Sunday, November 15, 2009

Here we go again?


So maybe it's time to panic after all. The Broncos just got slapped down by the Washington Racial Slurs. The Racial Slurs are a sorry mess but the Broncos rolled over like a fat cat on the bed for those scrubs. Oops. I think we just vurped up some of that Kool-Aid.

What is it about midseason that starts crushing hopes in Denver every year? This one we can't pin on Shanahan. Coach Mickey D had better get back to the drawing board and fix this.

In some new Jake Plummer news, his old Cherry Hills house in Colorado is still up for sale. This news report shows an extensive remodeling and a bargain-basement price of $3.8 million. If we had the money we would definitely grab this property for its historical significance. But we have to save up for that pack of Top Ramen.

LET PLUMMER SELL!!!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Time to panic yet?


Yes, Kyle. That's two losses. Drink up.

Uh-oh. Two losses in a row, and suddenly San Diego is only a game back. Are the Broncos beginning another ugly, 2008-esque collapse?

No. Calm down. They have 6 wins, and this week's opponents are the sorry Redskins. A win in Washington means they're back on track. Even if they somehow lose to San Diego, they have the Raiders and two dates with the Chiefs coming up. Four more wins means 10-6, and they could possibly do better if the Giants and Eagles bring their D-Games.

The Ravens and Steelers aren't exactly scrub teams. For all their success, the Broncos never looked indestructible, so the team's development is still ahead of schedule. But just as we thought, they aren't ready to knock off one of the big boys (unless they manage a miracle in Indianapolis in six weeks.) No shame in that.

For now. Next year, expectations are going to be higher.

Jake Plummer watch: nothing to report at this time. In other news, Larry Johnson was released by the Chiefs...how best to put this? "lol" seems appropriate.



Thursday, October 15, 2009

Jake gets a hole in one. We think.

"...and you shake it all about."

After getting all whoopty-woo about the Broncos' 5-0 start, we figure it's time to get back to what life's really all about: a Jake Plummer update!

A search of the ol' Google brought up this little tidbit. Apparently Jake nailed a hole-in-one last Monday on the #2 at Maple Hill Golf Club in Hemlock, MI.

It's entirely possible that this was just a guy named Jake Plummer and not THE real deal Snake, but either way it's newsworthy. Either our man Jake got a hole-in-one, or someone with the last name "Plummer" had the God-given sense to name their boy "Jake" some time ago, knowing his offspring would share that name with one of the NFL's great gamers.

Honestly, we aren't sure how much golf Jake actually plays, but 99% of former NFL quarterbacks seem to take it up, so he probably does swing the irons on occasion.

LET PLUMMER PLAY!!! GOLF!!!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

5-0!?!?!?

Holy crap. The Mile High advantage is back.

Down go the Patriots! We can doubt MickeyD no longer. Thank you for proving that a good young coach can do better than a "legendary" coach when the legend loses his competitive edge, Josh McD.

Super Bowl this year? We're not going to bounce off the walls with anticipation yet, but Denver is once again a top ten NFL team and possibly top five. What a difference a year and a coach who has all his marbles makes.

The schedule ahead looks tough, but the Broncos already have five wins. Four more probably gets them in the playoffs. Conveniently, Denver gets the Chiefs twice, the Redskins, and the Raiders. Start saving up for playoff ticket scalps, Broncos fans.

p.s: San Diego, hope you enjoyed that lame little run of "success." It's over.

(EDITORS NOTE, 1/3/10: Well, we were wrong. Sue us.)

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

4-0!!!



Drink up, Kyle! Your Broncos have opened the season undefeated! Maybe we still aren't 100% sure about Josh McDaniels, but we were obviously right that Shanahan needed to go.

Funny how people seem less excited about this fast start than last year's fast start. Sure, the Broncos haven't beaten a real contender yet. But even though the Cowboys are an overrated shell of a good team (like we correctly predicted the Titans would be even though we were too busy to do a true 2010 Season Predictions column) the shutdown defense on Tony "OVERRATED" Romo was impressive.

The rest of the schedule is a lot tougher, outside of the Chiefs and Raiders rematches. This week? Josh MickeyD gets to take a shot at his old mentor Bill Belichick, which we're FAR more excited about than last night's predictable and sickening Brett Favre circle jerk by ESPN. The Broncos (can't believe we're saying this but it's great to say) have more than just a chance against a vulnerable and rusty-looking Patriots team with a shaky running game, an inconsistent defense, and Tom Brady still only looking like 90% of his former Lord of the Pigskin self.

We think they win on a late FG, with Kyle Orton continuing his stellar ball control. Champ's going to have a much rougher time with Moss than he did with the Cowboy's paper tigers, but the defense is good enough to hold down the Pats, Jets-style, as long as no one falls asleep for that one huge game-changing play the Patriots historically pull out of their asses when they win close games.

Yes, LetPlummerPlay.com is backing the Broncos--like we said we would when things got back on track. Are they Super Bowl-bound? Hold your horses. The Ravens, Steelers, and Colts would tear them up in a playoff game right now, and we haven't seen how they'll face up to the Chargers just yet. But it's a start.

Meanwhile, while the Broncos were proving how much they didn't need Mike Shanahan on Sunday, the Cowboys went out and proved that--wait for it--Dallas needs to shitcan Wade Phillips and hire Shanahan STAT. The Cowboys, despite poor coaching, have a solid base and a talented but directionless quarterback in Tony Romo. He wouldn't make them a Super Bowl winner unless they lucked into another superstar, but Dallas has exactly the kind of pre-made roster Shanahan needs to thrive in this league. Now that he's long gone, it seems to be easier to say that we don't care if he succeeds elsewhere anymore. We know he wasn't the coach to rebuild this (or any) team and so bygones be bygones now, Mike.

On a semi-related note (speaking of QBs with no direction) as much as we hate the Raiders it's sad to see how terrible they're going to continue to be. It's much more fun to beat up on Oakland when the Broncos are actually squashing hopes of success instead of just going through the motions of crushing silver-and-black bugs. JaMarcus Russell has somehow degraded from simply the worst starting quarterback in the league to possibly the worst quarterback in the league PERIOD and maybe the worst since...who, Dan McGwire? But old Zombie Al Davis is going to stand by that big waste of space until the tires come off. Oh well, spilled milk.

Jake Plummer update: Still no comeback. Dammit.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Broncos win, Pumpkin Pie loses, Jake Plummer still retired


It's going to be a busy week in the real world, so sorry, we don't have a good update. But the headline gives you all the important news from week 1, right? Jay Cutler lost some respect points--not for throwing four picks in the Bears loss, but for being wishy-washy about whose fault it was in after the game. Jay, seriously. You had a bad game. Acknowledge it, BEFORE you say "WE need to improve."

Kyle Orton played good enough. Sure, it's the second year in a row we've had to rely on a miracle to beat a bad team, but a win's a win and San Diego once again came out of the gates shaky...maybe 8 wins can win this crappy division, and maybe the Broncos can luck their way into 8 wins.

Oh, and Jake Plummer is still retired, sadly. Still, he's doing well from what we gather and that's what matters.

P.S. to a concerned reader: We don't dislike Pat Bowlen, we're just assholes with really big mouths. Sorry about any of that stuff in the past. Cat Bowlen, on the other hand, we see as more
of a tribute than a poke at Mr. Bowlen, so he stays. If you notice, Cat always speaks truth!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Fantasy Football..with LPP is now FREE!


Ok so we have heard that some of you want to join, if it were a free league! Here is your chance, and don't worry cardsfan4life, your $25.00 is coming back to you, the second I'm done writing this post. So it's a free league now. This is way last minute, since the draft is tonight at 8pm. In any event, we ended up with 4 spots open, so here, have at it and join right now, for free! Of course this means, there will be only congratulations sent to you if you win, as opposed to any monetary sum!

Yahoo Fantasy Sports
League ID: 874954
Password: plummer16

and the pic above is an "EXCLUSIVE to LPP" picture of what Jake is currently up to:
(Please do not post or distribute this picture elsewhere, thank you)

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Fantasy Football... LPP Style!

Wanna play fantasy football with the best? Ok well then go ahead and stay in the leagues you're already in! However do you want to play with some of the staff of LPP!? Well we've got a surprise treat for you! We have created a points based league for some of our closest friends, but have left 3 spots open for you, yes you, readers of LPP! There is a $25.00 entry fee and the payouts will be:

1st place: $175.00
2nd place:$50.00
3rd place: $25.00

It's a 10 team league, points based only. Live draft scheduled for 8:45pm pacific time, Wednesday Sept 8th. I know that's late, but this was a last minute decision. In order to join, I'll take the first 3 emails received to: gabesmailbox@gmail.com. Of course we'll be expecting the $25.00 entry fee to be sent via paypal prior to the draft. Hurry, because after the first 3 emails, we're closing shop on the league.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Pumpkin Pie no more?!?!?!

"Hello, ladies...who wants a big ol' slice of Sex Pie?"

Yes, dear readers, that is not a Photoshopped image you see above. Who is that suave, Baldwin-esque GQ model flashing the pearly whites and a $30,000 Rolex? It's Pumpkin Pie himself...Jay Cutler! Kissing Suzy Kolber ran an update today that linked to this website. Who knew what a difference a damn haircut (and maybe, just maybe, a little neck tuck) could make?

Hate to say it Broncos fans, but maybe getting out of Denver and into a real urban environment like Chicago actually was a good thing for the guy.
Yeah, yeah, blah blah blah, Denver's cleaner, better place to live, less crime, high standard of living...fine. We can certainly appreciate life in a slightly quieter city, but let's face it, Frank Sinatra didn't sing no songs about Denver. Besides, if you need any more proof that Jay Cutler's personal life has already changed for the better, let us produce Exhibit B:

We rest our case. Thank you and goodnight.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Brandon Marshall is a whining little baby.


The saga continues for Brandon Marshall. Now he's acting like an immature dick on the field as well as off, and the Denver Broncos are sick of it. They've suspended him indefinitely for the preseason, but will now have even more trouble trading him for anything valuable. B-Marsh's transformation from mere flake to full-on rectal tumor is complete, and few teams really want to inject themselves with cancer like that--especially since Marshall is in his walk year.

The Broncos, knowing they have little chance at Super Bowl glory anyway, are between a rock and a hard place. Trade him for junk? Not an option. They don't want to hand him over to a contender like, say, New England or New York because he'd magically shape up like Randy Moss and eventually, history paints the Broncos as the team that made a terrible, terrible trade.

Suspend him for the season? As much as Denver fans hate a whiner, they hate a losing team far, far more, and benching B-Marsh could bite Josh McDaniels right in his Belichick-cloned ass.

And if they just let Brandon play? Uh...Marshall has already demonstrated the temperament of a nine-year-old who got an old PS2 instead of the Wii he really wanted from Santy Claus. As talented as he may be, sending B-Marsh out to do whatever he feels like doing that Sunday is suicide for a team saddled with Kyle Orton and Chris Simms, who may be competent QB's but aren't miracle workers.

It's going to be a long, strange year for Broncos fans, especially with this drunk-driving, woman-beating, thug-taunting, trade-demanding lil' whiner on board. Considering how things went with Cutler, it's surprising Bowlen hasn't given B-Marsh the same treatment and shipped him out. Or maybe that's exactly why they haven't traded him.

Either way, WOO-HOO! GO BRONCOS! SUPER BOWL BAYBEEEEE!!!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Kyle Orton did what now?



This is too good to be true. Apparently Kyle Orton, he of the NeckBeard, tossed an INT against the Seahawks in this weekend's pre-season game.

Oh, did we forget to mention he did it left-handed?


A lot of so-called Denver "fans" decided to roll their eyes and bring up good old Jake "The Snake" Plummer's infamous lefty interception against the Chiefs and are assuming Orton's pale imitation spells doom for the Broncos this year. We say NAY! (or NEIGH, if you like.) If anything this is a sign of greater things to come for Orton. Sure, his beard is nothing next to Plummer's. We've been through all that. And of course, a lot of critics are saying "Orton's arm strength has been unimpressive." Bah. Arm strength? If you want arm strength, 41-year-old NFL washout Jeff George probably has a stronger arm than 90% of the league's current QBs. We want WINS!

Why does Orton's lefty pick give us hope? Well, for the smartasses who like to reach back and make an unflattering Plummer comparison, let's just set the record straight. After Jake's southpaw INT--including the game in question--all Jake did was post up a record of 23 wins and 13 losses over the next two seasons, including the last Denver playoff victory (against Tom Brady and the Patriots, no less.) If Orton puts up that kind of winning percentage this year it will be the single greatest performance by a Denver QB since John Elway took some terrible offensive rosters into multiple Super Bowls back in the 80s (though the current Denver defense would have to perform some kind of miracle to be as good as the Dan Reeves glory years D.)

So while we still consider Kyle Orton the Lesser Beard, we do at least have a glimmer of hope that he can be successful. While Pumpkin Pie takes his arm strength to Chicago to throw to a bunch of Raider-esque scrub wideouts, Orton can toss to guys like Eddie Royal and Brandon (Why is he still here?) Marshall. We think things will even out, even though we'd really rather be watching the Broncos...

LET PLUMMER PLAY!!!

Friday, August 7, 2009

Pumpkin Pie says Denver fans suck


Jay Cutler wants the world to know that on a scale of 1 to 10, Broncos fans are a "6" and Bears fans are a "9".

Just so you know, John Elway gives Broncos fans a "10".

Brian Griese gives them a "4".

And Jake Plummer?




Uh, Jake says Broncos fans are number one!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Cat Bowlen addresses the Michael Vick situation.


Thanks to Cat for making sure the team's position is clear even though the Broncos signing Mike Vick is about as likely as Mick Vick actually growing a soul. Yeah, that's right, f*** you, Michael Vick! And if you think "oh, he served his time, oh, you guys are haters, oh, you guys are punks, oh you guys are stupid because animals mean less than humans..." F*** you too.

You think Michael Vick is being treated unfairly? Imagine the best pet you ever had; a dog, a cat, a bird, a ferret, a rabbit...

Think of all the good memories of that favorite pet.

Think of how cute and interesting it was.

Think of how much you loved it.

Now imagine Michael Vick taking your pet and tossing it into a dogfight ring with two vicious, starving, mad pitbulls who proceed to tear your pet to shreds within an inch of its life.

Then imagine Michael Vick calling off the pitbulls and beating your beloved pet with a bat until it's barely breathing.

Then Michael Vick picks up your bloody pet by the neck and sticks its head into a bucket of water until it stops moving.

Then Michael Vick drags your pet's limp form over to a cement step and bashes its head into the concrete until its brain is totally destroyed.

Then Michael Vick puts your beloved pet in a bag and buries him in the back lawn of his property.

If that doesn't piss you off even a little, you have no heart, brain, or soul. And that's before we tell you to multiply your pet's experience by about a hundred. So f*** Mike Vick, and f*** any team that hires him. Think Michael Vick deserves to go back to the same profession? If he did this at McDonalds or Apple or Disneyland, he wouldn't get another shot at the same company. Hell, if Michael Vick was just some average Joe Schmoe who moved into your neighborhood and you found out he was an ex-con and what he was in for, you wouldn't even want your kids walking across the street from his house, would you? And before you lie, NO, you wouldn't.

By the by, f*** you, Tony Dungy, for agreeing to "mentor" this 29-year-old violent sociopath like he's a 12-year-old. Go save someone who matters beyond TV ratings, Tony. Go volunteer at the Boys & Girls Club or something. And f*** you, Roger Goodell, for giving an animal murderer a lighter sentence than the guys who get busted for performance enhancers...no amount of spin can change the facts of Vick's case, just like no amount of influence with ESPN (The Worldwide Leader in NFL Ass-Kissers) can erase the fact that Ben Roethlisberger, the blue-collar leader of the new "America's Team" at the VERY LEAST had an awkward, ill-advised fling with a slightly crazy and slightly horse-faced hotel employee and AT WORST...raped her.

Look...we love football but the NFL and especially Goodell is trying way too hard to squash and smooth over image problems instead of trying to prevent them from happening in the first place. Be transparent, dummies. Every time you do something shady, like "suggest" (aka threaten) to ESPN to hold off on what may be a non-story (if you don't believe this is exactly what happened with Big Ben, you're a sad mental case) or destroy the Spygate tapes, you damage the integrity of the league. Even more than the competent--but far from legendary, as many would have you believe--Paul Tagliabue...Roger Goodell is a BEAN COUNTER. He doesn't give a rat's ass about the integrity of the game (not that there's all THAT much), the livelihoods of the players, or the feelings of the fans. Goodell's mission is plain and simple: enable as much profit for the owners as humanly possible no matter what the players, coaches, and fans say or do.

David Stern and Bud Selig aren't exactly great commissioners. However, at the end of the day you can look at those two and know they genuinely love their game and respect it to at least a certain degree. Goodell? Love and respect? Only for the Almighty Dollar.

Anyway, we originally intended to just post Cat Bowlen's pic and call it a day, but we let too long go between postings and needed to vent. Also, Jake Plummer still RULES and we'd have him back before Brett Favre any day of the week.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Our Role In The Brandon Marshall Saga--And Bowlen's Response

We here at LPP are somewhat surprised at how quickly the Brandon Marshall situation has unraveled, especially since our rant from not too long ago (two posts down, of course.) We'd like to think that maybe, just maybe...we had something to do with it. Maybe B-Marsh saw our blog and realized that we, among all Broncos fans, speak with the clearest and most logical voices. Maybe Broncos ownership realized they had a potential disaster on their hands if they let this go any longer and decided to be proactive. Maybe you should all give us props.

BIG UPS TO US! WE MADE THIS HAPPEN!

Well, at least we think we did. Because just this afternoon we received a message from an NFL icon you just might have heard of. That's right, only an icon whose name happens to rhyme with "Stat Stolen" who is about to give this humble website the FINAL WORD on the B-Marsh saga (at least until he's actually traded.)

You know of whom we speak...

Ladies and gentlemen...

The BIG MAN HIMSELF...


...


CAT BOWLEN



Monday, June 15, 2009

Brandon Marshall requests a trade? Good.


Word around the campfire is that Brandon Marshall is requesting a trade. The Broncos' recent signing of Brandon Lloyd (who will never be confused with B-Marsh talent-wise) may be preemptive roster filling in anticipation of such a thing. We here at LPP would like to say something to the Broncos regarding this trade request...


DO IT.

Please jettison Marshall. He no longer wants to be a Bronco and real Broncos fans should not want a woman-choking, drunk-driving, dumb-shit-doing, contract-ignoring jerk like this around anymore.

And fellow fans, whatever you do don't get scared of Brandon leaving and putting up 110 catches, 1,400 yards and 20 TDs with another team. Look--it's going to happen. He very well may put up insane numbers. Just not in Denver, sad to say. As Austin Powers would say, that train has sailed. You think Randy Moss would have put up those sick numbers in 2007 if he had still been a Raider? Hell and No. However, there's no need to trade B-Marsh where he can thrive.

Send him to Detroit.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Brandon Marshall is not worth it


Brandon Marshall is a very good wide receiver. He's the best that the Broncos have and maybe one of the top five or six in the NFL. With Jay Cutler gone, the Broncos are going to need their receivers to be highly competent and to adjust to Kyle Orton and/or Chris Simms for the team to have any chance (slight though it may be) of contending this year.

With all that said...hey Broncos: Get rid of Brandon Marshall. He's an immature, selfish, whining, violent jerk. Over the last three years, he has:

Aggravated the incident that led to Darrent Williams dying;
Beaten, choked, and shaken female companions more than once;
Allegedly slashed one woman with a knife;
Busted for a post-game DUI;
Been a team distraction from said involvement in above incidents;
BEATEN, CHOKED, AND SHAKEN WOMEN MORE THAN ONCE;


And now HE WANTS A RAISE?!?!?!?

We have friends who have stopped watching NBA basketball. When pressed for a reason, one of their gripes is "the league is full of thugs." Now, we love the NFL, but really? How many Brandon Marshalls are there in the NBA? Did Dwayne Wade get caught killing pit bulls recently? Did Steve Nash get busted for coke in a parking lot last year? Did Shaq shoot himself in a club last season? Did Kobe Bryant--well, okay, but he was acquitted, it was over five years ago, and the last thing anyone can call Kobe is "thuggish." He may be a dick, but not a thug.

The NFL has more thugs than the NBA--even going by percentage--and

Brandon Marshall is a THUG.


This is not someone the Broncos and their fans should want to be associated with. If Broncos fans stop blinding themselves (we aren't going to win it all this year, sorry) and really, REALLY look hard at everything Brandon Marshall has done over his career right up until Spring of 2009, we as a fanbase should be just as tired of B-Marsh as Falcons fans were of Mr. Vick--and the organization should feel the same way. Yet the Broncos are probably reconsidering his contract because of the fear of fan backlash. After all, they can't afford to lose an on-field presence that has contributed to such a "dominant" .500 team that's missed the playoffs three straight Jake "the Snake" Plummer-less years going on four. Hey, Brandon IS a really good ball-catching-guy.

Mr. Bowlen, you showed guts when you finally said "enough" and fired Shanahan. You showed guts backing Josh McDaniel even when his judgment seemed questionable regarding Jay Cutler. Show some guts now. Don't cave in to B-Marsh. If he wants to earn the money he agreed to be paid according to the contract he signed, let him play out the season. If he behaves and has a good year, franchise his ass and tell him if he so much as gets a parking ticket he can eat bench until his contract is up. But don't give in and reward Brandon Marshall for being cancerous. Cut him or keep him, but don't cave to him.

We want the Broncos to succeed, but not with an asshole like Marshall giving us second thoughts about the team's character. We'd actually like it if the team we liked was actually worth liking. C'mon last year Jay Cutler--JAY CUTLER--called B-Marsh immature. We all know Pumpkin Pie isn't exactly a paragon of maturity and restraint, so for him to call Brandon a whiny girly man should have set off a lot more alarms in Denver.

Also, if this was one of the New York teams or New England or DC, the media would be treating B-Marsh like a superstar criminal and the Broncos would be made to look like total douchebags for putting up with him. Thank goodness ESPN doesn't give a crap about anything that happens west of Philly except Lebron James and Manny Ramirez.

Anyway, that's our story and we're sticking to it.

CUT THE THUG!!!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

How Manny Ramirez relates to football

Do you like HGH, Shawne?

So former Red Sox, former Indians, and current Dodgers star Manny Ramirez just got popped for using a banned substance by Major League Baseball.  He'll be out 50 games and lose $8 million dollars for (if you believe the story) a doctor-prescribed sex enhancer hormone (that can possibly double as a post-roid chaser.)  Once again steroids in baseball are on the top of the sports page, and once again sportswriters are foaming at the mouth about "oh no, ban them all, the sport is a disgrace, clean up baseball, what a blow to the sport."

Whatever.  Baseball has no more of a steroids presence than football.  What I (Pale Horseman...LPP himself largely hates baseball) don't understand is that how a sport that has been for better or worse officially passed by football as the national pastime is still treated as the holiest of holies by the same people who will admit to have abandoned it LONG before the strike of 1994 and the steroids fallout.  All we hear about in baseball is "Bonds' records should/shouldn't count," or "McGwire should/shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame," or "How can we trust anyone?"  Yet in football, you hear about a guy getting suspended for performance drugs, all you hear is "how will this affect the team?"  Not ONE  F***ING  WORD about "what a shame," "call in Congress," "think of the children."  Just "what an idiot, how will this affect the team?" 

Football is obviously America's sport of choice these days, yet it's baseball that evokes sentimentality.  What records or achievements can most people name quickly for baseball?  DiMaggio, 56-game hitting streak.  Bonds' 73 homers to top McGwire's 70 homers to top Maris' 61 homers to top Ruth's 60 homers.  755.  714.  59 consecutive scoreless innings.  Guys with 500 homers.  Guys with 3000 hits.  Ripken's Ironman streak.  

How many records or numbers like that can most people name from football that didn't happen in the past 2-3 years?  The Dolphins' perfect season.  Brett Favre's games-started streak.  18-1 (which because of the Dolphins and Giants DOESN'T MATTER, HAHAHAHA)  That's pretty much it, and ONLY because we hear about them from the TV announcers every time a team gets to 5-0 and every time Brett Favre ever stepped on a damn football field.  Maybe some bits and pieces about Emmitt Smith or Jerry Rice, but no one really remembers the numbers without Wikipedia.

What I'm trying to say is this:  there's a double standard here that I don't understand.  It's apparent that America has made its choice and picks football over baseball--the numbers back that statement up and then some.  So how come it's baseball that has a "steroid problem" when football players up and down the roster are anywhere from 40 to 80 pounds more massive on average than they used to be, get caught almost if not just as regularly, and have horrible health problems after retirement?  Do football fans really just not care?  Is it because football, like so many other things, feeds America's short attention span and love for sex and violence, and needs to be nothing else?  If baseball is so "boring" why do so many writers go insane when Rafael Palmeiro is considered for the Hall of Fame but Rodney Harrison gets banned and reinstated within one season and writers say "watch out, the Pats have their strength back."

Who knows?  Screw it.

LET PLUMMER PLAY!!!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Not surprising, but still...

Guess what? Oh, you already knew. Brett Favre is going to sit down and have a friendly little talk with the Vikings about taking off his real comfortable jeans and suiting up in purple.

Sweet Jesus on a moped. Enough is too much, Brett. We can't get 34-year-old Jake Plummer back, but Brett Favre won't go gently into that good night? This is what we get for eating California cheese instead of Wisconsin cheese. What's that? Brett's from Minnesota? Well, crap, what comes from Minnesota? Prince? We like Prince, Brett.

Anyway, if nothing else, this means Jake has at least a five-year return window. True, he probably won't come back, but at least we have something to bitch about for the next five years.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Jake takes his first step on the coaching ladder

Explained below.

According to the news wires, Jake Plummer is going to be the new quarterbacks coach at Sandpoint High in Idaho. Congratulations to Jake and also to Sandpoint High, naturally. Also, congrats to Jake for helping raise over $10,000 for the DayBreak Center (see our last posting.)

So why is Justin flipping the bird? Why, he's flipping it at Examiner.com's Broncos yapper Greg Henry (okay, Justin's not really, but we are), who has reacted to this Plummer news with lazy witticisms. Quoth:

"Views: We're guessing Idaho doesn't get much news about Plummer's antics. His sideline flipping the bird at Broncos fans, berating a local columnist with a 9 p.m. phone call at her home, leaving his fiance at the altar in Hawaii, his general disdain for personal hygiene ...

We're guessing the folks in Idaho like the lumberjack look -- scruffy beard, plaid shirt, stocking cap and uncombed hair. We also think it's a good deal for Plummer; a part-time coaching job so he can keep up his illustrious racquetball career.

All we can say is good luck to those high school kids in Idaho. Let's hope Plummer is a better role model and teacher in Sandpoint than he ever was in Denver."


Let's hope you get a paper cut, Greg. Let's see...flipping the bird? Five years ago. The phone call? Truthfully, we don't remember that. We're sure it was a while back. Leaving his fiance? It sounds harsh, and maybe his timing was a little off, but better to call off a wedding BEFORE you get married than fake your way through it and try to live with someone you don't want to live with. Unless you're one of those hardline religious types who would rather see two people torture each other in matrimony. His lack of personal hygiene? I'm sorry, I don't recall any news of Jake skipping showers when he had his glorious beard. I don't see anyone berating Jesus or Moses for their lack of hygiene. And those Hasidic Jews must be REALLY dirty, right?

And we'd like to say going after his "illustrious racquetball career" is a pretty low blow, but we guess "racquetball player" must be far, far below the title of "Denver Broncos Examiner" on the sign-up sheet on Career Day. It's too bad Jake isn't wealthy or anything from that NFL career and can't pick something to do he actually likes.

Jake will be a better role model for Sandpoint than he was in Denver because Jake like any sane person realizes that in the NFL, he wasn't a ROLE MODEL, he was a SPORTS IDOL--just like every other player. People wanting athletes to be role models are insane. If athletes volunteer to be all-around neato people, sure, let them be role models--in their spare time. Otherwise, it's a parent's job to point out that most people who play childrens' games for a living are NOT to be emulated. Famous athletes are idolized for their play, their pay, and their fame. How can a kid truly model himself after someone based purely on news blurbs and on-field accomplishments? There's no personal connection, nor should there be because athletes like anyone else have personal private lives that shouldn't really be anyone's concern beyond what they want the public to know. As a SPORTS IDOL, maybe Jake fell short because he understood the hypocrisy and flat-out bullshit involved in spinning idolatry as being a "role model" and refused to buy into it.

But as a high school coach, Jake the Snake is now specifically a ROLE MODEL. This is a position he has fully accepted. Jake Plummer turns 35 this year, is far removed from the smoke and mirrors of the NFL and is by all accounts a family man who has settled disturbingly well into a non-NFL existence. I think he'll manage to avoid flipping off his players or convincing a kid to grow a beard--like that would matter anyway.

Either people grow up or they don't. Jake's grown up. If all "journalists" want to do is take potshots at positive acts--like a Pro Bowl QB offering his experience to kids who would otherwise be learning from math teachers and guys who never played past high school--then maybe we should all pray that Pacman Jones, Matt Jones, Michael Vick and Plaxico Buress end up in Broncos blue-and-orange so that we can read some nice complimentary articles for a change.

Not that we regularly read the Examiner or recommend doing so. It's just what came up when we Googled "Jake Plummer News." Sadly, this makes them a valued source.

Anyway, good luck to Sandpoint High as they...

LET PLUMMER COACH!!!

P.S. According to what we've heard, Pumpkin Pie (Jay Cutler for the uninformed) has reached out to Plaxico Buress and is trying to get the Bears interested in signing the ex-Giant who doesn't know how to use the safety on a gun. Good for you. Pumpkin Pie. We know you get along really well with immature dimwit receivers.

Monday, April 6, 2009

The Snake Also Gives

Gotta love that shirt.
Jake update!

Is Jake Plummer un-retiring and returning to make the NFL a fun place again?


Well...no. However, Jake will be doing something a little more constructive in Sandpoint, Idaho on April 11th. Jake and former Packers All-Pro Jerry Kramer will be raising money at the Sandpoint Senior Center to benefit the DayBreak Center for elderly Alzheimer's Patients and also to raise money for local high school athletics. Jake and Jerry have donated signed items for auction among other things, and there's dinner thrown in to boot. Only $25 to get in with the money going to two worthy causes. And you'll get to meet Jake! If we were in Idaho, we would totally go meet Jake and probably get thrown out of the event for being annoying. One of us had a chance to go ambush him at a handball tournament in California a while back but fate was not on our side that weekend.

Anyway, it's nice to see Jake giving back to the community, even if it's not our community. If we ran into him, we would probably ask an inappropriate and silly question about the whole Cutler fiasco...but even if he got annoyed, we'd probably get an honest answer. Idaho, however, is far.

In other Plummer tidbits, Greg Henry of the Denver Broncos examiner had the audacity (sort of) to loosely compare Jake Plummer with Kyle Orton. Hmm, why would that be? Oh, yeah the beard thing. Thankfully Mr. Henry (no relation to Travis) did not expand on this comparison and thereby sully Jake's reputation. Furthermore, the fact that the beard exists means little. True, it's cool that Orton has sported the beard--and we wish him to do so in 2009 and beyond--however comparing Orton's "too lazy to shave" beard to Jake's glorious hairy visage is literally like comparing...

this guy


to

this guy

...and to be frank, any logical person will tell you that comparing Orton to Plummer in pretty much any category gives you the same result.

Anyway, raise that money, Jake!

LET PLUMMER GIVE!!!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Jay Cutler is a Bear. Seriously.

Sure it was possible. We still didn't think it would be the freakin' Bears.

Once again, we come to the end of a very short era in Denver Broncos quarterback history. Jay Cutler, our oft-maligned, sometimes beloved Pumpkin Pie, is gone baby gone.

Jay Cutler was traded to the Bears this afternoon along with a fifth-round pick for occasional Bears starter Kyle Orton (he of the magnificent neckbeard) a third round pick in 2008, and the Bears' two first rounders in 2009 and 2010.

PUMPKIN PIE IS GONE.

We here at LPP haven't let this one settle yet, but let's break it down:

-We've been saying lately that we'd follow Pumpkin Pie wherever he may go and support his new team fully. At that time, we didn't really think that destination would be Chicago. While Jay Cutler is instantly our all-time favorite Chicago Bears player (replacing, um...Jim McMahon? Walter Payton? Ditka? Brian Griese?) We've never given more than a passing fart about Chicago and don't look to start now. Check back in a month or two.

-As much as we've felt that the Broncos and Josh McDaniels looked like idiots for mishandling Cutler's ego, this deal makes mild sense because while Orton isn't a great QB, B-Marsh, Eddie Royal, and Tony Scheffler are about to at least make him look like a decent QB and those draft picks...well, the Bears look like a middle-of-the-road team with or without Jay, so picking around #15 two years in a row is a heck of a deal. Can't wait for one of those picks to be used to select the next QB who gets to follow Jay, Jake Plummer, and Brian Griese as the star of Denver's ongoing reality series "I'M NOT JOHN ELWAY...GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!"

-Congratulations on getting Orton by the way, Plummer haters and Cutler turncoats. In 6 years, Denver has gone from Brian Griese to a guy who occasionally couldn't beat out Brian Griese. Good luck with that, since all you Elway worshippers were so kind to Griese while you were chanting "WE WANT PLUMMER" back in 2002.

-How could we have been so right? Our words, 2007: "Can’t you just picture Pumpkin Pie getting run out of town Griese- or Plummer-style in 3 years and then catching on to another team that will probably know how to use him?" The Bears may not be that team, but Cutler gets to hand-pick his next city, doesn't he?

The city of Denver still expects Elway every time the ball is snapped. Many will cry: "We have the right to expect greatness! Don't we get to hope that someone will live up to Elway's standard?" Of course you do. But the kind of Broncos fan we DON'T like is the one who arbitraily decides that "THIS KID" (Griese '99, Jake '02, Jay '06) is going to be the savior, at which time "THAT GUY" (Bubby Brister '99, Griese '02, Jake '06 and now Jay '09) is considered tainted goods that need to be disposed of before they can taint the new Elway 2.0.

Well you get what you ask for, Denver fans. Suddenly Jay Cutler wasn't the sweet little Pumpkin Pie you expected, who kept his mouth shut, kissed babies, thanked Jesus, and aw-shucksed his way into the heart of the city like a certain #7 did. Did Elway win more games? Sure. He also had a coach who understood what a f***ing defense was without needing flash cards and a copy of "NFL Defense for Dummies, and when he didn't he at least had the best teammates that illegal salary cap violations could buy.

Jay Cutler is no John Elway. Fine. That's fair. But like Jake and Griese before him, he wasn't given a fair chance to prove that Denver didn't NEED a John Elway to succeed in the 21st century. With Shanahan's archaic offenses and non-existent defenses out of the picture, it was time for Jay Cutler to get an offense and defense built from the ground up by a new coach with new ideas.

Well, forget that.

Now Jay's in Chicago and the Broncos get a wonderful choice at QB...do they play Kyle Orton, who often wasn't good enough to beat out Brian Griese--the first guy they ran out of town? Or do they play Chris Simms, who inspired so little confidence in Tampa Bay that the Fake Raiders tried to acquire Jake Plummer--the second guy they ran out of town? Oooooh, it's so hard to choose!

It's been a rough ride for Broncos fans these past few years, but we're going to go ahead and say that a lot of this ill will falls squarely on the shoulders of the fans, especially in the internet age where the world will damn well know how every single person with an internet connection feels about EVERYTHING. You wanted Griese? You got him. You wanted Jake? You got him. You wanted Cutler? You got him. Well what the hell did you want this time Denver? Whatever it is, you've got it.

What this all boils down to is that the Broncos should have...

LET PLUMMER PLAY!!!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

This is not an April Fools Joke...

We here at LPP have taken our official stand: F U!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JOSH MCDANIELS....

We don't think this comic from Espn.com is very funny, but it kinda is in a way...And if you didn't hear us, we say F U!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JOSH MCDANIELS, you're a real ass!





Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Pumpkin Pie Wants Out

"Thanks for nothing, dickweeds."

Well, there it is. Jay Cutler is asking to be traded.

It's becoming apparent that this is now an organizational failure--and here we thought it was just Shanahan. The Broncos are now in danger of becoming the Raiders of the Rockies.

Maybe Jay overreacted to the trade attempts. After all, this is a business and players are just highly paid contract employees when you get right down to it. However, the Broncos organization--starting with the new coach and up to ownership--just dropped the ball altogether with their "quarterback of the future" going all the way back to the initial QB controversy with Jake "The Snake" Plummer in 2006. Right then and there Jay Cutler learned that a quarterback's success didn't mean a damn thing if the head coach got a hair up his butt over a short stretch. Shanahan saw the Broncos struggling and replaced Jake Plummer despite the highest winning percentage of any QB in Broncos history. Cutler may have been happy to step in and play right away, but he surely memorized how the Broncos organization pulled the rug out from under Plummer. Within mere weeks, Jake went from the second-best quarterback in Broncos history to scorned splinter jockey and there's no way that Jay Cutler isn't imagining the same scenario materializing around him.

So what is it, Denver? Jake gave you wins, but apparently that wasn't enough--you (and I mean the team AND all the fans who bashed Jake) wanted big numbers. So here comes Jay, who puts up big numbers, but now we don't have as many wins. You get what you ask for, Broncos fans.

We don't blame Jay for not getting to the playoffs--the team around him has more holes than Hot Shots Golf. We don't blame Jake for not putting up big numbers--that wasn't his style and he got wins, not to mention Jake's rosters were far, far, far from being the Elway Juggernauts of the late 90's.

Something insane has happened here at LPP. We're actually siding with Jay Cutler here, and it's not against the coach or replacement QB, like it was with Jake. This kind of shitty treatment is actually putting us at odds with THE TEAM. It's a weird feeling. Many of our fellow fans might say "Good. We don't need you. F off." We feel the sorriest for you poor suckers. You don't own a piece of the Broncos, you don't get raises at work if they finish over .500, and you don't get rings if they win the Super Bowl. This ain't Green Bay. The Broncos, beloved as they are, are a product, and we have the right to be dissatisfied with the product. If Coke changes the formula, you switch to Pepsi. If the Broncos decide they no longer want to be a class organization dedicated to winning, we may go find one that is--or at least one that may be in a short time. We won't be jumping on a Steelers or Giants bandwagon, thanks much.

Ahh, Jay Cutler. We've come so far from the days of tossing insults your way (well, LPP himself is still a bit of an asshole, but...) We've got your back, Pumpkin Pie. Jake is still #1 in our hearts, but if the Broncos are going to treat yet another quarterback like shit because he's not John Elway (or incredibly enough, NOT MATT CASSEL? JESUS CHRIST!) we are going to champion that QB's cause.

You've fallen victim to the Curse of Elway. We support all who fall under that sickly, stupid plague. Whatever has happened in the past is the past. Where you go, we follow, Jay. Even if the site remains...

LET PLUMMER PLAY!!!

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Do You Think Jay Is Sick Of Denver?

Artist's depiction.

Lest we think that Jay Cutler is starting to calm down about the recent trade talk fiasco, ESPN is reporting that Jay just put up his $2 million Colorado Pumpkin Palace for sale. No big deal, you say? Well, his parents have a house a few minutes up the road, and they're selling too!

Thanks a lot, Broncos. You've found a new way to run a quarterback out of town. It figures that once we accepted Jake's retirement and tried to get behind Jay that something like this would go down.

JOHN ELWAY IS NOT WALKING THROUGH THAT DOOR. ACCEPT IT AND DEAL WITH IT, BRONCOS.


Maybe the next time they have a QB who puts together a franchise-best career winning percentage--or a QB who puts up good numbers despite being young and "supported" by a terrible, terrible offensive line and non-existent defense--the Broncos won't point fingers and try fix one of the pieces that isn't broken after a failed season. But this theory assumes that the Broncos are truly capable of learning from mistakes, and their recent track record is pretty spotty, including the fact that they didn't...

LET PLUMMER PLAY!!!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

They Just Don't Wanna

Cheer up, Jay. At least you aren't a Viking. Yet.

We've figured it out, Denver fans. Don't say we didn't tell you so later on. We have figured out a dirty, dirty secret about the Broncos organization that you won't want to hear. We thought maybe with the firing of Shanahan that this secret might not be true after all, but we can't deny it any longer. Ready? Here it is.

THE DENVER BRONCOS DO NOT WANT TO WIN.

Just to clarify, by that we mean: they do not want to win games, they do not want to be good, and quite possibly they do not want to be a respectable NFL franchise.

Some of us here at LetPlummerPlay.com have been very critical of Pumpkin Pie, in fact downright scornful at times. However there is no denying this: Jay Cutler is no worse than the seventh-best QB in the game o' foosball and possibly better. Whom would you rather have? Whom is more or at least equally successful? In case you haven't thought about it, we'll give you three short lists in no particular order:

1. CLEARLY BETTER (than Jay)
Peyton Manning
Tom Brady
Drew Brees

2. MORE PROVEN
Ben Roethlisberger
Eli Manning
Kurt Warner
Donovan McNabb
Philip Rivers

3. CUTLER'S BALLPARK
Chad Pennington
Tony Romo
Aaron Rodgers
Jeff Garcia

These are kind of "trade scenario" lists. Let's be honest, unless you threw in several picks and another Pro Bowler, no one on the first list would ever be traded for Jay Cutler.

When you get to the second list, it depends on the winds of change. Eli and Ben would never be traded because of team chemistry and recent successes, however, Warner and McNabb are more feasible because of age and could be swapped under the right conditions--however a trade demand would have to come out of one of those guys for it to actually happen. Rivers just had a breakout year and won a playoff game with an 8-8 team, so he's not going anywhere, but he's not exactly Joe Montana just yet. We almost put him in Cutler's ballpark, but he really did have a much better season.

Finally, you have "Cutler's Ballpark." These are guys who really are about where Jay is developmentally, in some form or another. Romo has a high-powered system built around him but can't get over the top. Pennington has a live arm and smarts, but is more consistent than talented--and occasionally, that's a better attribute. Jeff Garcia is a winner, but old. Aaron Rodgers is pretty much Green Bay Jay. You could possibly trade Cutler for one of these guys, but it would be pointless and not improve either team barring chemistry issues.

You'll notice Matt Cassel does not appear on any of those lists. He's on this one:

4. MILDLY ABOVE AVERAGE:
Matt Cassel
David Garrard
Jake Delhomme
Matt Ryan

If you really want to make a top ten list with trade value as a factor for 2009, where's the Pie? Let's just throw together a quickie and say he's not top three. Who fills the rest of the list?

Ben's won 2 Super Bowls. Numbers aside, you cannot discount that fact. Let's call Roethlisberger #4. Eli's Super Bowl was 2 years ago with a defensive team...he's not #5. Rivers may be #5 so we'll put him there and Eli at #6 because, well, that Super Bowl was only 2 years ago. So now we dip into Cutler's Ballpark. Tony Romo is not, as yet, a winner. Powerhouse teams, no results. We refuse to call him #7. Pennington is a control QB, not a clear #7. Jeff Garcia is older and has obviously never cemented a single team's confidence. That leaves the 7 spot between Cutler and Rodgers. We'll give Cutler the edge because he put up results without getting to study a consistent Hall of Fame QB with the same offense for three years.

So Jay Cutler is at least the 7th best QB in the league up through the year 2008. That means we consider him better than the other 22 starting QBs in the NFL plus their 40+ backups. The #7 slot comes with a catch: Warner may drop out of the top ten as soon as this year and McNabb isn't far behind. Brady's coming off of injury. Peyton is getting older. Ben and Eli may have powerful teams around them, but neither one is guaranteed to put up big numbers consistently. The opportunity for Jay to jump into the top five is obvious. It would seem that unless some strange occurence, uh, occurs, Jay Cutler should be a top five quarterback within maybe a year if not less. So the question is:

WHY WOULD YOU EVEN ENTERTAIN THE IDEA OF TRADING A TOP FIVE QUARTERBACK FOR *NOT* A TOP FIVE QUARTERBACK?

The answer is obvious.

THE DENVER BRONCOS DO NOT WANT TO WIN.

Because even if you (Josh McDaniels--whom we still have hopes for, but they're fading) fail in your attempt to bring in an inferior quarterback, you still manage to piss off the quarterback you tried to trade who just happens to be the centerpiece of your team and one of the few Broncos who has visibly given a shit about winning.

It's a sad day for Broncos fans, but it's not surprising. Not surprising at all from the team that wouldn't...

LET PLUMMER PLAY!!!

Monday, March 2, 2009

It keeps getting better...

FROM ESPN.COM

Will someone please give Jay Cutler his pacifier, hand him his favorite blankie and put him back in his crib for his afternoon nap? Because if he cries anymore about a trade that didn't happen, we'll have to check his Pampers.

Cutler is the quarterback of the Denver Broncos. At least for now he is.
Turns out the Broncos are/were shopping him. The three-way trade between the Broncos, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't reach critical mass, but names (Cutler to the Bucs, Matt Cassel to the Broncos) and numbers (first- and fourth-round draft picks to the Patriots) were discussed.

But it didn't happen. Repeat: didn't happen.
Instead, the Patriots traded Cassel and his franchise-tag salary to the Kansas City Chiefs. And Cutler is still a Bronco.

But the mere thought of a possible trade upset Cutler so much that he went into full waaaa-waaaa-waaaa mode, wailing like an infant. Why are they being so mean to me? That sort of thing.
"I'm upset," he told The Denver Post. "I mean, I'm really shocked at this point."

And this from Cutler's agent, James "Bus" Cook, who told The Associated Press, "Nobody's going to call the [New York] Giants and ask for Eli [Manning]. Nobody's calling the [Indianapolis] Colts asking about Peyton [Manning]. [Tom] Brady? Come on. So, why call Denver and ask about Jay? And if they do call, why not say, 'That's not for discussion. What else do you want?'"

Why call Denver and ask about Cutler? Because the Broncos haven't reached the playoffs since the 2005 season. Because Cutler's record as a starter is 17-20. Because new Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels just happened to coach Cassel last season. And Cassel's team finished 11-5, including a 41-7 victory against Cutler's Broncos in October.

Nobody is calling the Giants and the Colts about the Manning brothers because the Manning brothers actually reach the postseason and have won Super Bowls. And here's guessing somebody called the Patriots asking whether Brady might be available.

Cook, more than anyone, should know that anything is possible in the NFL. Just ask Brett Favre, one of Cook's longtime clients.

Don't get me wrong -- Cutler is a talent, possibly a major talent. His numbers keep tracking upward (4,526 passing yards, 25 touchdowns in '08), but so do his turnovers (18 interceptions, including four in Denver's last three games -- all losses) and hissy fits.
None of this Cutler trade talk likely would have happened if Mike Shanahan were still the Broncos' head coach. Shanahan is the guy who drafted Cutler with the 11th pick of the 2006 draft. They were attached at the hip pads.

But Shanahan is Broncos history. It happens. Last week it happened to 11-time Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Brooks of the Bucs. He was cut after 14 years.

Brooks didn't pout like Cutler. And his agent didn't issue any angry criticisms of the Bucs' decision. Instead, Brooks articulated the essential truth of the NFL: It's business, not personal.

"Everybody has a picture that they want painted their own particular way, but when the picture's not painted your way, you don't kick and scream," Brooks told reporters. "You be a man about it."

Cutler is kicking and screaming. Poor baby. He stiffed the Broncos when they requested a kiss-and-make-up session. Word is he won't even talk to McDaniels on the phone.

So what if the Broncos considered proposals from the Bucs? Who cares whether they listened to an offer from the Detroit Lions? When you haven't reached the playoffs since '05, when you gag away a three-game division lead with three games left, you listen to everybody about anybody.
Come to think about it, what's so bad about the Bucs? New coach -- Raheem Morris. New tight end -- Kellen Winslow. Newly re-upped wide receivers -- Antonio Bryant (franchise-tagged) and Michael Clayton. And did we mention that Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall was arrested again?

"If they were in fact trying to trade Jay Cutler, then I think that's a situation that's going to cause a very serious problem for the organization," Cook huffed and puffed.

Why? Because Cutler's precious feelings were hurt? Please.

The nontrade causes serious problems only if Cutler wants it that way. To whine about the Broncos' kicking the tires on a trade accomplishes nothing. Especially from a guy with zero playoff appearances and a grand total of 37 NFL games.

Cutler has accomplished nothing in this league. He has pretty passing numbers, but so what? It's time for him to do a Brooks and grow up. It's time for him to spit out the pacifier.

What A Difference 3 Years Can Make!

All the damn haters we have faced over the last three years, proclaiming Jay Cutler the next Messiah.....SUCK IT, not even the Broncos want him anymore.

Cutler thinks he is still on trading block

Broncos Tried To Trade Jay Cutler?


Chris Mortensen reports on the deal that Denver almost pulled off involving their QBTags: Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Jay Cutler, Matt Cassel

Yes, the Denver Broncos want Jay Cutler to return for a little sit down to mend fences after the team's reported failed attempt to trade for New England quarterback Matt Cassel. Cutler won't have any of it after the two sides spoke by telephone Sunday.

Chris Mortensen says Jay Cutler feels the Broncos are not being honest with him. His feelings were hurt when he found out the Broncos were chasing Matt Cassel and he's in no mood to reconcile right now.

"They want me to come in and talk to 'em but I'm not doing it right now; I'm going to lay low," said Cutler. "The [Broncos] deny everything. That's a problem. We know for a fact they tried to trade me."

The Broncos have denied reports of their trade talks with the Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions. They have characterized any dialogue as "inquiries" not initiated by the team, even though multiple sources have confirmed the Broncos' interest in Cassel, who was dealt Saturday by the Patriots to the Chiefs.

"He's not the only person in the last few days we've received calls on," new Broncos coach Josh McDaniels told the Denver Post. "We've received trade calls on a number of players, which is not uncommon this time of the year. I also think the sensitivity of the other trade that was occurring, with my relationship with New England and the whole Cassel thing, I think that stirred the pot even more."

McDaniels was the Patriots' offensive coordinator last season when he helped guide Cassel, a career backup since high school, to an 11-5 record following Tom Brady's season-ending knee injury on opening weekend.

Cutler, the 11th overall pick out of Vanderbilt in the 2006 draft, told The Denver Post he was angry that his name even came up in trade talks and said he still feels he's on the trading block -- something McDaniels denies.

"We don't want to trade Jay," McDaniels said. "We never did. He's our quarterback. We're excited about this season. And excited about what we're doing here in free agency to improve our team."

Sources say that the Bucs offered first- and fourth-round picks to the Broncos for Cutler, and that the Lions offered their second-round pick (No. 33) and possibly a future pick. The deal would have involved the Broncos getting Cassel from the Patriots.

Cutler was scheduled to return to Denver this week to continue learning the team's new playbook under McDaniels. A source close to Cutler said that the quarterback is "too stung" by the trade talks and has refused to speak with McDaniels by phone, let alone travel from his Tennessee home back to Denver.

"I'm upset. I mean, I'm really shocked at this point," Cutler told The Post. "I could see why they want Cassel. I don't know if they think I can't run the system or I don't have the skills for it. Or if they don't think they can sign me with my next contract. I just don't know what it is. I've heard I'm still on the trading block."

Team officials were in contact with his agent, Bus Cook, on Saturday and Sunday to deny their involvement and reinforce their commitment to Cutler. Cook said Cutler has every right to be upset.

"Because that's a vote of no confidence in the guy," Cook told The Associated Press on Sunday. "I don't care if you're talking about trading him for Matt Cassel, Matt Ryan or Tom Brady. That's a vote of no confidence in him, and that's how Jay sees it and I would, too.

"I don't know if they were actively seeking to trade Jay, but on the other hand, I don't know that they were turning a deaf ear to potential offers, either."
It was during their call Sunday with Cook that the Broncos tried to schedule a meeting that the quarterback isn't interested in, at the moment.

A Broncos spokesman told The AP on Sunday that neither McDaniels, newly promoted general manager Brian Xanders nor team owner Pat Bowlen would have anything else to say publicly about the matter.

The organization felt it had adequately addressed the issue by talking to The Post and didn't want to perpetuate the story, team spokesman Patrick Smyth said.
Cutler, who has three years left on his six-year deal he signed as a rookie, is by far the best player McDaniels inherited from Mike Shanahan, who had built a terrific young offense around the quarterback even while neglecting a defense that more than anything probably led to his firing.

Cutler told The Post he feels his relationship with McDaniels has "taken a few steps backward."
"I don't know if the relationship is irreconcilably broken," Cook said. "But I know that as much as he's meant to the organization and that ballclub, if there were attempts to trade him, then I think Jay Cutler is 100 percent right to be more than just a little bit miffed."
Cutler is 17-20 with no playoff appearances since supplanting Jake Plummer late in the 2006 season, and he's known for his petulant, moody personality in his dealings with teammates and the media alike.

"There's an awful lot of smoke for there not to be a fire," Cook said. "If they were in fact trying to trade Jay Cutler, then I think that's a situation that's going to cause a very serious problem for the organization.

"If they weren't, maybe he forgives and forgets. But if they were, that's going to be a very difficult situation to repair."

Chris Mortensen is a senior NFL analyst for ESPN. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

No more football??? Noooooooooo!!!

Were any of us ever that young?

Well, we took some time off because the end of the NFL season always comes as a shock. The Super Bowl was pretty good, and it played out like we thought it would...Cardinals stay close enough (to cover the spread) but ultimately fall to the more experienced Steelers. For a few brief moments we had visions of a Cardinals title in our heads but after the last touchdown the Steelers had way, way too much time on the clock.

So another year come and gone, and LPP goes into hibernation for the Spring. However, we'll still do our best to keep you updated on Jake, the Broncos, the NFL, Mike Shanahan, and anything else we fell might be interesting. For instance, this interview with Jake from 2 weeks ago where he answers questions about Shanahan, Cutler, and Denver's new coach Josh McDaniels. He even makes a not-so-subtle comparison between Pumpkin Pie and Jeff George, which even made us sort of go "wow, can't believe he went there" even though it could end up being deadly accurate if Cutler never develops past where he is now.

Let's face it, Cutler had one of the better (by reputation, mind you) offensive minds in football holding his leash for the past three years. If his future coaches can't get him over the hump where numbers actually translate into success, Pumpkin Pie is going to be more of an Archie Manning than a Peyton Manning, and we all know the city of Denver won't stand for it. The current Broncos receiver corps is one of the top five in the league, so this isn't like Jake's team having a gimpy Rod Smith and nothing else or Elway's "Three Amigos" having to give themselves a clever collective nickname because individually they were fairly average. Granted, the running game is damaged unless Peyton Hillis is the real deal, but Elway used to get to Super Bowls with a substandard running game (at least when Dan Reeves was running the show.)

Will Pumpkin Pie step up and be more than just a Pro Bowler with a poor record? Will the Broncos shake the ghost of Shanahan and rise again to dominate an AFC West that is absolutely ripe for the taking? Will Jake the Snake Plummer return to bring the thunder to some lucky and deserving NFL team? Will LetPlummerPlay.com close its doors after proving without a shadow of a doubt that we were absolutely 100% right about the state of the Broncos over the past 3 years and that anyone who told us different was higher than Michael Phelps at a house party?

Well...maybe, maybe, probably not, and we'll see. Congratulations to the Steelers, kudos to the Cardinals, best of luck to our Broncos, best wishes to Jake, and all the best to the loyal few who still come around and read...

LET PLUMMER PLAY!!!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Apparently we were right about two things

1. Jake will be rooting for the Cardinals on Super Bowl Sunday.
2. Jake was far from upset when he heard the news about Shanny.

This article that caught up with our patron saint came out a few days ago, but we just read it a few hours after our last posting. Good luck with the ongoing handball career Snake, and thanks for not disappointing...somehow we just knew.