Cutler noise signifies little

Jay Cutler and the Broncos finally spoke Tuesday on a conference call.  (How corporate!)  The conversation's tone depends on who you ask.

ESPN.com, no doubt egged on by Cutler's camp, says the situation has gone from "bad to worse."  A source close to the Broncos told the Denver Post that the call was conducted in a "non-confrontational manner and the call ended positively."

The conflicting statements don't end there.  Josh McDaniels reportedly said that no player is untradeable, which seems pretty obvious at this point.  But owner Pat Bowlen said Cutler will not be traded.  McDaniels said Cutler won't be dealt last week.  I believe all of the above.

McDaniels is being careful to let Cutler know that no player is above the team, and they will only indulge his moaning to a point.  (They'll talk on the phone, a courtesy most players wouldn't get, but they won't kiss his butt.)

In the end, this is probably much ado about nothing.  Denver was willing to trade Cutler when they received a franchise quarterback in return.  That deal is gone. 

Bus Cook is Jay Cutler's agent, the same agent who built masterful off-season drama around previous quarterback clients: Brett Favre and Steve McNair.  The pattern is unmistakable.  Cook is making life uncomfortable for Denver, and the ESPN article indicates Cutler would welcome a trade out of town. 

Ultimately, Cutler doesn't have much leverage. He could skip the team's off-season conditioning program, but that could hurt his team leadership. 

At some point, Cutler is going to realize it's counter-productive to fight a media battle with his own team.  He'll decide to put winning and his teammates first, no matter how he feels about the coaches.  Like most off-season dramas, this will likely fade away once we have games to talk about.