Didn't you kind of know that Cutler would pump out 4 touchdowns (including a gorgeous game winner in overtime) to make the Vikings season suddenly look doomed? No? Well, you fans, don't know that Jay Cutler still has balls the size of plums, even in sub-zero temperatures.

Honorable mention: E-A-G-L-E-S. Who wants a bye?

PHOTO: Chicago Tribune

The Steelers and Bears lost big games this weekend, and the frustration mounted to the point of manufactured controversy. On the Sunday Night Football broadcast, Ward opened up to Bob Costas:

This game is almost like a playoff game. It's almost a must-win. I could see some players or teammates questioning, like, 'It's just a concussion. I've played with a concussion before. I would go out there and play.' So, it's almost like a 50-50 toss-up in the locker room, you know? Should he play? Shouldn't he play? It's really hard to say. I've been out there dinged up. The following week, got right back out there."

Only problem is, Big Ben's brain doctor told him that his brain wasn't in playing shape. So today Ward apologized to Roethlisberger via Facebook, which is apparently what you do when you've got more than 140 characters to write.

I would never question a man's toughness playing in a STEELER unif. I didn't mean to cause such a stir. My frustration was based on the fact that this was a big game for us to stay in the playoff picture and having Ben out there gave us our best opp to win in Balt. I was frustrated because there was no indication of... Ben not being able to play because he practiced a normal routine this week (wed, thurs and fri)."

[snip]

"I know Ben wanted to play this game but the docs told him he's down, and with that we trust our docs with their decisions. We would never jeopardize anyone's health for a game of football. Life is way to precious. One thing about Ben, he is a WINNER. We just wanted this game so badly."

So, all's well in Pittsburgh. These things are easier to get past when you're probably playoff bound. But in Chicago, Urlacher had this to say (obliquely) about Jay Cutler:

I hate the way our identity has changed. We used to establish the run and wear teams down and try not to make mistakes, and we'd rely on our defense to keep us in the game and make big plays to put us in position to win...Kyle Orton might not be the flashiest quarterback, but the guy is a winner, and that formula worked for us. I hate to say it, but that's the truth."

Today, he was asked to clarify. He clarified very little:

I'm not taking a shot at Jay. I'm not one bit taking a shot at Jay. He throws it better, right? And we haven't tried to run the ball as much. That's true. But Kyle has won games. His formula works. So I'm not taking a shot at Jay or Kyle."

Let's translate athlete-speak into English. Urlacher had originally said "the team needs to stop throwing so much, because Cutler is a bust who can't stop throwing interceptions and is costing the team games." His carefully considered remarks two days later are that "the team needs to stop throwing so much, because Cutler is a bust who can't stop throwing interceptions and is costing the team games. But I'm not taking a shot at Jay."

The lesson: get yourself a Facebook page, Brian. As of press time, more than 1100 people clicked the little thumbs-up icon next to Ward's comments.

Hines Ward Facebook Page [Facebook]
Brian Urlacher Says Comments About Chicago Bears Teammates Not Meant To Be Derogatory [Chicago Tribune]

•If he's going to bang his way through Hollywood, why not try a little acting? Derek Jeter has a cameo as a homeless man in the new Will Ferrell movie.

•Holy shit. I don't ever want to see the Bears on national TV ever again (not that I get the NFL Network, but you get the idea). Jay Cutler passed the ball to 12 different players; five of them on the 49ers.

•Maybe Jamal Lewis had a point about Browns practices being too rough? DE Keith Grennan ruptured a patellar tendon during yet another one of Eric Mangini's "opportunity drills." If the point of these optional practices is to give players the opportunity to prove to coaches that their knees won't explode, Grennan failed to impress.

•Joe Namath's yellow Lab was declared dangerous and must be muzzled, after it attacked a UPS driver and a nurse. Expect Joe to be running the wildcat offense for his retirement community's recreational period football team soon.

•Cam Ward will miss a month of action after having his leg sliced by a skate blade. Want the only proof you need that players aren't as tough as they used to be? Clint Malarchuk was back in goal a week later.

•An eighth grader was suspended for shaving Bengals stripes into his hair. The school claims it violates their code of conduct on hairstyles, but I think his real crime is being a Bengals fan.

•Tired of the flowchart meme yet? Too bad, because here's a really good one for NHL suspensions.

•Finally, because it's sweeping the Interwebs, it's the Dock Ellis LSD No-Hitter. In cartoon form!

•The Tampa Bay Lightning got their yucks from a good-old fashioned game of "strip shootout," where if you don't score on a breakaway, you remove a piece of clothing. The players said they got really excited by the game, which gives a whole new meaning to "high-sticking."

•The Bears ink Jay Cutler to a two-year extension. While he hasn't exactly set the world on fire, he's a better option than Rex Grossman, Brian Griese, Chad Hutchinson, Jonathan Quinn, Craig Krenzell, Kordell Stewart, Chris Chandler, Henry Burris, Cade McNown, Jim Miller, Shane Matthews, Steve Stenstrom, Moses Moreno, Rick Mirer, Dave Kreig, Eric Kramer, Steve Walsh, Will Furrer, Peter Tom Willis...

•The Yankees take a 3-1 series lead on the ample back of CC Sabathia. Accusations of Sabathia throwing a Rivera-like spitball were refuted when FOX cameras picked up a hot dog vendor in his line of sight, indicating it was only drool.

•Tennessee Papa John's were offering one free topping for every Titans touchdown this weekend. Hope you like cheese pizza.

•In advance of the NFL's upcoming jaunt to London, one British tabloid attempts to bust 10 myths about the NFL. Sadly, the part about a coin toss being used to decide tie games is no myth.

•The NBA expects to have their referees back on the court in time for next week's opener, and none too soon. Did you see that Cleveland game last night? The Mavs were only getting whistled if they actually fouled LeBron!

•To cap the morning off, we've got some video of a ladies room fight at this weekend's Texas/OU game. More like Yellow River Rivalry, amirite?

Three games down with four to play? No one has ever come back from that. It's impossible, really. I mean, it would take a pretty pathetic baseball squad to choke away a lead that big! I'm not sure if any team that terrible exists.

Oh, wait. They very much do. All the Twins had to do was win four games in a row, beat the (probable) AL Cy Young Award winner and then hope the Tigers lost two of three to the White Sox at home. Actually, the way Detroit has been playing the only miracle is that the Twins haven't already clinched the division. Instead, they get one more big game at their dying stadium—a place that has been very friendly for them in the past, especially in against the Tigers. (7-2 this year and I'm already having nightmares of Juan Berenguer.)

And of course, Brett Favre is involved! Thanks to Monday night's brainsmasher against the Packers, the Twins will get an extra day of rest, the Tigers get an extra day to contemplate the futility of the universe, and the Dome's life as a multi-purpose stadium gets a dramatic two-day retirement party. It's good to be in Minnesota, I guess. Especially if you enjoy murdering the last hope and dream of a dying American city.

Hope you're happy, you heartless cretins.

Power, confidence evident in rout of Royals [Star-Tribune]
Twins gladly invite Tigers to the 'Dome [Dan Wetzel]
Mitch Albom: Justin Verlander saves the day — for another day [Free Press]
Ode to Dan Barreiro [Bugs and Cranks]

* * * * *

Here are some other big winners, who did not win quite as big:

Brandon Marshall: Hey, remember when this guy was a clubhouse cancer? Now he and idiot-child Josh McDaniels are BFF and the freakin' Broncos are 4-0. Marshall's dramatic 51-yard touchdown killed America's (Most Hated) Team and made us all warm and fuzzy. Trade demand? What trade demand? [Boston Herald]

Jay Cutler: Hey, remember when this guy was a clubhouse cancer? Since his horrifying opening game, Cutler has thrown 7 touchdowns and just one pick and the Bears are looking good at 3-1. And he's now being compared to John Elway, which probably just blew your mind all over the back of your chair. [Chicago Tribune/Denver Post]

People Who Hate Fun: Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green made a ridiculous, life-defining touchdown catch to give his team a one-point lead in the final minute of a crucial conference game against a hated rival—and then got penalized 15 yards for drawing attention to himself. The field position helped LSU rally for the win and we all learned a valuable lesson about never enjoying sports. Ever. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

Alexis Thompson: The 14-year-old held the 36-hole lead at the Navistar LPGA Classic and even though she eventually finished the tourney in 27th place, has got to have folks wondering how quickly they can unload their Michelle Wie bobbleheads. (She finished tied for second, as if anyone gave a crap.) [American Chronicle]

Non-Selective Agriculture Schools: I guess Rich Rodriguez's crew could have used a couple more illegal practices. [Michigan Daily]

Jay Cutler reminds me of America. He is strong, and symmetrical. I think, sometimes, of Jay Cutler-and perhaps you do, too-that he is too young to know what it is to be a Franchise Quarterback. But, then, Marino was once young, once, too.

I like to imagine a strong, quiet quarterback, crouching behind center, steely-eyed and reserved, but taking it all in. Weighing, in one hand, the defensive alignment, and in the other hand, the play clock and how many timeouts he has, and, carefully, but determinedly, continuing to weigh, until the ball is snapped. I wonder, sometimes, if Cutler can do this. I fear the answer is no.

***

Thomas Brady was only 25 when 9/11 happened. I wonder. Did he watch it on television? It was, I imagine, much like it must've been for Bart Starr to witness the assassination of President Kennedy.

Brady is, we're told, beautiful, like a fawn. I worry about fawns in professional football. When I was a girl, a professional quarterback was supposed to look like your father, only uglier. It seemed more appropriate, more real. The great mass of Americans, the big center, they don't want to see a fawn get sacked for a loss of yards. It reminds me of something Arthur Schlessinger once wrote about Fran Tarkenton.

Thomas Brady is a great American. And I pray, for football, and for America, that Jay Cutler can become one.

Why shouldn't the quarterback for the Monsters of the Midway look like he just got done playing touch football in Hyannis Port with the Kennedys?

I just demanded to be traded ... into Tartan!

Do you like Huey Lewis and the News? Their early work was a little too new wave for my tastes, but when Sports came out in '83, I think they really came into their own, commercial and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. He's been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far much more bitter, cynical sense of humor.

A New Jay [Michigan Avenue Magazine]

1. Sometimes you suuuuuuulk, sometimes you buuuurn… Congratulations, Chicagoland. Cutlerfucker is all yours now. You get the total package: the mumbling, the arrogance, the glaring lack of charisma. This is the stuff leaders are made of.

Stefan Fatsis spent an entire training camp with Cutler, and he's always been vehement with me that Cutler is a total fucking prick no one likes, AND that Denver was right to get rid of him (I disagree). I keep asking Fatsis to go on the record with tales of the Frown Cannon's legendary dickishness. Fatsis always refuses, because he's "polite" and "a real professional." Whatever. Fuck that noise. Let's lay it bare. Jay Cutler is an emo-banged cocksucker who makes his teammates want to rape him with a rake. You don't have to like your QB to win a championship. But you do have to actively not want to stop blocking for him so that he'll get a massive spinal cord injury and then be airlifted back to Indiana and left for dead. That's key.

He's also maddeningly inconsistent. For every brilliant performance Cutler gave last year, he turned in an equally turnoverriffic choke job, particularly during the Broncos' now infamous three-game losing streak to close out the 2008 season in which he tossed four interceptions and averaged a passer rating of 73.9. And that was when he had GOOD receivers to work with. Chicago's best receiver is a great return man who has yet to show that he can convert, Steve Smith-style, to a real #1 wideout.

Also, Charger fans would like to point out that HE FUCKING FUMBLED! GOD DAMN HOCHULI, YOU FUCK!

2. 1985 was a long, long time ago. Has any franchise ever gotten more undue mileage out of a single championship? It's as if the Bears won three Super Bowl titles in 1985. Look, that was a fine team, even if they played in an era where someone like Mike Ditka could somehow manage to outcoach other people. But Jesus fucking Christ, they make it seem like every player on the Bears since that time has some genealogical tie to Richard Dent and Co. You've won one lousy Super Bowl, Chicago. Your team has been a fucking abortion ever since. When the Chiefs win a game (hypothetically speaking, of course), headlines in Kansas City don't scream SHADES OF '69?! Clinging to 1985 isn't gonna help you any, Bears fans. Speaking of beating dead horses…

3. Can we get a fucking moratorium on saying "Da Bears"? Seriously, quoting that sketch was old back in '92. There are certain "jokes" that take up permanent residence in the broadcasting lexicon (New York FOOTBALL Giants is another) simply because talk show hosts and studio analysts lack the imagination to think of something fucking different. I bet Robert Smigel is even fucking tired of hearing it. "Let me ask you dis! Ditka versus…" SHUT THE FUCK UP.

4. Deep dish pizza is disgusting. Chicago is probably my favorite city in the country, but god damn is that one fat population. People in Chicago are so fat, they're windproof. A 200 mph typhoon could whip through that town and not a single body would be lifted off the ground. Top culprit in the city's meatwave is the deep dish pizza. Yes, the pizza for people who are too fat and tired to ask for extra cheese. Three inches of mozzarella? Check. Soggy bottom crust? Check. Potential for lethal food poisoning? Check. It's not that deep dish pizza tastes bad. Of course it tastes good. It's Chicagoans' ludicrous insistence that deep dish pizza is the only acceptable form of pizza. That's beyond wrong if you enjoy things like texture and not dying by the age of 40. The fat has gone to your tiny little brains, people.

5. The readers have their say. From Nathan J.:

Fuck their history of thinking that a fucking middle linebacker is more important than any quarterback.

Fuck the Super Bowl Shuffle and anything that keeps that flash in the pan team relevant in "all time great team" conversations. We get it. You guys were characters. Ditka was "blue collar" epitomized. The Fridge was more than just a GI Joe action figure - he was a mediocre defensive tackle!!! Go the fuck away. These assholes are the '72 Dolphins for those of us cursed with living in Illinois. As soon as their always overrated defense shuts out a shitty Detroit or St Louis team, the 1985 comparisons start.

Fuck their "if you think that Tony Dungy is an overrated piece of soft spoken shit, get a load of me" idiot coach.

Fuck their Cover 2 defense. The shit has been figured out.

Fuck their philosophy of "defense wins championships" that made them ignore putting out something resembling an entertaining football team up until (probably) this year.

Fuck their "rivalry" with the Packers that gives that fat shit Berman a reason to be even fucking louder on Countdown for two sets of highlights per year. "Frozen Tundra!!! Lombardi!!! Halas!!! Starr!!! Ditka!!!" I get it. These two stupid fucking franchises played about 30 more years of NFL football than most of the others, so there's more history there. No one born after 1970 gives a fuck.

Reader (and Bears fan) Disco Choo:

1. Jerry Angelo's draft record:
2001—David Terrell (1), Anthony Thomas (2), Mike Gandy (3)
2002—Marc Columbo (1), Roe Williams (3), Terrance Metcalf (3)
2003—Michael Haynes (1), Rex Grossman (1), Charles Tillman (2), Lance Briggs (3)
2004—Tommie Harris (1), Tank Johnson (2), Bernard Berrian (3)
2005—Cedric Benson (1), Mark Bradley (2) (next pick was Kyle Orton in the 4th round—best draft ever?)
2006—Danieal Manning (2), Devin Hester (2), Dusty Dvoracek (3)
2007—Greg Olsen (1), Dan Bazuin (2), Garrett Wolfe (3), Michael Okwo (3)
2008—Chris Williams (1), Matt Forte (2), Earl Bennett (3), Marcus Harrison (3)
2009—Jarron Gilbert (3), Juaquin Iglesias (3)

2. The secondary might be the worst in the league: Tillman is out indefinitely, Nathan Vasher being good was a farce, and even the guys you haven't heard of keep getting hurt in camp. The depth chart from the team's site currently reads: LCB Trumaine McBride/Corey Graham; RCB Nathan Vasher; SS Kevin Payne; FS Danieal Manning. Aaron Rodgers certainly is quaking as we speak.

3. After Cutler dies, we got nothing: Caleb Hanie and Bret Basanez.

4. Matt Forte might die, too: he was heavily worked his rookie year, rushing the ball 316 times and leading the team in catches, and this year could be similar. And he was such a nice kid, too.

5. No fucking cheerleaders?: from 1977 to 1985, Chicago had The Honey Bears, whom former owner George Halas loved and said would be around as long as he lived. He died in 1983 and his heirs ditched them shortly thereafter. No sideline pussy since (if you don't count Curtis Enis).

6. Tailgating is a pain is the ass: from Bearshistory.com—"In 2004, the Bears banned canopies, open fires and deep fryers from the lots, so in order to get one of the extremely limited number of grass spots where you are able to use a canopy to block wind, plan on getting there before 7 a.m." Oh, and it's cold.

Wanna be part of the Deadspin NFL previews? It's simple. Just email me here and give me some reasons why the team you hate most sucks. If it's because you dated a fan of the team and she turned out to be some crazy bitch who keyed your car, all the better. I'll throw any good material into the post and give you proper credit.

Ah, the wisdom of children! It was bad enough when Cutler whined and cried his way to a trade to Chicago, but he crossed another line this week by proclaiming Denver fans to be less than passionate boosters.

"In Denver, we didn't have this many fans at all," he said. "We weren't even able to accommodate that many fans [at practice]. That's Chicago Bears fans for you. They're proud of their Bears.

"It's a lot [different]. Denver's like a 6 and Chicago's like a 9," Cutler said during the interview. "It's quite a bit different. Just the fans and how passionate they are, that's probably the biggest difference."

Well, this Denver fan has your 6 right here ... and oh, look at that ... now it's on fire! Jay Cutler may never take notice of this YouTube video and others that may follow, but that doesn't really matter. This is a cleansing fire, meant to burn away the scars and melt the icy shackles that the Bears quarterback has encased around Colorado hearts.

Bathe in the flames, Children, and you will be born anew!

I Believe the Children are Our Future [Slanch Report]
Jay Cutler rates Chicago Bears fans over Denver Broncos fans; Kyle Orton booed at practice [ESPN]

A reader enlightens:

Took this pic of a guy with a custom Bears jersey at a bar in Denver last weekend. Thought you might appreciate it.

I do appreciate it. I do indeed.

*****

Now, good morning. It's Tuesday. Rejoice.

As you know, Miss Allison, a Chicagoish native, was Twittering about her Saturday night at Hub 51 with the Bears new quarterback, which resulted in disco dancing and a compliment about her headband. I communicated with Miss Allison over IM today and she wants Football America to know, for the record, that she did not bang Cutler that evening and, no, he wasn't smashed. He only had two beers, she says. She added that Mr. Cutler was surprisingly less stupid than many Denver Broncos scouts might have you think. "So he was actually quite witty, which is normal for the sorts of men with whom I spend time, but even more impressive given that he throws a ball for a living. Then again, I take photos of myself for a living - and not even particularly good ones - so who am I to talk?"

Splendid. The above photo of Julia is from that fateful night, but there are no photos of her and Cutler. Why? Cutler's bodyguard forbid it. Wisely, I might add.

But Miss Allison will be spending a good portion of time in the Chicago area this summer and does not rule out the possibility of mingling with Jay Cutler again while he off-seasons at various Chicagoland watering holes. Best of luck to those crazy kids.

According to numerous reports, Cutler spent the Easter weekend bonding with teammates (like Greg Olsen) at Chicago's Sub 51, boozing and boinking internet starlets, I assume as a way of decompressing from his messy divorce from the Denver Broncos. Why else would he be so young and foolish? HE'S RISKING A DIABETIC PATIENT'S LIFE.

Of course, Cutler could be kicking back with Diet Coke or a Mr. Pib, but wasn't Cutler's alcohol consumption one of the things that got him booted out of Denver? The Italian Fella at Pro Football Talk brought up that issue in late March, per Fox 31 in Denver's Broncos Insider blog:

"The source said there are concerns about Cutler's consumption of alcohol, and ‘that he's not that sharp.'

Well, the photo doesn't do much too disprove Cutler's lack of acuity.

Jay Cutler Will Make You Forget About Kyle Orton [Not Qualified To Comment]

According to the Sun-Times:

The Bears acquired quarterback Jay Cutler today for No. 1 draft picks in 2009 and 2010, a No. 3 pick this year and Kyle Orton, the Sun-Times has learned.

The Bears receive the Broncos' fifth-round draft pick this year.

Wow. Anyway, obviously, this also marks the end of the brilliant (for us) Kyle Orton era in Chicago. But lucky for him the winters are quite nasty in Denver as well, so the Neckbeard could possibly return.

Bears get their quarterback in trade with Denver [Chicago Sun-Times]

We talk about the difference between a coach like Josh McDaniels giving a player the "my way or the highway" bullshit and a coach like Bill Parcells doing the same thing. The conclusion: you have to have earned enough coaching credentials to be able to be a real dick to your players.

Silver also ponders the possibility of McDaniels getting fired after one season on the job. And we talk about whether or not Cutler also deserves some blame for being a bitch. Because he is kind of a little fucking bitch. I also make a joke about Cutler's diabetes, only to find out Silver has a son with the same condition. Whoop dee! Almost worse than the time I made fun of people with Tourette's and people with OCD in front of a person who suffered from both. I am a good person.

We also talk about "Henry and June," the time I saw "Boogie Nights" in the theater with my folks, the sad state of the Raiders (Silver: "Al Davis has been a ruinous owner."), body surfing with Bobby Beathard (BRAH!) and more. There's a small flub at around the 30 minutes mark due to Silver's cell phone crapping out. Oh, and I say, "You know?" roughly 60,000 times. If it's not one hideous verbal crutch, it's another.

No Leitch this week. He's busy moving to a new apartment. Hopefully, he brought all his raisins with him. This week's podcast is available for your listening pleasure right here. You can also find the Deadcast in the iTunes Music Store here (should be up shortly). Special thanks to Dan Levy at On The DL for helping with tech support, and Liberated Syndication for hosting us. Got an email you want read over the air? Send it to me here. Now sit back, relax, and get your Deadcast on.

In an interview with NFL.com on Monday, McDaniels insisted that the Broncos' relationship with Cutler is reparable.

"He's our quarterback," McDaniels said. "We can't predict the future. He's our quarterback, we want him to be our quarterback, we made that very clear to him and we hope he feels the same way. (Trade) Conversations were had and we've never denied that. But at the same time it's our job to look at every opportunity that we can to see if it's something that could improve our football team and that's what we were doing."

Then, there's this bit of middle school drama from the Denver Post:

According to an NFL source, McDaniels sent a text to the disgruntled Cutler before arriving here at the owners meetings. Cutler has yet to respond.

OMG, a text message? Cutler thinks that's disrespectful. And he kind of has a point. If you want to get back together with someone, you don't text them. You show up at their house and wait in the hot tub like in that mop commercial.

McDaniels Downplays Trade Request [Denver Post]
McDaniels Says Relationship With Cutler Isn't Severed [NFL.com]

Things started to get suspicious on Thursday when the disgruntled Broncos quarterback put his $2 million home up for sale. That's usually what you do when you no longer want to live in a place, but maybe he just wanted to move into a tent up in Greeley. Plus, Cutler did meet with his new head coach Josh McDaniels on Saturday and surely a face-to-face conversation would clear up whatever philosophical differences the two gentlemen have about five-step drops.

But now it's Monday and the team's first offseason workouts begin today and Cutler is not even in the state. The latest word is that he is nowhere near the city of Denver and has formally asked the team to trade him.

At the end of the meeting, he wasn't like, 'Jay, I want you as our quarterback, you're our guy.' It felt like the opposite. He basically said that I needed to tell him if we can't work this out, to let him know," Cutler added. "I thought he was antagonizing me and that was disappointing because I was ready to move on, committed as a Bronco."

Cutler says that McDaniels fully admitted that he would rather have Matt Cassel, but even though that's never going to happen the two still can't seem to make nice. McDaniels told his slightly different side of the story:

"Again, I think that's been a pattern. I couldn't get [Cutler] to talk to me for two weeks or to talk to Mr. Bowlen. Then when he came here this weekend, we couldn't get a one-on-one meeting, just me and him alone. He wanted Bus in there, so I had Brian sit in, too. And it was the four of us. There wasn't any yelling, none of that. I can't believe we get to a totally different [interpretation].

It really appears that all McDaniels had to do is say "Jay, you're the best and I love you forever" and everyone could get on with their lives, but it appears that the coach is too proud to beg. So now the Broncos have to try and deal their starting quarterback, yet do it from a weak bargaining position because the guy they are trying to trade is Jay Cutler.

Jay Cutler Tells Denver Broncos To Trade Him - cbs4denver.com [CBS4]
Breaking: Jay Cutler Formally Requests A Trade [But The Game Is On]
Jay Cutler Puts Home Up For Sale [KMGH Denver]

Cutler is still peeved that McDaniels considered trading him this offseason and then maybe wasn't completely up front about it. The head coach and his quarterback have barely spoken in the last month and a conference call that was supposed to patch things up between everybody yesterday, may have made everything much worse. (And conference calls are usually so productive!) The always popular "sources" say that team officials tried to blame the trade dispute on Cutler, while McDaniels would neither confirm nor deny his trade discussions with other teams, so now Cutler may not show up for offseason workouts, which would be his way of forcing a trade.

So let's get this straight. Cutler was happy in Denver, until the team thought about trading him; but since they thought about trading him, his response might be to get himself traded. He doesn't want to be there anymore, but he thinks the team should make him happy anyway by promising not to trade him, even though he already knows that they want to trade him and would do it if they could. Actually, they probably could have traded him already, but didn't, so maybe that's their way of saying they don't really want to trade him?

Are the Broncos being fair to Cutler? Probably not. But is it fair for a quarterback with a 17-20 lifetime record to expect be untouchable? Does Cutler realize that the alternative is playing for the Detroit Lions? You don't ever want to be on one of their conference calls.

Key for Broncos: Get Cutler to show up Monday [ESPN]
Broncos' talk with Cutler sours [Denver Post]
Jay Cutler and Josh McDaniels have been talking — and that's not good news [West Word]
Who's better, Cutler or Cassel? [Upon Further Review]
Could Lions' draft-day deal be in the works for Jay Cutler? [MLive]

Hastings told Patrick his dislike of Cutler began after the punky qb in training boasted about how his arm was better than Elway's and when he didn't show up to the introductory press conference of new head coach Josh McDaniel. From then on, Cutler's been little bitch'd in his eyes.

Hastings was a former NBA player, does Nuggets color commentary, and co-hosts a radio spot on Sportsradio KKFN-FM 104.3 The Fan in Denver.

I'd say the chances of having Cutler appear on that program anytime soon are pretty slim.

Some Guy Does Not Like Jay Cutler [With Leather]