Where Will Jay Cutler Go from Here?

Yesterday it was reported that the Pro Bowl Quarterback of the Denver Broncos, Jay Cutler, had officially requested a trade. Today, we the people, began contemplating where he might end up if his request is honored. I’m sure there are many fans out there whose team could use a guy in Jay Cutler who played like the potential franchise-type quarterback that many analysts foresaw. The scoop is that new head coach Josh McDaniels, who was offensive coordinator for the Patriots, wanted to trade Cutler for Matt Cassel since he was familiar with his system already. This has since angered the young Cutler and he now wants to go… but where?!

To start off an easy process of elimination, every team in the AFC is out since teams don’t usually like to send star players away to in-conference franchises. And although Cassel was finally traded to another AFC team, like his former Patriots, in the Chiefs, that was more of an “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” deal.

This was the widespread thought when that deal went down, because Scott Pioli, the former general manager of the Patriots moved onto Kansas City to try and resurrect that ball club.

So the AFC is out!

In the NFC East, Dallas has Tony Romo, NY has Eli Manning, and Philadelphia has Donovan McNabb. So far, Jason Campbell of the Washington Redskins still has a lot to prove, while Cutler seems way more promising than him thus far when both their careers are compared.

In the NFC North, the Packers have Aaron Rodgers, and the Vikings made moves to throw their young QB Tarvaris Jackson into a competition with newly acquired Sage Rosenfels from Houston. I don’t think that the Lions could attract an odor, so the Bears are definitely a hot spot. They’ve had no success with Rex Grossman, and minimal with Kyle Orton.

In the NFC South, the Saints boast Drew Brees, and the Falcons have a young star in rookie of the year Matt Ryan. The Panthers would have looked to have some great trade bait with the disgruntled Julius Peppers, but now it looks like he may be a Patriot soon. However, with Jake Delhomme being their current signal caller you still can’t count them out. Then there’s the Buccaneers who got rid of veteran Jeff Garcia.

After that, in the NFC West, the Seahawks have Matt Hasselbeck who is not past his better days yet, and Kurt Warner is obviously safe as the Cardinals QB. Cross those two teams out and you have the 49ers with the disappointing results of Alex Smith’s progress, and the St. Louis Rams, who should have started thinking about dropping Marc Bulger quite some time ago.

So there you have it. The top candidates to have Jay Cutler for President!

Jay Cutler will force a trade! Josh McDaniels needs a QB, so the big question is where will Cutler go?

This NFL off-season has had a lot of ups and downs. Two NFL players were lost at sea, Plaxico Burress faces the prospect of Jail time, T.O. has moved from America’s team to Buffalo, Donte Stallworth has killed a pedestrian. The funny thing is that I am sure they all don’t feel as overwhelmed as the New Bronco’s head coach, Josh McDaniels, who is being swallowed alive by his angry Franchise QB. Jay Cutler is upset and we all know that we won’t be happy in Denver. Asking for the trade, could just be a power move by Cutler but I really doubt it. He has no need to force his paycheck up. Personally, I know he needs to be moved. He has stated, he “does not trust his coach”, which is a bad recipe for both Jay and The Broncos. If they do deal him it seems that Tampa Bay, and New York are the two places that seem to be a great fit. The Jets are in need of a QB, I know Clemens and Ratliff will not be able to get it done. They made moves to secure Brett Farve and the turnaround was amazing. And since Brett retired they will need to make moves in order to be competitive this season. I am sure Rex Ryan understands that Ratliff is no Trent Dilfer, and he will see the value in Cutler, this off season. Tampa Bay Buccaneers have not kept it a secret that they are looking to replace Garcia, due to his advancing age. Everyone was aware of the attempted three team trade that would have sent Cassel to Denver, and Cutler to Tampa so they are without a doubt interested in the Diabetic young Quarterback. Personally Cutler has never been a favorite of mine, and It will be interesting to see him play without WR Marshall. I don’t believe Tampa is a good place for him but you never know. I sure hope Jay becomes a Jet in 2011. I sure hope the Johnson family doesn’t screw this one up!

Rising Star?

The Jets may have found themselves the quarterback for right now, but they may have also found themselves the key to their future. Matt Cassel looked more like Joe Montana in that number 16 jersey last night. Throwing for 400 yards, 3 TD’s plus a 2pt conversion as well as rushing for 62 more yards. Granted he’s got Randy Moss and Wes Welker to target and they were playing from behind for most of the game. However you just do not put up those kind of numbers by mistake. The former USC bench warmer showed the football world last night that he has got the moxy and the confidence to lead his team as well as the support of those around him.

Cassel will be a free agent next year and has surely put himself at the front of the class for teams needing a new signal caller. The Jets would be silly not to go out and make a huge offer if Cassel continues to play this well and prove his doubters wrong. I will not go as far as to say he is the next Babe Ruth but considering the rivalry and the history of the ever raging battle between Boston and New York this could prove to be a major play by the New York Jets and perhaps could put them on track to defining their franchise.

Other teams will surely be courting Cassel. The Rams, Lions, 49ers and Vikings will surely be in the mix just to name a few. This is a can’t miss opportunity for the Jets. Having missed the boat on previous drafts and coming up short in the quarterback rich 2008 draft the Jets could make all the difference in the world by signing Cassel away from their division rival Patriots. The Patriots will not miss a beat when Brady returns next season. And with the Dolphins and Bills both having found solid qb play as well as young armed back-ups the Jets can ill afford hanging the future on what will be a 40 year old arm when they open their new stadium in 2009. Even if they get one more playoff run from Brett Favre in 2009 the future is bleak for the New York Jets A.B.

Brady-Less Patriots Still a Force in the NFL

The 2008 week seven edition of Monday Night Football was not what most viewers probably expected it to be. They expected to see the highly-touted Broncos offense rack up yardage and if the Patriots were to have a chance at this game they would have had to keep up somehow behind the inexperience throwing arm of Matt Cassel.

However, the Broncos turned the ball over five different times and gave up huge rushing lanes to Sammy Morris and the other representatives of the New England backfield. Matt Cassel was able to complete an efficient outing going 18 for 24 passing, 185 yards, 3 TDs and no interceptions. And what’s more is that the Patriots have kept pace with the 5-1 Buffalo Bills after boosting their record to 4-2.

The Pats may not be a favorite Super Bowl pick anymore after the season ending injury of Tom Brady but they are doing what most coaches preach as the best way to secure a playoff berth, and that’s win your division. If the veteran talent of the New England Patriots can continue to support Matt Cassel and win some games, they may be able to surpass the young roster of the Buffalo Bills at the end of the season.

Are the Buffalo Bills Really that Good?

The Buffalo Bills have been a topic of discussion all season long. Their early success has created much buzz about them being shoe-ins for the AFC East title. I don’t see why that is though. Sure, they were 4-0, and they went down in Arizona while JP Losman played most of the game. However, JP Losman didn’t give up 41 points. At the end of week 7, the look of the AFC East will be a lot different and it can all culminate fairly easy.

In week 7, the Jets are playing in Oakland who looked like they had no spirit when they played the Saints this past weekend losing 34-3. If the Jets win, they are 4-2 and that would be no surprise if they did.

New England plays host to Denver on Monday Night Football. This game should not be easy for New England to win. They’ll have to grind it out big time. However, they’re at home in front of a national audience and if they do pull it off, they’re 4-2 as well.

Finally, those loveable Bills play host to the San Diego Chargers. Albeit the Chargers are only 3-3, they are still a good 3-3. If the Bills lose, they’ll be 4-2. Now picture this possible version of the AFC East standings at the end of Week 7;

AFC East

BUF 4-2

N.E. 4-2

NYJ 4-2

MIA 3-3

Doesn’t look too clear cut anymore now, does it? I didn’t think so.

 

Matt Cassel Fantasy Stock Rising

By Alex V

If you’re looking for an insurance policy for your fantasy team at the quarterback position, look none further than Matt Cassel. The obvious reasons why Cassel could turn out to be a good pickup may be Randy Moss and Wes Welker, and even dump-off pass catching play makers like Kevin Faulk and perhaps even Ben Watson.However, there are three other reasons why I’ll say that Matt Cassel is a good guy to spend a buck on right now.

Number one would be if you’ve drafted one of the more injury-prone quarter backs, like Donovan McNabb, Ben Roethlisberger, or even Jake Delhomme. If you have one of these guys on your team or another like them, Matt Cassel could wind up saving your season.

If you need a little belief, look none further than reason number two! Laurence Maroney, up until the Patriots game against the Chiefs this weekend, has averaged just 13.3 carries per game, and that includes last year when he was the feature back. His numbers are likely to go up with Tom Brady being gone, but he’s more of a scatty flashback type than a work horse so perhaps 16-17 total is most likely. Ergo, Matt Cassel should still average anywhere from 175-225 passing yards per game, and if Maroney can’t punch it in the red zone, then Cassel could get the call, so he could be a great pick up.

The final key reason for joining in the “Cassel Run” is the aging defense of the Patriots. New England’s defensive unit may be slowing down as the season moves along with veterans starters at the linebacker position; Teddy Bruschi, 35, Mike Vrabel, 34, and Adalius Thomas, 31. Even in the secondary where strong safety Rodney Harrison sits at age 35, the burden may be on the defensive line in a 3-4 scheme to create pressure for the majority of the Patriots’ games this season. This should create more situations where the Patriots will be forced to pass, rather than to prefer to pass like last year when going to Tom Brady was the ideal option.

My suggestion… at least don’t sleep on the potential of Matt Cassel. What he lacks in game experience, he could wind up making up for in the privilege of having gotten to watch and learn from one of the greats, in Tom Brady.