and Andrew Walter (55.0). That's not the most prestigious list. Bledsoe was benched after six games for Dallas in favor of Tony Romo; Gradkowski, Leinart, and Young are all rookies; and Walter is in his first year as a starter. Plummer, meanwhile, is in his 10th season and has started 46 straight games for the Broncos since 2003 but has been unable to get the offense moving in 11 games this year.
With games against the Seahawks, Bengals, and Chargers left on the schedule, this doesn't seem too bright of a move. At 7-4, 1 loss could cost the team a playoff spot.
They make it official http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=6292 Cutler to Start ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- "Jay Cutler will be our starting quarterback." With those words Monday afternoon, Head Coach Mike Shanahan ended a weekend of speculation that spilled over into chat rooms, talk shows, newspapers and NFL game broadcasts, announcing that the first-round pick will take over as Denver's starter under center when the Broncos face the Seattle Seahawks next Sunday night. The decision -- which Shanahan termed "very tough" -- came after the Broncos lost a second straight game under Jake Plummer. However, the 19-10 loss at Kansas City was not the sole factor. "It's a process. It doesn't just happen overnight," Shanahan said. "It happens on the way Jay's handled himself through (organized team activity) days, the way he's handled himself through (training) camp and you evaluate how people practice on a day-in, day-out basis, week in and week out." Saying that Cutler gives the Broncos "the best chance to win," Shanahan dismissed the notion that the move was made for the long-term future of the franchise and its prized rookie quarterback. "I usually work in the present; I don't work in the future," Shanahan said, "and I think (Cutler) gives us the best chance to win now. Obviously you've got to go out there and get it done." < Shanahan said that Cutler has shown maturity and confidence during his practice-time work. Cutler, the Broncos' first-round pick this past spring, becomes the first rookie to start at the position for the Broncos since Tommy Maddox filled in for an injured John Elway during the second half of the 1992 season. He is also the fourth rookie quarterback to start in the NFL this year, joining fellow first-rounders Matt Leinart in Arizona and Vince Young in Tennessee, as well as second-day pick Bruce Gradkowski with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Shanahan said that demoted quarterback Jake Plummer handled the news of the move with "class." "I think the world of Jake," Shanahan said. "U love the way he's handled it; he's a competitor; he's a winner; he's done a lot of great things for this organization; he's won a lot of football games, but at this time I really believe that this is in the best interest of our football team." The coach also said that the fact that this coming Sunday's game is in prime time had no impct on the decision.
