BOWLEN, CUTLER DID TALK AFTER SHANAHAN WAS FIRED

Some of you might think that we’ve taken a side in this whole Broncos-Cutler drama, because we’ve had several items calling out Cutler for acting like a whiny bitch (can you say “bitch” on the Internet?) and agent Bus Cook for at best letting Cutler do it, and at worst goading him into it. But there’s plenty of blame to go around here. Our most recent SportingNews.com column was titled “Broncos Blowing It With Cutler,” and we pointed out that the team has screwed the pooch by not taking a hard-line “play with us or play with no one” approach regarding Cutler. We’ve also explained (primarily via radio and possibly via PFTV) that we’re suspicious as to whether coach Josh McDaniels took the job not wanting Cutler to be his quarterback, and as to whether McDaniels expressly or implicitly misrepresented his position in this regard to owner Pat Bowlen, who undoubtedly wanted to keep Cutler around. To further demonstrate our willingness to probe both sides of this one, a reader points out to us that, contrary to Bowlen’s vague denial of meeting with Cutler after firing Shanahan, Bowlen previously admitted to talking with his franchise quarterback. Said Bowlen on Wednesday: “I really have had no discussion with Jay or the agent. Mike was fired right after the season. At that point, there was no need to have a discussion with Jay. Now, actually, to be fair, I don’t think I had that discussion. I don’t recall it. I know I’m getting up there in age, and I am not sure of that discussion.” Said Bowlen at the press conference announcing Shanahan’s departure: “I talked to Jay Cutler, and Jay understood the conversation. I talked to him this morning. I didn’t get any negative feedback. I think he understands enough about the business of football, the game of football, that there are going to be coaching changes and changes in organizations. I didn’t sense that Jay had any negative feelings about it, and I’m sure he is very interested in who is going to be the next head coach. Obviously, he is the man around here now, so I will be talking with Jay.” That said, it’s entirely possible that Bowlen and Cutler had a conversation after Shanahan was fired, and that the discussion was as uneventful as Bowlen’s characterization of it seems to suggest. In other words, the fact that Bowlen didn’t remember talking to Cutler doesn’t mean that Cutler/Cook are being truthful when they now say that Bowlen promised not to change the offensive coaching staff. All that said, the latest he-said/he-said development in this relationship further confirms that, barring a miracle, the Broncos will have to trade Cutler. And even though the Broncos will still have some leverage if multiple teams get in on the bidding, the ballpark in which those offers will be made necessarily is getting lower by the day -- especially since teams that might be interested in Cutler are now realizing might actually be getting a whiny bitch, and his instigator/enabler.