The Misfits

There are a lot of angles to the Jay Cutler-Josh McDaniels dust up. And, because it's the offseason lull between free agency's big money days and the Draft, many are covered.

Rookie head coach McDaniels has been lauded for a tough line stance with his new team's established star.

McDaniels's also been chided for his tactless overreaching, a cautionary tale proving the old "a bird in the hand..." adage.

Cutler, the pouty face of the franchise, has caught hell for being overly sensitive to the cold machinations of the game. Others have pointed out the circular logic of Cutler demanding a trade because he was the subject of trade talk.

Even Cutler's agent Bus Cook has warranted suspicion for his amorphous role at the center of significant quarterback controversies in successive seasons, lest anyone forget his client Brett Favre and the tense standoff with the Packers.

But by far my favorite analysis comes from Zac at Throwing Into Traffic who without venom or malice presses the "Fire Josh McDaniels" button for all the right reasons.

(Honestly, if you're not getting your day-late, thought-heavy NFL analysis between Throwing Into Traffic and here, where are you getting it?)

Teams are not the manifestation of one person's identity. This is McDaniels's first mistake. In tacitly accusing Cutler of such, he has in turn drawn himself into that fallacy. I'm not saying both sides are blameless. But Cutler's job is to perform on the field. McDaniels's job is ready his team as whole for their job. So far, he's stumbling out of the gate.

Plenty of people doubt Cutler's worth. He's presided over a mediocre 17-20 record in his two-and-a-half years as a starter. And despite Cutler's impressive numbers last year, the Broncos folded miserably down the stretch.

Blame should be thrown on Denver's atrocious defense (rushing yards of 158 to Oakland, 147 to Carolina, and 289 to San Diego, all in loss). But inevitably fingers will always point to Cutler's play which also slipped, throwing 7 of his 18 interceptions in the last six games while accounting for only 8 touchdowns (6 passing, 2 rushing).

Consider, however, Cutler's accomplishments and potential relative to his development. In 2006, Cutler was the third quarterback taken in the first round. Both those selected before him sit the bench behind capable veteran starters simply because they've lacked the mental acuity - to say nothing of the complete skill set Cutler with which outshines his peers - to handle the starting role. Phase one, perhaps.

In fact, no quarterback of the 2006 class comes close to Cutler. Kellen Clemens. Tarvaris Jackson. Brodie Croyle. Bruce Gradkowski. And those are just the illustrious names!

Cutler is well ahead of the curve considering quarterbacks from the previous draft class. From 2005, only Jason Campbell, Aaron Rodgers, and ironically Matt Cassel come close. Campbell in Washington has never bore the burden of the offense quite like Cutler in Denver. Rodgers lacks Cutler's in-game experience. And Cassel was swaddled with a top-rate supporting cast and coaching staff in his maiden season in New England last year.

Is he Peyton Manning or Tom Brady? No. But he's also an immense rarity in the league, a promising talent with production and valuable experience heading into potentially his best years.

So why the drama? Shouldn't McDaniels recognize this with much greater depth and understanding than we outsiders ever can?

The simple answer to all this strife is that McDaniels is following in the footsteps of his mentor Bill Belichick, chasing the illustrious Patriots Way, ripping the "I" out of "Team," playing hero to a thousand high school football coaches scattered across the country.

But more important to note is that McDaniels is following more closely the path of Belichick in less ideal ways.

Cleveland fans know what I'm talking about. Before the Evil Genius was winning Super Bowls with discarded veterans and pluck, he was catalyzing the downfall of a once-illustrious franchise with his callous mismanagement of its biggest star.

Belichick divided a city and team with his ouster of Bernie Kosar, the face of the Browns franchise, a move that helped hasten the team's departure for Baltimore. Had fans not fought so hard to keep their team, there might not be a revived Cleveland franchise today.

The facts are Belichick's grave missteps in Cleveland are consigned to the dusty volumes of history because his inordinate success in New England. Belichick should be lauded for running with a good thing when he sees it (in Tom Brady) and using it as a foundation for future success.

That's the real Patriots Way, truly learning from the past's mistakes while sticking steadfast to one's principles, however ruthless.

Perhaps Belichick's greatest lesson, the only way to sell anything in the NFL, hokey "teamwork first" mantras or anything else, is with sustained success. As much as Belichick prepared for Drew Bledsoe's departure in New England, he didn't force the issue. As much as, Belichick developed contingency plans in case of the worst for Brady, he continues to stand by one of the main reasons for his success.

In one sense, McDaniels's has misinterpreted his former boss's stoicism for inflexibility, not that he's alone among Bill Belichick's former pupils. Eric Mangini seems to be pulling the same act in Cleveland, and one could argue Charlie Weis is guilty of the same at Notre Dame.

If McDaniels is not careful, he will be follow in the footsteps of his former boss, ousted from his first head coaching shot in this league.