Jay Cutler and the Denver Broncos: The Real Communication Problem

Many sports pundits have speculated on the reason for the communication meltdown between Jay Cutler and the Broncos, and we are no different. After watching the interview between Cutler and ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, we may have discovered the answer.

In the interview that lasted one minute and 40 seconds, Cutler interjected the term, “you know” into the conversation 29 times. To be more specific, he used “you know” five times on the first question, six on the second, six on the third, and 12 on the fourth and final question.  It works out to a bit more than once every four seconds. 

Now, you know, we are as much at fault as anyone in using this phrase, but, you know, enough is enough.  How was Josh McDaniels to know what Cutler knew when he kept saying “you know” in every sentence? 

McDaniels probably thought he knew!  How was he to know he didn’t know? Could this lack of true information exchange have been the catalyst that destroyed this fragile relationship between player and coach?

You know how it is.  “You know” has become a staple in the English language and used as frequently as the dreaded term “um” when answering a question. 

You know though, you would think that a guy coming out of Vanderbilt University, one of the premiere universities in this land, might have taken a public speaking course that would, you know, rid him of this habit.

I know we are poking fun at Cutler who, as you know, has had a tough few weeks. We are not trying to be mean, as we are all human as you know, but we could not resist the opportunity to combine a little humor with our usual statistical analysis.

Just so you know, we at PossessionPoints.com, gathered these statistics in a, you know, unofficial manner and not by our usual mathematical standards. Although we live and die by math, we are always conscious of the fact that football is a game, and we try to highlight any humor when we come across it. 

We have embedded the video of the interview below.  If you have a different count, well, you know, let us know (if the embedded video doesn't show on your browser here is a link).