He never, ever will look as sexy on a magazine cover as Matt Leinart or move as quick on his feet as Vince Young.
But the debate on who’s the best quarterback from the NFL draft class of 2006 is over.
Ladies and gentlemen of America, meet the QB with the Beatles haircut, Jay Cutler.
“It’s been a long season. It’s been up and down. A little panic in Denver, but we were able to pull it together,” Cutler said Monday night after beating the Tennessee Titans 34-20 in a nationally televised game.
Fifteen starts into his young NFL career, while producing a victory Denver needed to remember how good even a little winning streak can feel, the Broncos became Cutler’s team.
It’s all good.
And it’s about time.
“He’s got the ability to make a play when nothing’s there,” Denver coach Mike Shanahan said.
For the first time since
Shanahan handed the keys to the Broncomania kingdom to Cutler, it appeared as if the coach actually trusted his second-year quarterback to take charge.
And Jay-C responded by completing 16-of-21 passes for two touchdowns. Those are statistics you feed to the league computer and it spits out something bearing a passing resemblance to quarterbacking god Tom Brady. Cutler’s QB rating against the Titans was a gaudy 137.0.
Hey, maybe Jay-C never will cut that meat or conduct traffic at the line of scrimmage with the efficiency of Peyton Manning.
But isn’t it about time we offer a tip of that predominantly orange cap?
In a Broncos season of turmoil and injury in which almost nothing has gone as Shanahan planned, Cutler has held it all together for the Broncos, who with a record of 5-5 are in position to win a weak division ripe for the taking.
Despite the loss of center Tom Nalen, running back Travis Henry, receiver Javon Walker and so many essential pieces of offensive machinery that this team needs the Pep Boys more than a pep talk, Cutler somehow has kept the Broncos on the road to the playoffs.
All things being relatively equal and undeniably unimpressive in the AFC West, maybe the smartest way to bet down the stretch is placing your money on the best quarterback.
And do you like any signal-caller in the division better than Cutler right now? If so, you are: A) San Diego coach Norv Turner; B) not extremely bright; C) tap feet to the Chargers theme song on your I-Pod; or D) all of the above.
While the only thing certain about Leinart’s future in the Arizona desert is he will continue to stop traffic among women driving convertibles, Young could develop into a respectable rival for Cutler, as soon as the Titans teach him the nuances of the position he never needed to learn while running wild at the University of Texas.
But, in the pro game, quarterbacks who dance might look fancier on “SportsCenter,” but they don’t hoist as many Super Bowl trophies as counterparts with strong arms.
The NFL is not exactly overstocked with dangerous quarterbacks. Take a look at the six dates remaining on Denver’s regular-season schedule. Jay-C could and probably should be the No. 1 quarterback in every one of those games.
“He has the ability to make the play in the clutch. Those are the characteristics of a great quarterback,” Shanahan said.
In recent weeks, with many of the wise, old heads on the offensive side of the Denver locker room too hurt to provide a dominant voice, veteran defenders Champ Bailey and John Lynch have approached Cutler and suggested he get louder.
“They wanted me to be more vocal, and I think I’ve been able to do that,” Cutler said.
While his mistakes of trial and error are far from done, he has become the quarterback on which Denver must depend.
The Broncos will go as far as Cutler leads them.
Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053 or mkiszla@denverpost.com
