Cutler/McDaniels Soap Opera Continues

Things don't appear to be going well in Denver. The Broncos have a dynamic new head coach in Josh McDaniels, and they thought they had a top young quarterback in Jay Cutler.

Unfortunately, Cutler and McDaniels don't seem to be getting along all that well. Cutler was steamed when he found out the Broncos tried to trade him, and was probably even more steamed when he found out the Broncos were planning on keeping him.

Only this week did Cutler and McDaniels finally speak. The two, along with Denver owner Pat Bowlen, took part in a conference call Monday, according to CBS4-TV in Denver.

According to the television report, not much was resolved.

Sources close to the situation tell CBS4 Sports that the tone of the dicussion was not exactly "make nice" as might have been expected. We're told McDaniels made it clear to the quarterback how the team will be run, and how Cutler was expected to fit into that plan. McDaniels reiterated the Broncos position that they have no intention of trading Cutler, but he also made it clear that all players are being constantly evaluated and could be traded if management thinks it will make the team better.

The station also reports that Bowlen tried twice to reach out to Cutler by telephone, but both of his calls went unreturned.

I love how McDaniels makes it clear to Cutler that the team has no intention of trading him, but they could trade him anyway. The team does hold all the leverage, as Cutler can only show up and do his job. Anything he does to try to force a trade is only going to hurt his value in the long run.

So much for McDaniels getting off to a smooth start as head coach. It's never good when the offensive guru head coach feuds with the quarterback before they've even had a practice together.

(Pat on the butt: PFT)