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Jay Cutler made the greatest NFL throw, and nobody remembers

 

 

This offseason, Shutdown Corner will travel down memory lane with a series of stories presenting some interesting and sometimes forgotten stories from the NFL's past. Join us as we relive some of the greatest and craziest moments in the sport's history.

Russell Wilson might have fudged some facts about what happened at NC State during his University of Wisconsin commencement speech, but he got at least one thing right.

"If you can throw a football 80 yards, for some reason, people think that's pretty cool," Wilson said

That's the truth. We can enjoy football on many levels, but there's something uniquely thrilling about a quarterback reaching back and firing one deep. And there's something about a quarterback with a cannon arm that will always appeal to us.

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What's the best throw you've seen in an NFL game? Once I was talking to Greg Cosell, fellow podcaster and NFL Films guru, and Brett Favre's throw to Sterling Sharpe to beat the Lions in a wild-card game was brought up. I asked if it was the best throw he could recall.

"Well, I'll tell you, Jay Cutler had a throw his rookie year, at Arizona ... " Cosell said.

Say no more. I remember. I was there. And while I love the Favre throw when you really watch it, he barely sets while moving left and throws all the way back across the field to the right to Sharpe in the end zone to win a playoff game the Cutler throw is something amazing.

I can't find any throw that's better, and I can't remember one either. A little background: It's 2006, Cutler's rookie season with the Denver Broncos. And yes, it seems like three lifetimes ago he played for the Broncos. Despite anything we want to say about Cutler's career, nobody has ever questioned his ability to throw a football through a brick wall. He's always had an amazing power arm, and that was especially true when he was 23 years old. His third career start was at the Arizona Cardinals.

Early in the game, the Broncos ran a play action to the right, with a Cutler bootleg to the left and Javon Walker running a post pattern. Here's Cutler rolling left ...

 
 

... and less than one second from that freeze frame, he was unleashing a pass that went 64 yards in the air (a little more actually, considering he throws from beyond the left hashmark back to the middle of the field). He spun his shoulders, barely set his feet and fired a rope. While getting hit. And the pass hit Walker so perfectly, Cutler couldn't have handed it to Walker in a better spot; the pass is right on the money. And Walker was double-teamed.

I remember gasping in the press box. It was unbelievable to see a quarterback under duress throw a pass with that much velocity and that perfectly. Other than the Favre throw in the Silverdome, I don't know of any other NFL throw that matches the velocity, distance and accuracy of this one, especially considering Cutler barely set his feet to throw and was hit right after he threw it.

If you can find an NFL throw better than this (and I'm not talking about historically important passes like Joe Montana to John Taylor, just the most breathtaking heaves in NFL history) you've done well: 

 
 

It's really not that common to see a quarterback throw a completed pass that travels more than 60 yards in the air, considering this isn't Super Tecmo Bowl we're talking about.

Here are some deep bombs that you might argue are better than Cutler. And there are many amazing throws that are only like 20 yards, in which the quarterback throws a Nolan Ryan fastball to stick it in between two defenders. John Elway, who had the best arm I've ever seen, seemed to have five of those a week in his prime. But I'm just discussing those deep bombs that hypnotize a crowd when the ball is in the air.

Favre to Sharpe

Watch Favre's feet. He doesn't exactly set up shop before heaving it. People have estimated this pass traveled about 70 yards in the air. If this game ever comes on NFL Network, take the time to watch it again; it's one of the underrated great NFL games of all time.

Michael Vick to DeSean Jackson

On the first play of what would turn out to be a blowout win, Vick fired one that traveled about 62 or 63 yards downfield, hitting Jackson in stride for an 88-yard score. I loved watching Vick throw deep because he made it look so effortless. A short step, a flick of the wrist, and he could let it fly. The only thing about this throw, when compared to Cutler, was Vick wasn't under any pressure and could set and deliver deep.

Aaron Rodgers' Hail Marys

It's pretty amazing Rodgers had two Hail Mary touchdowns in the same season. Both were great throws, too. The Richard Rodgers one traveled roughly 67 yards downfield and just about scraped the Ford Field roof. However, there was no pressure and Rodgers' momentum was moving forward, which makes it a little different than the Cutler pass.

The Jeff Janis Hail Mary at Arizona in the playoffs was unbelievable. Pressured, falling back, Rodgers threw it about 60 yards downfield for a touchdown. An incredible throw.

Randall Cunningham vs. the Bills

I think the throw is wonderful, but we remember this one so well for the entirety of the play. If you can escape Bruce Smith in the end zone, throwing about 60 yards downfield to Fred Barnett is the easy part. Another wonderful throw though.

Previous Shutdown Corner NFL throwback stories: Joe Montana's underrated toughness | Barry Sanders' long-forgotten final game | Jake Delhomme's playoff nightmare | Barry Switzer, outspoken as ever | Was Sebastian Janikowski worth a first-round pick?How Jim Harbaugh punching Jim Kelly helped Colts land Peyton Manning | Jay Cutler makes the greatest throw ever

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!