McDaniels might have made a lot of terrible choices in Denver but he got trading Jay Cutler right.

December 14^th, 2008 was a big day in the lives of Herm Edwards, Carl Peterson, Josh McDaniels, Matt Cassel, Scott Pioli, Mike Shannahan, Donnavan McNabb, Jay Cutler, Lovie Smith, Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow as well as for fans of the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins and the Chicago Bears.

Only none of them knew it.

It is crazy to think that one single football play could have such a drastic impact on the paths of so many but it happened. It happened on a cold, December day at Arrowhead Stadium.

On that day, Herm Edwards was taking his 2-11, self described “college team,” into a battle with the ever underachieving 5-8 San Diego Chargers. The Chiefs were 2-11 and had nothing much left to play for except for Edwards’ job and for the chance to play spoiler.

The Chargers were attempting to make their customary late season charge at the AFC West title. Unfortunately, they were still trailing Mike Shannahan and the Denver Broncos. Jay Cutler was Shanahans QB at the time and was in the midst of a Pro Bowl season.

Things weren’t looking good for the Chargers that day at Arrowhead. They allowed three sacks to a Chiefs team that managed only 10 on the entire season, setting an all-time NFL record for futility. On top of allowing the Chiefs to get 25% of their season’s sacks in one game, the Chargers were also allowing Herm’s “College All-Star Squad” to beat them.

Late in the 4^th quarter, the Chiefs were leading 21-10 and looked to have the game in the bag. Yet, as fans in Kansas City know all too well, when Herm Edwards is on your sideline no lead is safe. The Chiefs used all three of their second half timeouts despite their 18 point lead and the Chargers mounted a furious comeback. Gunther Cunningham’s defense allowed 11 points in the final 79 seconds of the contest to lose 22 to 21.

The key play came when the Chargers attempted an onside kick with just over a minute to go. The ball bounced right into the waiting arms of Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe, who allowed the ball to bounce off of his chest and into the hands of Kassim Osgood.

If Dwayne Bowe holds on to that football, the game is over. The Chiefs would have gone on to win, moving their record to a much shinier 3-11 and the Chargers would have fallen to 5-9, eliminating themselves from playoff contention. The Broncos would have gone to the playoffs, Mike Shannah and wouldn’t have gotten fired, Donnavan McNabb wouldn’t have got traded to the Redskins, Josh McDaniels would never have been hired in Denver, Tim Tebow wouldn’t have been drafted by Denver and most frighteningly, there is a chance, albeit a slim one, that Carl Peterson and Herm Edwards would have been given one more year to finish destroying the Kansas City Chiefs.

(more…)

Well, after the Bears lost the game, some good fans in Chicago decided to let cutler know just what they thought of his first half performance and second half bail out burning his jersey.

Perhaps it was Christmas coming late or maybe Easter coming early, with our very own JC – Jay Cutler and not Jesus Christ – the new messiah in Chicago, arriving a week early.   This messiah may not have to walk on water, but given the offensive talent around him, it may be the equivalent of turning 5 loaves and 2 fishes into enough to satisfy 60,000+ followers each week on the shores of Lake Michigan.  But enough with the religious metaphor for now.

Then there is Kim at Predominantly Orange. She wants the Broncos to pass on a first-round quarterback like Mark Sanchez in favor of a camp battle between…wait for it…Chris Simms and Kyle Orton! And she wrote that with a straight face, I believe. Please listen to her, Broncos brain trust. Puh-lease!

There are no guarantees that Orton will be starting for the Broncos. He will probably battle it out with Chris Simms and possibly another QB that they could acquire in the draft. Now, with two first round picks, I hope the Broncos stack their defense. I don’t want to see them pick up another QB in the first round. That doesn’t make much sense. Let’s see what McDaniels can do with a guy like Kyle Orton. We already saw what he did with Matt Cassel. Between Orton and Simms, I’m sure we’ll find a descent starter to connect with our talented receiving core.

No offense, but Orton and Simms couldn’t carry Cassel’s clipboard.

(more…)

On a serious note, though, I was extremely worried that the Broncos would trade Cutler and then draft USC’s Mark Sanchez. I believe that Sanchez will not only be better than Jay Cutler, but also that he has the athletic talents and leadership abilities to be league MVP someday.

Cutler has all the tools, but he is reckless and selfish. I just don’t see him carrying a team to a championship. Meanwhile, I can see Sanchez doing just that. The kid blew away his pro day yesterday at USC and has teams drooling. And, personally, I think Cutler is the most overrated player in the league. I really do.

For those of you thinking the Donks still might draft Dirty, it’s not gonna happen. The Broncos have signed vets and seem to want to win now. Plus, there is no way Sanchez slips to 12 after yesterday. Ain’t gonna happen, folks.

But instead of drafting Sanchez, the Broncos look ready to hinge their Super Bowl hopes to…Orton? Yes, the guy who’s known for his love of Jack Daniels and his neckbeard — not his football accomplishments. Sure, the Broncos get two firsts, but two firsts aren’t going to do anything for you as long as you have a loser QB. Sorry, Kyle, but your game is about as good as your facial hair.

And to think, all of this came about because the Chiefs finally brought in a franchise quarterback in Matt Cassel. Get on Twitter and tell King Carl (so he says) that this is what happens when you grow a pair and bring in a QB.

Ciao!

Au revoir!

Sayonara, sucker!

Do svidan’ya, douchebag!

Hasta la vista, baby!

Pat Bowlen and his Denver Broncos are going to trade Jay Cutler. From PFT:

In a statement released Tuesday night, owner Pat Bowlen says that the team will accommodate quarterback Jay Cutler’s request for a trade:

“Numerous attempts to contact Jay Cutler in the last 10 days, both by [coach] Josh McDaniels and myself, have been unsuccessful.

“A conversation with his agent earlier today clearly communicated and confirmed to us that Jay no longer has any desire to play for the Denver Broncos.

“We will begin discussions with other teams in an effort to accommodate his request to be traded.”

This is huge. What does it mean, exactly? Well, to me it basically means that the Broncos are starting over. Either that or they’ll bring someone like Byron Leftwich, Jeff Garcia or J.P. Losman in. Good luck with that. Our Chiefs are fine with Matt Cassel, the guy McD and his Donks wanted instead of Cutler!

It is a beautiful thing to see the whole Broncos Nation flipped upside down with all this Jay Cutler drama going on, and the cause of it all is our man Matt Cassel.  Why did the Broncos want Cassel over Cutler so bad?  I know Josh McDaniels worked with Matt Cassel all last year, but I believe it goes deeper than that.  I mean Jay Cutler is a decent QB, so why were they willing to ship him away?  It is simple.  Matt Cassel > Jay Cutler.  Here is why.

2008 Stats

The stats don’t lie.  Our boy MC was better than Jay Cutler in pretty much every stat last year.  We are talking about basically a rookie in Matt Cassel, who hasn’t been a starter since high-school, doing better than a “established” starter in the NFL.

This is what intrigues and excites me the most.  Last year, all I ever heard anyone say about Tyler Thigpen was that ” oh, he’s basically a rookie and look how he’s doing, he’s got such potential,”  and rightly so.  I was one of those people.  Well, look how well Matt Cassel did last year and he was basically in the same boat as Thigpen, having never been a starter.

On the other hand, Jay Cutler showed great potential coming into the league, but what Josh McDaniels might be worried about is that Jay is leveling off and starting to show his true colors.  Don’t get me wrong, I will give credit when credit is due and JC is a good QB. But  I’m sure McDaniels took into account both players’ potential, and having seen MC first hand for an entire year he felt persuaded to go after Matt.

The bottom line is this:  If Jay Cutler was better than Matt Cassel or even as good,  then Josh McDaniels and the Broncos front office would not have gone after Cassel.  Less than six months to go until 2009 kickoff and, no, I cannot wait.  If the Donkeys ship Cutler away, that’s great for us.  If they keep him, it will just heat up the rivalry.  This year is going to be fun, folks.

(Go vote for who the Chiefs should take in our sister site Phin Phanatic’s interactive mock draft, as our Red and Gold is on the clock. Should be interesting! – Adam)

Won’t be seeing much more of this…hopefully!

The big news in the AFC West today is that Denver Broncos’ star quarterback Jay Cutler has demanded a trade. The Cutler-Josh McDaniels feud began back when McD allegedly tried to trade for Matt Cassel, only to be beaten to the punch by Scott Pioli, his old boss, and the Chiefs. Not only did the move land the Chiefs their quarterback of the future, but it caused their biggest rival to potentially lose theirs as well. Talk about a double whammy for the Donks.

Now, I’m reading suggestions from Chiefs fans that we should trade Cassel for Cutler. My response: No. Way. In. Hell. In fact, I wouldn’t trade Cassel and Dwayne Bowe for Brandon Marshall and Cutler if they threw in a second-rounder. Wouldn’t even take the call; I’d slam down the phone and ask the phone company to block their number.

(more…)

We always say buck the Froncos, but this time Broncos fans are actually saying it themselves. In the past few days, some outraged Broncos fan has launched the site Keep Jay Fire McDaniels. The site dubs Josh McDaniels “McDevil,” and demands that he be fired.

On February 28, 2009 Josh McDaniels sealed his fate in Denver before ever coaching a game.  McDaniels was actively trying to trade our best player, and the face of the Denver Broncos for a mediocre QB that wasn’t good enough to start at USC over Matt Leinart.  Yes, the Matt Leinart that rides the pine in AZ.  As if this wasn’t enough, McDaniels (along with Brian Xanders) is rumored to have offered our first round pick as well to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  To recap, that’s a first round pick and the face of the franchise in exchange for a backup QB.  Cutler is rightfully upset about this and we are too.  Please leave your comments below letting Josh McDaniels know how you feel about his attempt to sabatoge our team and franchise.

That’s some serious hateration on Matt Cassel (are you so angry that you can’t even write dude’s name?). Who cares. We’re very happy with our quarterback, coaching staff and front office included. The Broncos cannot boast the same claim. At least our QB doesn’t look like the third Manning brother with a more severe case of cerebral palsy. Ahem, Jay Cutler.

I still say this is far and away the single best thing about the Cassel trade. I love that it has nearly caused a Broncos Nation civil war. I guess that sometimes I like seeing the Broncos suffer even more than I like seeing our Chiefs succeed. Missouri loves company, I suppose.

Every Monday, Arrowhead Addict editor/lead writer Adam Best will kick off the week with his AA Greeting — his one-of-a-kind POV on all things Chiefs.

Since the Oscars just recently went down, I thought we’d honor the biggest haters from free agency’s opening weekend. Drumroll, please…

Slumblog Millionaire – Merlin

“Caveat Emptor” came off as sour grapes. He wanted Jon Kitna and Tyler Thigpen, while yours truly and a whole lot of others wanted Matt Cassel or a comparable young quarterback. He didn’t get his way, so he tried to paint the move as a mistake. He even went Scott Mitchell on us, which I would have given him points for if he had of actually come up with the zinger on his own. Daddy Defense, like Slumdog Millionaire, your views typically represent all the “little people,” and are presented with a lot of heart. Not this time. “Caveat Emptor” was completely out of touch. Wack.

In Borges – Ron Borges

Who? Who? Never heard of the guy. His whole column just sounds like some serious homespun hatin’ to me. There are “far more personnel men” who think Cassel’s a flop than a franchise quarterback? Really? Who have you been listening to and reading? I’ve heard just the opposite. But screw hearsay; Cassel made a believer out of me late last season, when he went 4-0 down the stretch and posted ridiculous numbers. I understand, Borges — you’re a Bill Belichick apologist. He’s obviously got your balls in his Darth Vader-like vice grip. Even Colin Farrell’s performance in In Bruges didn’t make me laugh as much as your column. You’re a funny guy, Borges.

The Readerless – Jay Mariotti

I’d listen to just about anybody before the guy who gets clowned live and in living color by Woody Paige on almost a daily basis. Conspiracy theory? Not when your fellow haters are calling Cassel and Mike Vrabel a bench-riding phony and a washed-up snitch, respectively. If last year’s Pau Gasol trade in the NBA didn’t get overturned, there is no way this is even going to get investigated. What a desperate attempt to regain some readership after getting canned from the Chicago Sun-Times. Just how I don’t understand The Reader getting the props it did on the awards circuit, I don’t understand how Mariotti has managed to stay relevant for so long.

The Dark Write – Jason Whitlock

Boy, did Jason do some serious damage this past weekend. Way to cast a dark shadow over one of the few happy moments Chiefs fans have experienced during the past few years, Big Sexy.

First off, since he enjoys mafia references, he played the role of Luca Brasi for the Godfather of the Chiefs locker room, Brian Waters. Considering they are dealing with The Pioli Trinity and not King Carl and his consigliere Herm Edwards, I wouldn’t be surprised if B-Dub and Big Sexy were sleeping with the fishes soon. Can’t you just see the Trinity wacking them out as the No. 3 pick gets baptized, er, selected?

But seriously, nobody else even talked about Waters last weekend. After considering that, doesn’t it seem like Big Sexy was simply trying to stir the pot? His rivalry with Carl Peterson was his bread and butter, so it doesn’t surprise me that he wasted no time kicking off his feud with the new regime. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure Waters and Whitlock are cool, and I’m sure this was partially done as a favor to Waters. But the big fella definitely had his own agenda.

Then there was his column on the Cassel-Vrabel trade. You know, the one where he belittled Scott Pioli and Tood Haley by calling them Scott Belichick and Todd Parcells. You know Jason, I could do that to you. You have a mentor, too — the late, great Ralph Wiley. I could call you Ralph Whitlock. Real funny, huh? Ha, ha. They went out and did what you, myself and everybody else who covers the Chiefs had been begging them to do for, well, freakin’ forever  — get a franchise quarterback! — and you respond by blasting them for it? Not only that, you went on to compare Haley to Dick Vermeil and Pioli to “King Carl on steroids” not long after you openly campaigned for both men. Worst of all, you welcomed three-time Super Bowl champion and 2007 Pro Bowler Vrabel to Kansas City by calling him a “snitch.” You, my friend, have watched one episode too many of The Wire.

Jason, Jason, Jason. Sometimes there’s no columnist I like better. I have no problem admitting it; for years now I’ve been both one of your biggest fans and your biggest critics. Why? Because when you’re on, you’re as good as anybody. Like the piece you did on the drug war and incarceration for Playboy last year. I always enjoy your FOX Sports columns as well (except when you called Chad Johnson a bojangler, that is). But sometimes you play the contrarian just so you can take the slant that nobody else is taking. Just admit it. I even see why you do it. It makes you look like an independent, outside-the-box thinker with brass balls, plus it stirs up conversation.

This concocted contrarian act is getting a little stale. We’ve seen it more times than Brandon Marshall’s been arrested at this point. Hey, all of us writers do things to elevate our own status and boost our readership. I can admit that I do it, too. But acting like Waters’ pushy divorce lawyer and throwing the new regime and their first two high-profile acquisitions under the bus in the same weekend was completely uncalled for. Especially considering that we are still in the honeymoon period. Besides, can’t you just let us enjoy possibly the biggest trade acquisition in the history of the franchise for a little while? Would that kill you?

Like The Dark Knight, you were the outcast on this one. Problem is, we just got rid of the Joker, we don’t want your gloom and doom right now, and we’re not down with you trying to turn Scott Pioli into Scotty Two-Face.

(more…)