It was bound to happen. It happened the day he was drafted, the day he arrived in Denver. It was happening before that, even.  And Jay Cutler knew it: people are going to compare him with John Elway. Whether in whispers or to his face, it’s inevitable that he be stacked up against the Denver legend.

And he’s handled it incredibly well.

His response has been tremendous. Though his arm and decision making skills are hardly perfect at this point — there’s plenty of maturity to be made there — his off-field handle of the media has been applaudable.

Just after Sunday’s come-from-behind victory over the Bills, Cutler was due for his meeting with the media. No one wanted to compare him to John Elway. Why bring that up? It’ll probably just frustrate him. So no one brought it up.

Until he did.

“He didn’t go anywhere,” Cutler said. “You guys are going to compare us whether we shy away from him or not. Until we win the Super Bowl, people here are going to throw out John Elway’s name. So we might as well embrace it. He’s the greatest quarterback who ever played. Why not appreciate it?”

He shows great maturity to not shy from the inevitable comparisons. Instead, he embraces it. It’s why he’s different from past failed attempts at finding Elway’s successor, Jake Plummer and Brian Griese.

But he’s not all that different from John Elway. The comparisons are there: the rocket arm, the last minute heroics. His personality may be different, but when it comes to playing the game, both players led/lead their teams.

And the Cutler approach is working. The Broncos have the top offense in the NFL, but they’ve led only 32 percent of the time. It shows just how important it’s been for them to score late in ballgames. It’s as if Cutler is at his best when he’s facing a critical drive late in a game.

He’ll never make you forget about Elway. But that’s not his goal. He wants to win games and create his own legacy. And with three consecutive late-game rallies under his belt, that just might be his calling. Buckle up, the Cutler era has already begun and it’s going to be one heckuva ride.

Subscribe to The NFL Minute

This post is tagged