Plummer should get more time

By Robert Rousseau  |   Monday, October 02, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Denver Broncos
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Even before the preseason games started, previous to Denver's drafting of Jay Cutler, it seemed as if people were calling for Jake Plummer's head. Why? Well, they lost the AFC Championship Game to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and...

That seems to be the majority of it.

The guy had perhaps the best season of his career in 2005, leading the Broncos to the playoffs with a 13-3 record. He made the Pro Bowl roster with a 90.2 passer rating and even led the team to a win against the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the playoffs.

Unfortunately for him, during the 34-17 loss to Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship Game, Plummer played poorly, going 18-of-30 for 223 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. What's not mentioned in most stats is that he also lost two fumbles.

It's that game that many seem to remember.

These people seem to forget the fact that the Steelers were a team of destiny last season; they appear to ignore that the Broncos were up against a Steelers quarterback that went 21-of-29 for 275 yards and two touchdowns on that day.

In short, Plummer deserves criticism for the way he played against Pittsburgh. However, his performance for all of last year should also allow him a measure of slack.

The definition of slack is not to anoint Cutler as the starter because of a good college career and preseason performance just yet (quite a few people seemed ready to give Cutler the job before he even stepped foot on an NFL field). Yes, Cutler did have an astounding preseason, chalking up a 108.3 passer rating. However, don't forget the Broncos' starters played extremely well in the preseason as a whole. It hasn't necessarily looked that way through the first three games, though, has it?

That's because the NFL preseason means about as much as the NFL Combine. Looks good in theory, but means nothing in practice.

Jay Cutler does seem to have all the tools. Mike Shanahan sure seemed high on him in an ESPN.com piece by Greg Garber when he said the following. "Coming in he knew the secondary coverages (and) he knew the strengths and weaknesses better than most of the quarterbacks I have ever been with."

Still, there have been plenty of quarterbacks who have seemed NFL ready only to trip up starting their first NFL season.

Peyton Manning, for instance. He threw 26 touchdowns with 28 interceptions during his rookie season as a starter. Mind you, it started off much rougher than that. How about his brother Eli, another guy considered NFL- ready? In his first year, a season where he started seven games, Eli's passer rating was 55.4.

Then there are guys like Cade McNown. McNown didn't have the arm strength of any of the above, but he was considered mentally prepared for the NFL. Some believe, however, that the lack of success the former Chicago Bear met with off the bat- eight touchdowns and 10 picks in his inaugural season - impacted him for life. McNown never really even had an NFL career.

In other words, it's very rare that rookie quarterbacks perform like Ben Roethlisberger or Dan Marino. Could Cutler be different? Sure. But why take the chance just now? Generally the odds seem to state that when teams go with a rookie, they've given up on being a playoff team, and that's not where the Broncos should be right now. (Despite some poor play on offense in general, and by Plummer specifically, they're still 2-1.)

If things fall apart, then fine, give Cutler his chance. If not, play the odds and stick with the veteran.

The best case scenario is to mirror the situation in San Diego. Philip Rivers isn't performing like a rookie, and that's because he's not. Despite his great quarterback pedigree, Marty Schottenheimer was able to allow him to grow before feeding him to the wolves.

If possible, why not do the same for Cutler? Besides, Jake Plummer deserves more time.

Cutler's day will come; it just shouldn't come yet.

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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or ...
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