Now that the flames from his NFL baptism have stopped roaring, Jay Cutler might as well get it straight.
Truth is, there were more jitters and concerns about his ability to play quarterback so late in the Broncos’ season than there was belief.
History was his biggest problem. There is nothing in the NFL annals that could present reason for confidence. Yes, Ben Roethlisberger was a magnificent rookie in 2004, but he started taking snaps in Pittsburgh’s second game, well before the pressure of playing for a Super Bowl contender had simmered.
Even then, Roethlisberger was afforded the opportunity of running a Steelers team so stout, it would finish 15-1.
Cutler didn’t make his first throw for the Broncos until their 12th game. By then, the team was 7-4 and foundering from injuries and back-to-back losses.
It might have been easier to trust the rookie likes of Matt Leinart or Vince Young with a playoff race. They had just left big-time college programs, at Southern California and Texas, respectively. Cutler came from Vanderbilt, otherwise known as an easy win to the rest of the Southeastern Conference.
In four years, Cutler won 11 games. How was a guy who averaged fewer than three wins a season in college supposed to put the Broncos in position to win three in a row and advance to the AFC playoffs, which would happen if they beat the San Francisco 49ers in the season finale Sunday?
“Not winning in college has nothing to do it,” Cutler said Sunday at his locker, after he guided the Broncos to a 24-23 win against the Cincinnati Bengals. “If someone has equal skills and playing on a lesser team, I’d take him any day over a guy playing on a great team.
“Nothing against Matt or Vince. They did a lot for their schools. But you get some of these other quarterbacks who played on really good college teams and they’re just average. Average at best.”
Maybe what Vanderbilt did for Cutler was allow him to perform as an underdog. He is used to playing well on days when most people figure he would wind up the loser. Put that rugged experience behind an offensive line that can protect, guide it with a coaching staff led by an offensive mastermind in Mike Shanahan, and support it with such professional-caliber receivers as Javon Walker, Brandon Marshall, Rod Smith and Tony Scheffler, and the result is a diamond just waiting to be, ahem, Cutler’ed.
“I think we’re doing some things that play to his strengths and he’s done a good job with it,” Smith said.
Perhaps more than anything else, what Cutler has given the Broncos is a second season with renewed hope. He brings a dimension the team has not had since the bazooka-armed John Elway retired following the 1998 season.
Merely in arm strength, Cutler has opposing defensive backs in constant retreat. Even if he doesn’t hit his receivers, the threat of Cutler’s arm takes the secondary off the running game, and loosens up the congestion in the middle.
And the arm isn’t all of it. It might not even be the most important part. Oakland’s Andrew Walter has a great arm and he’s a backpedaling turnover machine.
“The amazing thing about Jay is how calm he is,” Broncos tight end Stephen Alexander said. “I mean, you should see him on the sideline. It’s funny. He just doesn’t get flustered.”
If there is a fault with an unflappable nature, it’s that it isn’t always easy to read.
“The thing is he’s a quarterback, they’re all kind of quirky, anyway,” Smith said. “But you know what? You have to be. You’ve got to know where everybody is going all the time and you have to know what the defense is doing every snap. At the same time, you’ve got to take the snap and run the play. They’ve got a lot of things going on so they kind of have to be kind of reserved and stay within their moment.”
In just four games, Cutler has become the Champ Bailey of the Broncos’ offense. He is the difference, a reason to believe the Broncos can rally from behind.
Cutler showed that in his second game at San Diego, where he led the Broncos on a 17-0, third-quarter run that put a serious dent into the Chargers’ 28-3 halftime lead.
Up next for Cutler is one more win. Beat the 49ers and the Broncos are in the playoffs. But before counting a win before the game is played, there will be fears Cutler will have one of those “rookie” games.
And if he again shows those concerns are unfounded, there will be doubts about whether a rookie quarterback can win a couple of playoff games. No rookie quarterback has won a Super Bowl.
Then again, no rookie quarterback had thrown at least two touchdown passes in his first four games until Cutler did it so late in the Broncos’ season.
“It’ll be tough because playoff football is going to be a little different,” Cutler said. “You’re one and done if you lose. I’m just going to keep studying, try to get prepared. The good thing is I’ve got a good team around me. We’ve got some guys in here who have gotten it done before. So they’re going to pick up the slack for me.”
The truth? Sure. Cutler is humble enough to handle it.
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com.
