In many ways, trades are the pinnacle of professional sports. Whether excitement or disgust, anger or pure bliss, each player transaction inevitably invokes an emotional response from nearly each and every fan. We despise those players leaving the teams for which we have some vested interest, and we forgive any and all transgressions of those players that our teams acquire; focusing only on the future (which we proclaim is significantly brighter now that we have landed a gem). But when trades happen, more than anything, we prognosticate winners and losers. Who got the better end of the deal? Who was left high and dry? And while we cannot, and typically do not, foresee all of the future ripple effects that might answer this question appropriately (i.e. It doesn’t look good to trade Herschel Walker, but it looks a whole lot better when you consider that the received draft picks translated into Emmitt Smith and Darren Woodson), it is an age old tradition that one cannot help but participate in. Because let’s face it, it’s just plain fun.
So, with that said, who exactly won in this past week’s debacle in Denver? Jay Cutler, the Chicago Bears, or the Denver Broncos?
First, one has to consider the underlying factors of the fallout itself. And in order to do this, you have to really define the relationship between a football franchise and its quarterback. This position is likely the most glorified of all in American sports, and so it is not equal to relationships held between an organization and its other players, however good they might be. Rather, it is kind of like a romantic relationship between husband and wife (in fact, it’s a whole lot like that).
A quarterback needs to be established as “the man” through firm statements by the coach, general manager, and owner that he is the “franchise quarterback” (kind of like when you tell a girl that you want to go steady). They are drawn to contracts that promise big dollars upfront through signing bonuses and guaranteed payouts (the size of the bonus and guarantees signify the seriousness of commitment the same way that girls view the size of an engagement ring). And organizations will take more time scouting, analyzing, and breaking down quarterback prospects than they do any other position (think about how thoroughly you consider friends as opposed to girlfriends). Owners are overwhelmingly influenced by their fans’ opinions of QBs (parents have a similar effect with potential suitors) and coaches are always blinded and swayed by the big arm (insert any of a variety of particular body parts on the female anatomy that guys will let outweigh all other obvious flaws in a girl).
When you step back and view the interactions between QB and organization the same as those between husband and wife, it is completely understandable why Jay Cutler felt that he needed out of Denver. Coach Josh McDaniels’ attempts to acquire Matt Cassel were akin to a married man going onto e-Harmony to “just see what is out there”. It doesn’t work. And then to lie about it? No wife is going to put up with that.
Now this is not to say that Cutler’s reaction was completely correct. When wives and girlfriends (or even boyfriend and husbands for that matter) react towards romantic issues, these reactions are almost anything BUT rationale. They are driven by emotion, and so we become easily susceptible to overreaction. Truthfully, Cutler needed to relax, gain some perspective, consult outside sources (because friends are typically the only ones able to provide even a semblance of objectivity) and to work things out. However, he is young and ignorant and he just couldn’t find it in himself to set aside pride and ego. Neither could McDaniels, who is also young and ignorant and prideful and egotistical. In the end, this was two high school sweethearts who found themselves far into the deep end of marriage and unable to rely on maturity to work the problem out.
I for one actually think that the Broncos handled the situation correctly once they realized the depth of Cutler’s anger. He had been cheated on, and however much he might have said he could let it go, he never was going to. You never forget betrayal, and the past will never escape her mind when she sees you even glancing at another girl. The relationship is dead, and the divorce, whether you realize it or not, has already begun. And so the Broncos realized it and did what you have to do when it’s time to separate: they got the hell out of there. Did they get complete equal value back? Were the assets split 50/50, the visitation rights optimal, and all of the other potential gains realized? Definitely not. But what they got was freedom, and that has to be the end goal when you realize it’s just not working out. They passed on an ugly court process, the blame game, in-laws fighting, friends picking sides, and children in need of therapy. They forfeited a little bit of what they might have been owed, but instead got immediate freedom and a chance to hit the dating circuit and find the next Mrs. Denver Bronco as soon as possible.
I think that both sides have the opportunity to learn from the whole situation, because most people grow from relationship to relationship. You date in middle school and high school not because you are likely to find your life-long partner (although some do), but mostly because you have to fall on your face a few times before you can get it right. Being a good significant other is a learning process that for most people has a pretty steep curve. Even though we all inevitably pick sides in the aftermath, there doesn’t always have to be someone to blame for a relationship just not working out. So long as both man and woman, and in this case Cutler and McDaniels, learn where they can improve and how they can do it better next time. And most of us will make those adjustments.
The Chicago Bears seem to be willing to give Cutler the kind of attention that he is looking for in a mate, and the draft picks returned to the Broncos will give McDaniels the necessary ammunition to bring in more of those young collegiates that he has shown a preference for. In the end both sides can win if they learn, and there is no reason why other potential suitors should be afraid to date these two if they each show a certain degree of self-reflection with regards to the whole process. If they can do that, then Cutler is unlikely to be so hyper-sensitive (or at least to do it so publicly) in the future, and Josh McDaniels will probably be much more conscience of the relationship he develops with his next quarterback.
As Jay Cutler said in his press conference yesterday, “I think that there are some things that each side would do differently”.
So, with that said, who exactly won in this past week’s debacle in Denver? Jay Cutler, the Chicago Bears, or the Denver Broncos?
First, one has to consider the underlying factors of the fallout itself. And in order to do this, you have to really define the relationship between a football franchise and its quarterback. This position is likely the most glorified of all in American sports, and so it is not equal to relationships held between an organization and its other players, however good they might be. Rather, it is kind of like a romantic relationship between husband and wife (in fact, it’s a whole lot like that).
A quarterback needs to be established as “the man” through firm statements by the coach, general manager, and owner that he is the “franchise quarterback” (kind of like when you tell a girl that you want to go steady). They are drawn to contracts that promise big dollars upfront through signing bonuses and guaranteed payouts (the size of the bonus and guarantees signify the seriousness of commitment the same way that girls view the size of an engagement ring). And organizations will take more time scouting, analyzing, and breaking down quarterback prospects than they do any other position (think about how thoroughly you consider friends as opposed to girlfriends). Owners are overwhelmingly influenced by their fans’ opinions of QBs (parents have a similar effect with potential suitors) and coaches are always blinded and swayed by the big arm (insert any of a variety of particular body parts on the female anatomy that guys will let outweigh all other obvious flaws in a girl).
When you step back and view the interactions between QB and organization the same as those between husband and wife, it is completely understandable why Jay Cutler felt that he needed out of Denver. Coach Josh McDaniels’ attempts to acquire Matt Cassel were akin to a married man going onto e-Harmony to “just see what is out there”. It doesn’t work. And then to lie about it? No wife is going to put up with that.
Now this is not to say that Cutler’s reaction was completely correct. When wives and girlfriends (or even boyfriend and husbands for that matter) react towards romantic issues, these reactions are almost anything BUT rationale. They are driven by emotion, and so we become easily susceptible to overreaction. Truthfully, Cutler needed to relax, gain some perspective, consult outside sources (because friends are typically the only ones able to provide even a semblance of objectivity) and to work things out. However, he is young and ignorant and he just couldn’t find it in himself to set aside pride and ego. Neither could McDaniels, who is also young and ignorant and prideful and egotistical. In the end, this was two high school sweethearts who found themselves far into the deep end of marriage and unable to rely on maturity to work the problem out.
I for one actually think that the Broncos handled the situation correctly once they realized the depth of Cutler’s anger. He had been cheated on, and however much he might have said he could let it go, he never was going to. You never forget betrayal, and the past will never escape her mind when she sees you even glancing at another girl. The relationship is dead, and the divorce, whether you realize it or not, has already begun. And so the Broncos realized it and did what you have to do when it’s time to separate: they got the hell out of there. Did they get complete equal value back? Were the assets split 50/50, the visitation rights optimal, and all of the other potential gains realized? Definitely not. But what they got was freedom, and that has to be the end goal when you realize it’s just not working out. They passed on an ugly court process, the blame game, in-laws fighting, friends picking sides, and children in need of therapy. They forfeited a little bit of what they might have been owed, but instead got immediate freedom and a chance to hit the dating circuit and find the next Mrs. Denver Bronco as soon as possible.
I think that both sides have the opportunity to learn from the whole situation, because most people grow from relationship to relationship. You date in middle school and high school not because you are likely to find your life-long partner (although some do), but mostly because you have to fall on your face a few times before you can get it right. Being a good significant other is a learning process that for most people has a pretty steep curve. Even though we all inevitably pick sides in the aftermath, there doesn’t always have to be someone to blame for a relationship just not working out. So long as both man and woman, and in this case Cutler and McDaniels, learn where they can improve and how they can do it better next time. And most of us will make those adjustments.
The Chicago Bears seem to be willing to give Cutler the kind of attention that he is looking for in a mate, and the draft picks returned to the Broncos will give McDaniels the necessary ammunition to bring in more of those young collegiates that he has shown a preference for. In the end both sides can win if they learn, and there is no reason why other potential suitors should be afraid to date these two if they each show a certain degree of self-reflection with regards to the whole process. If they can do that, then Cutler is unlikely to be so hyper-sensitive (or at least to do it so publicly) in the future, and Josh McDaniels will probably be much more conscience of the relationship he develops with his next quarterback.
As Jay Cutler said in his press conference yesterday, “I think that there are some things that each side would do differently”.
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