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Players Broncos Picks Injuries Projections Rookies Blogs SuperbowlPublished: August 7, 2009
“It’s a lot (different). Denver’s like a six, and Chicago’s like a nine. It’s quite a bit different. Just the fans and how passionate they are, that’s probably the biggest difference.”
Yes, this is the Chicago Bears’ quarterback Jay Cutler speaking on a local Chicago sports show about the fans in Denver.
I do not blame Cutler for speaking out about the Broncos, as the terms of his departure were by no means friendly.
I do blame him for going after the passion of the fans of the Broncos, though.
The debate as to whether it was Cutler or Josh McDaniels (or both) at fault for the messy situation over the winter may never be settled. However, most people in Denver have moved on from talking about Cutler.
Evidently, Cutler himself has not.
According the details given, “Interviewed Tuesday night on ESPN Radio in Chicago, Cutler was asked about the 20,000 fans who showed up to the Bears’ practices over the weekend.”
That’s it. Nobody asked him for his opinion of the fans in Denver. They might have asked him how that compared to training camp in Denver, but Cutler himself was the one who brought up passion.
I believe nearly all fans of every team in professional sports are passionate. Maybe not “bandwagon” fans or fans of the Florida Marlins (or one of the more dysfunctional organizations around the sports world). Other than that, most fans have passion.
Some more than others, though.
There is no disputing the fact that the Denver Broncos have some of the best fans in the NFL. Mile High Stadium, the “Thunder”, the Barrel-Man.
Very few people have the audacity to question the passion of Broncos fans.
Clearly Cutler is trying to “stir things up.”
He could have ripped on Josh McDaniels, Pat Bowlen, or the front office. He could have blasted the Broncos’ defense that let him down many a time in 2007 and 2008.
But he didn’t. He went after the passion of the fans, and Denver as a football town.
Nobody said he had to feel any love for Denver, for the Broncos, or even the fans.
He could at least respect the fact that fans stood by him after he fell flat on his face leading the Broncos down the stretch last season—losing the final three games to complete one of the worst collapses in the NFL.
Fans even stood by him in his fight with McDaniels, Bowlen, and the rest of the Broncos’ front office after he threw a fit about hearing his name in trade rumors.
People called for the firing of Josh McDaniels, simply to appease Cutler.
So, when asked, what right does Cutler have to bash the very people who supported him while he was becoming the player he now is today?
Broncos fans should use this as a spark. Go out this season and show the team the kind of passionate support they’re used to. Even if this year is a “down year”, which it may or may not be.
Jay Cutler is just as mature now, as he was back in December when he screamed, “What the f**k Eddie?” after Eddie Royal couldn’t quite reach a pass that Cutler had air-mailed 10 feet too high in that infamous San Diego Chargers game.
Yeah, not very mature at all.