Ernie Kosar
Rookie
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2008
- Messages
- 935
- Reaction score
- 20
- Points
- 18
Decimated by injuries, down by 13 in the second half, sporting a sputtering offense and a defenseless defense, the Broncos had every reason to pack it in and head home with their heads bowed and their shoulders slumped.
Then Jay Cutler saved our season.
Turning in one of the best single-game performances in Broncos' franchise history, "LL Cool Jay" took over in the fourth quarter, throwing for three touchdowns and captaining a comeback as the Broncos' mastery of the Browns continued.
Cutler completed 24 of 42 passes for 447 yards, third-best in franchise history, including a 93-yard touchdown bomb to rookie Eddie Royal that served as the shift in momentum the Broncos so desperately needed.
Until the fourth quarter, however, the Broncos looked every bit the team we have seen the past three weeks. Cutler looked disjointed, every running back on our roster was spending some quality time with the trainers, and the defense was making Brady Quinn look like Tom Brady.
The Browns had pinned the Broncos at their own seven-yard line a minute and a half into the final quarter, cruising along with a 23-13 lead in a game they had controlled from the outset. With Cutler needing to break out of his month-long funk where his supreme confidence has been tested and his big-play ability has seemingly vanished, one deep go-route to Royal reversed the Broncos' fortunes of the game—and possibly the season.
With the score now 23-20, one of the defense's most maligned members, Dre Bly, made perhaps the play of the year by stripping Browns tight end Kellen Winslow, causing a fumble, which Denver recovered, leading to a Cutler-to-Daniel Graham 28-yard touchdown.
When the usual Broncos defense returned on the ensuing drive, with Quinn leading the Browns to an easy touchdown to regain the lead at 30-27, Captain Cutler commandeered a game-winning score that left Cleveland fans conjuring up bitter memories of another Denver quarterback breaking their hearts in the game's final minutes.
Cutler's 15-yard TD to Brandon Marshall with 1:14 left to play not only signified Cutler's return to offensive prominence, but showed that Marshall was ready to respond to comments made by Miami's Joey Porter that he was "soft."
The real MVP of Marshall's TD, however, was veteran Brandon Stokely who quickly stopped Marshall before he was about to use a prop to celebrate his score, which would have earned the Broncos a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Later, we found out that he was just going to show off a black and white glove to honor new President-elect Barack Obama, but Stokely still saved Shanahan much frustration and perhaps taught the young Marshall a lesson or two on celebratory timing.
Lost in the glut of offensive yards racked up by the Broncos, 564 total, which is good for second most in franchise history, was the play of both rookie running backs, Ryan Torain and fullback Peyton Hillis.
Torain had 12 rushes for 68 yards and a touchdown before leaving once again with an injury. This time, his knee gave out on him and preliminary reports are that he could be done for the year.
When Torain and backup Selvin Young went down as well, Hillis stepped up in a big way, by shouldering the load in the entire second half. His grit-and-guts run on 4th-and-1 kept the Broncos' final scoring drive alive on their march to the end zone.
Hillis is beginning to make a name for himself, as his production the last two games has skyrocketed. With Hillis being the only able-backfield-body on the Broncos' roster right now, his touches look to increase when the Broncos head to Atlanta next week.
At 5-4 and with a game-and-a-half lead on the Chargers, all of a sudden, there is joy in Broncos Country.
And it all started with Captain Cutler.
Read More...
Get More Browns Here...
Then Jay Cutler saved our season.
Turning in one of the best single-game performances in Broncos' franchise history, "LL Cool Jay" took over in the fourth quarter, throwing for three touchdowns and captaining a comeback as the Broncos' mastery of the Browns continued.
Cutler completed 24 of 42 passes for 447 yards, third-best in franchise history, including a 93-yard touchdown bomb to rookie Eddie Royal that served as the shift in momentum the Broncos so desperately needed.
Until the fourth quarter, however, the Broncos looked every bit the team we have seen the past three weeks. Cutler looked disjointed, every running back on our roster was spending some quality time with the trainers, and the defense was making Brady Quinn look like Tom Brady.
The Browns had pinned the Broncos at their own seven-yard line a minute and a half into the final quarter, cruising along with a 23-13 lead in a game they had controlled from the outset. With Cutler needing to break out of his month-long funk where his supreme confidence has been tested and his big-play ability has seemingly vanished, one deep go-route to Royal reversed the Broncos' fortunes of the game—and possibly the season.
With the score now 23-20, one of the defense's most maligned members, Dre Bly, made perhaps the play of the year by stripping Browns tight end Kellen Winslow, causing a fumble, which Denver recovered, leading to a Cutler-to-Daniel Graham 28-yard touchdown.
When the usual Broncos defense returned on the ensuing drive, with Quinn leading the Browns to an easy touchdown to regain the lead at 30-27, Captain Cutler commandeered a game-winning score that left Cleveland fans conjuring up bitter memories of another Denver quarterback breaking their hearts in the game's final minutes.
Cutler's 15-yard TD to Brandon Marshall with 1:14 left to play not only signified Cutler's return to offensive prominence, but showed that Marshall was ready to respond to comments made by Miami's Joey Porter that he was "soft."
The real MVP of Marshall's TD, however, was veteran Brandon Stokely who quickly stopped Marshall before he was about to use a prop to celebrate his score, which would have earned the Broncos a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Later, we found out that he was just going to show off a black and white glove to honor new President-elect Barack Obama, but Stokely still saved Shanahan much frustration and perhaps taught the young Marshall a lesson or two on celebratory timing.
Lost in the glut of offensive yards racked up by the Broncos, 564 total, which is good for second most in franchise history, was the play of both rookie running backs, Ryan Torain and fullback Peyton Hillis.
Torain had 12 rushes for 68 yards and a touchdown before leaving once again with an injury. This time, his knee gave out on him and preliminary reports are that he could be done for the year.
When Torain and backup Selvin Young went down as well, Hillis stepped up in a big way, by shouldering the load in the entire second half. His grit-and-guts run on 4th-and-1 kept the Broncos' final scoring drive alive on their march to the end zone.
Hillis is beginning to make a name for himself, as his production the last two games has skyrocketed. With Hillis being the only able-backfield-body on the Broncos' roster right now, his touches look to increase when the Broncos head to Atlanta next week.
At 5-4 and with a game-and-a-half lead on the Chargers, all of a sudden, there is joy in Broncos Country.
And it all started with Captain Cutler.
Read More...
Get More Browns Here...