Jay Cutler Takes His Shot

photo credit:Emily Ritt

Thrown onto the golf course like he was drafted into the starting lineup, the Broncos quarterback looks to make a name in both.

Jay Cutler sits on a bench in back of the Denver Broncos’ training facility, waiting to talk to me, but anxious to hit the streets after practice.

Not that there is a particular “look” required for the position, but Cutler has that whole kid-thing going—especially the repeated peeks to see who’s blowing up his cell phone. His appearance is more suited for X Games than for Xs and Os, more appropriate to shredding snow than shredding defenses.

Regardless of his look, at age 24 Cutler is the Broncos’ starting quarterback—one year after the club drafted him 11th overall from Vanderbilt University. After the draft, it didn’t take him long to figure out he was missing one of the true necessities for a quarterback in the National Football League.

Yes, he bought his first set of golf clubs.

“Golf really wasn’t my game,” Cutler says. “But you get invited to so many functions for charity, playing golf, so I picked it up. You have to have game—especially the quarterbacks. There are so many quarterbacks that are good golfers. I don’t want to be the guy that’s shooting 150.

“I’m getting there. It’s a tough game. It’s not like something you can go out and play two or three times and be good at. You really have to get out there and become consistent. Next thing for me is to get someone out there to help me with lessons. I’ve just been doing my own thing out there … Putting probably is the best part of my game. I can putt a little bit—but my driver is all over the place. I try not to keep score.”

In his rookie season Cutler played Denver’s Invesco Field at Mile High, Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego and Cardinals Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. That’s football. As a rookie golfer, he played several courses, including—get this—Augusta National Golf Club.

So how does a neophyte golfer get to bring his Nike Slingshots to Augusta? During a plane ride Cutler struck up a conversation with a Vanderbilt alumnus who happened to be a member and invited him to the club.

“I think it was my fifth time playing golf,” Cutler says. “I don’t tell a lot of people about it because they get mad at me. I knew what I was walking into, the history of the course. It was amazing. There wasn’t a leaf out of place.

“I don’t think anybody kept score. We were just out there having fun.”

Cutler already has experienced some time on the course with his head coach, Mike Shanahan. And Shanahan likes the progress his quarterback is making on the links. “I’ve played with him a couple of times,” Shanahan says. “He’s just learning how to play, but he’s a great athlete, and it won’t take him long … It won’t take him but a couple of years and he’ll be beating me.”

Playing a round of golf with Shanahan gives Cutler good experience for running the coach’s two-minute offense. “Mike plays fast,” the quarterback says, laughing. “You’ve got to keep up. If you lose a ball, Mike will say, ‘Just throw one down—don’t even look for it.’ He’s hitting fairways and playing quick.”

It was Shanahan who encouraged Cutler to meet with John Elway, in hopes the Hall of Fame quarterback could impart wisdom on the city’s young football star in the making. What Cutler has learned during his short time in Denver is that the spotlight tails the starting Broncos quarterback wherever he goes—be it the stadium, the mall, the movie theater or car wash.

“It’s a different position—especially in Denver,” Cutler acknowledges. “People take it seriously. You can’t go out without being recognized, people congratulating you or telling you what you need to change to get better. It’s a tough job, but I like it.

“I remember the first afternoon we arrived in Denver as rookies. Me and a bunch of guys went out to dinner, and we hadn’t been in town for eight hours and people were coming up, thanking us for being here, asking for autographs and wishing us the best of luck.

“It’s a different town. They love their football, for sure.”

Cutler is Santa Claus’ gift to Denver football. That’s Santa Claus, Indiana, where Cutler played for Heritage Hills High School. During his senior season Cutler almost broke 100—but not on a golf course.

The Heritage Hills Patriots won a road game at Pike Central High 90-0. With Cutler playing quarterback, defensive back and returning kicks, Heritage Hills (with an enrollment of 700 students), outscored its opponents 746-85 for the season, finished 15-0 and won Indiana’s Class 3A state championship.

“Jay’s arm was one thing, but his speed … he returned punts and kickoffs, and we fully encouraged him to pull the ball down and scramble,” says Bob Clayton, who was Cutler’s high school football coach. “If he pulled the ball down and took off (running), most of the time he was going to score. He had great speed in high school.

“Jay pointed out to me that he’s probably 50 pounds heavier now than he was in high school. Maybe he is a step slower now. But I think he’ll show some feet when he has to. I know he’s got them. If he has to dance around to get out of the pocket, I think he’ll do that.”

In the week leading up to the state semifinal game, Cutler walked on crutches after suffering a severely sprained ankle. He played despite the injury and led Heritage Hills to the state title game played at RCA Dome in Indianapolis, where he caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime.

Cutler also was a standout performer in baseball and basketball. “You just like competing, so I was at it year-round,” he says. “But I love football.”

 “He was one heck of a baseball player,” says Jay Burch, who is athletics director at Heritage Hills High. “He was a draftable player, if you ask me, in baseball. I don’t want to say he toyed around with the other sports because he was a really good basketball player. But he was at a whole different level in football.”

When asked to describe his first NFL start—a nationally-televised Sunday night game against the defending NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks—Cutler produces a giggle that would make the Pillsbury Doughboy envious.

“I can’t explain it,” Cutler says. “Nervous. Excited. Anxious. I really didn’t know how it was going to go. It’s something I’ll never forget, for sure.” Even though he’s into his second season, Cutler isn’t ready to give himself a “veteran” label.

“I think I’m probably still a rookie,” he says. “As a quarterback it takes a lot of starts before you become really comfortable. So I wouldn’t trade those five starts for anything. The experience I gained from those games is great. It pushed me past that rookie level and got me more comfortable.”

Cutler’s parents, Jack and Sandy, have moved from Indiana to Colorado to support their son’s career. “My dad’s always has been supportive,” Cutler says. “He never pushed me to do things I didn’t want to do. It’s cool having them living here. They give me my space. If I need something, they’re there for me.”

Cutler recently bought his father a set of golf clubs. Like son, the father is a newcomer to the game. Cutler says his dream foursome would include his father, along with Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. “That would be pretty cool,” he adds.

Cutler already has established the Jay Cutler Foundation, which supports and funds organizations dedicated to improving communities and the lives of young people through educational and mentoring programs such as Mile High United Way Youth Success initiative and CETAV (Cameron Ebel Teens Against Violence). During the summer Cutler hosted the Tee Off for Youth Success golf tournament at The Club at Pradera in Parker. Teammates Patrick Ramsey, John Lynch, and Paul Ernster played, as did former Broncos Ed McCaffrey, Karl Mecklenburg, Billy Thompson, Larry Brunson and David Treadwell. Last month he hosted the Savor the Grape wine and dinner event at Morton’s The Steakhouse in the Denver Tech Center.  

Most players wait until their careers are already established before giving back. Not Cutler. After having two teammates—Vanderbilt running back Kwane Doster and Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams—lose their lives to drive-by shootings, he decided to do something. “I just felt that being in the position I’m in and being able to get it started now … we’ll do a few things a year and let it grow,” he says. “The response from Denver has been great—I can’t say enough about the support.”

We shake hands, and Cutler is on his way—but not before taking another glance at the cell phone. Better be ready to answer. With Cutler, greatness could be calling. 

Rocky Mountain News columnist Sam Adams wrote September’s cover story on Kevin Costner.