Foxborough, Mass. – As word filtered into the press box at Gillette Stadium that Jake Plummer was beginning this season where he left off last season, playing abysmally in the Broncos’ opener, the reaction was all too predictable.
There were guffaws, as that noted NFL road warrior Barry Manilow once said, “from Boston to Denver, and every town in between.”
“Nice beginning, Jake Plummer. The Denver quarterback threw three interceptions and lost a fumble in the Broncos’ 18-10 loss at St. Louis. Four turnovers. Now where have I seen that before?” wrote one scribe for a national publication – one of the few printable epithets that was hurled the Snake’s way.
But nowhere amid all the put-downs were there any barbs about Javon Walker’s hands, or that the Broncos’ new difference-maker managed to hold on to the ball just two more times than Ashley Lelie did for Atlanta – which, by the way, managed to win its game on the road, at NFC-favorite Carolina, no less. Or about an offensive line that made Leonard Little look like Lawrence Taylor homing in on Joe Theismann.
Or about a lack of flexibility that seems to dictate that the only way Plummer can get to the outside to throw is on a naked bootleg. If it’s so essential that the current quarterback not be stuck inside the pocket, wouldn’t you think that all the bright minds at Dove Valley could come up with a couple new wrinkles?
When you play quarterback in the NFL, sometimes the hardest knocks come after the final whistle. After the New England Patriots escaped the Buffalo Bills on Sunday by the hair of their chinny chin chins, a crestfallen Tom Brady even blasted himself, going on and on about how he needs to make better decisions on the field. As if it was his fault someone blew a block and allowed Takeo Spikes to clobber him for a fumble and Buffalo touchdown on the very first play of the season.
The real reason for Tom Terrific’s depression, said local observers, was that he didn’t have Deion Branch to throw to. If that’s true, with Branch gone to Seattle, Brady’s going to be in for a long year.
Granted, this may be the last time someone links Brady and Plummer in the same train of thought, but that doesn’t have to be the case in Denver, does it? After all, what’s the real difference between Sunday and Sunday, Sept. 11, 2005, i.e., the season-opening 34-10 loss to Miami?
Apparently, the answer to that one is the presence of Jay Cutler on the Broncos’ roster. But while there’s little doubt Mike Shanahan would throw a loved one under the bus if it would improve the traction en route to Super Bowl XLI in Miami, he surely can’t believe that now’s the time to kick Plummer to the curb – especially when there are so many other areas so obviously in need of a serious tune-up.
There’s no question Cutler is going to be the bomb – now just isn’t the time to light the fuse. If Kansas City cornerbacks Patrick Surtain and Ty Law aren’t already laughing at a puny Broncos passing “attack” that totaled 138 yards Sunday, without a completion of 20 yards, imagine their reaction to the news they would be facing a rookie making his first NFL start.
Even more frightening, picture Patriots coach Bill Belichick scheming away for Cutler when Denver comes to visit two weeks hence.
Other than that pesky “Any Given Sunday” thing, there can be no excuse to losing at home to the Chiefs, especially if Trent Green is unable to play. If that were to happen, and the Broncos then fell at New England, dropping to 0-3 heading into the bye, then all bets are off and the redshirt should come off Cutler. At that point, you’re looking at a near-historic run for the playoffs anyway.
But today, hanging Plummer in effigy and laying all of the team’s woes off on him is just plain lazy. That he’s such an easy target speaks to his troubled past as scatterbrained, scatter-armed signal caller.
The question is, how long will it take for everyone else in orange and blue to start living up to their so-much-more-exalted résumés?
Staff writer Anthony Cottoncan be reached at 303-954-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com.
