Beyond that, it would be one thing if Cutler had simply fallen to the Broncos at 15. Instead, the Broncos gave up a third-round pick to move up four spots for Cutler. That’s a pretty good investment in a guy and Shanahan was effusive about getting him.

“Very seldom are you in a position to get a quarterback of his quality. To get a guy like Jay, we were very excited. We weren’t really sure when he was going to go. We were hoping that he would go a little bit later than earlier, and we feel very fortunate to get him. We feel like he’s a guy that can make all the throws, he’s an excellent athlete as well and he’s done a great job throughout his collegiate career. We’re excited. It’s always tough to get those quarterbacks, especially with that type of ability. We’re looking forward to him coming in,” Shanahan said.

Of course, the storyline is predictable. Expect fans to start a Cutler cult following. Every mistake by Plummer, including the ones in the exhibition season, is going to be followed by the shrill sound of sports talk radio calling for Cutler to be the starter.

The question will be how Plummer reacts to that. His history isn’t good. Then again, his history in the playoffs isn’t good enough. Perhaps this situation will be what changes that for the better.

Or Plummer will be looking for a new home a year from now.

Speaking of new homes
It appears that Cleveland quarterback Trent Dilfer could be on the move soon after one year with the Browns.

Not only did Cleveland spend last week trying to woo out-of-favor quarterback Joey Harrington (both coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Phil Savage called), but also called Oakland about Marques Tuiasosopo after Harrington politely declined.

All of that pointed to a departure for Dilfer.

Jim Rogash / Getty Images The Week in Sports Pictures The nation grieved for those hurt, killed and affected by the Boston Marathon bombings. After one of the suspects was caught on Friday — following a day-long lockdown and manhunt — sports returned to Boston over the weekend.

“That’s the plan, although I don’t know if it’s because (Dilfer) wants out or if they just want to go another direction,” a source close to Harrington said.

Neither deal could be worked out, so Dilfer remained a Brown for now. Harrington has already said he plans to play for the Dolphins next season. He has the leverage in the situation because he has a $4 million roster bonus that will count against the salary cap on June 15.

Simply put, if Harrington doesn’t want to go to a certain team, he can refuse to restructure and that team can only take him if it wants to pay him. Harrington has worked out a deal with the Dolphins and didn’t want to back out on that commitment.

However, the future for Dilfer is more intriguing. Cleveland appears headed toward having Charlie Frye be the starter at some point. Dilfer would like a chance to play or to be in a city he’d like to live in if he’s not. Look for a return to Seattle if Dilfer is let go.

Dog Chow          
Former USC quarterback Matt Leinart not only fell to the No. 10 spot in the draft, but he threw his former Southern California offensive coordinator under the bus shortly after the draft.

After being selected by Arizona on Saturday and being the last of the top six players to exit the NFL’s green room (although this was nothing like what happened to Aaron Rodgers last season) at Radio City Music Hall, Leinart revealed that he had spent some time during the week talking to Tennessee offensive coordinator Norm Chow.

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Chow was at USC during Leinart’s first three years. Word around the NFL was that Chow had been trying to convince Tennessee owner Bud Adams and GM Floyd Reese to take Leinart instead of Vince Young. Leinart basically confirmed that, which could throw a serious wrench into a future relationship between Young and Chow.

“No, I’m not disappointed,” Leinart said. “Obviously, I’ve had a lot of talks with Norm Chow in the recent days and he was doing everything he could to get me.”

Should be interesting to see how Chow dances around that situation. A regular Tennessee Waltz.