INDIANAPOLIS — Along with his bumps and bruises nonetheless recent, and whereas nonetheless coming to grips with the frustration that comes with an unsightly loss, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones did what he does after each sport.
He sought out the trusted voice that has guided him for the previous decade-plus.
Within the aftermath of the Colts’ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9, through which a grass-stained Jones was sacked 5 occasions and was liable for 5 turnovers, ready till the next day to confront the carnage was not an choice.
That very night, Jones dialed up David Cutcliffe and started working.
“We did a little bit of a deep dive,” stated Cutcliffe, Jones’ coach at Duke and, to this present day, his closest soccer mentor and confidant. “It was principally me listening to him.”
A few of the dialog centered on parts Cutcliffe has all the time careworn with Jones, like reminders to maintain two arms on the soccer when within the pocket to keep away from the strip-sacks that befell him in Pittsburgh.
However a lot of the dialog was about preserving perspective. Jones was beating himself up over his efficiency, simply his worst of the season, and Cutcliffe provided some wanted steadiness. He referenced poet Rudyard Kipling’s well-known poem, “If,” as a reminder.
The stanza of observe: “For those who can meet with Triumph and Catastrophe / And deal with these two impostors simply the identical”
It was only one current instance of how Cutcliffe has been, maybe, crucial voice in Jones’ ear all through his years in school soccer and the NFL, together with throughout his struggles with the New York Giants. Simply as Cutcliffe performed an identical function within the careers of Tremendous Bowl-winning quarterback brothers Peyton and Eli Manning — each of whom he coached in school — he has been a stabilizing pressure by the ups and downs in Jones’ profession.
And there have been loads of each.
“I believe it is useful to have somebody you actually belief, somebody who’s seen you form of develop on the sector and off the sector as a participant and is aware of what you’re at your core,” Jones stated. “And you have to return to that.
“A number of these harder years in New York, he helped me a ton by that, giving me teaching factors and issues I wanted to work on, but in addition encouraging me and serving to me notice a number of issues that I wanted to do to enhance and assist construct confidence. He is been an enormous, big assist for me for 10, 11 years now.”
Cutcliffe’s conversations with Jones this season have had a a lot totally different context than lots of these that they had throughout Jones’ six principally tumultuous seasons with the Giants. The No. 6 decide within the 2019 draft, Jones typically discovered himself enjoying with underwhelming supporting casts and coping with unreliable go safety.
He hardly ever expressed any frustrations publicly. Even now, Jones nonetheless talks concerning the expertise principally in a impartial style. However, all alongside, it was Cutcliffe who was serving to Jones course of all of it.
“I believe it ready him for all the things he will face all through his profession,” Cutcliffe stated of Jones’ time in New York. “There have been occasions I might go as much as New York and we might simply sit down and watch movie and he might simply be one-on-one. He might say what he was feeling. And I stated, ‘It’s important to categorical that.'”
The conversations between the pair this season have been way more constructive. Jones has been among the many league leaders in passing yards and completion share in 2025, making him one of the crucial shocking tales of the season. The Colts lead the AFC South and are in play for the convention’s No. 1 seed within the playoffs.
“He is completely satisfied,” stated Cutcliffe, 71. “He had some good occasions in New York, however take a look at the record of coaches and coordinators and totally different offenses. And, then, it has been fairly documented, all the problems at receiver and the problems with the offensive line. So, he is surrounded by an excellent soccer workforce and I can let you know he is completely satisfied.”
The connection between Jones and Cutcliffe was born out of belief, and that belief has formed it ever since.
It started with a telephone name from Jones’ Charlotte, North Carolina highschool coach to Cutcliffe, the coach at Duke on the time. Cutcliffe was alerted to Jones, who was being calmly recruited. Jones was dedicated to Princeton, however the extra distinguished packages had proven little curiosity.
Cutcliffe watched Jones’ sport movie and was instantly intrigued.
“I known as the coach again and I stated, ‘Do not ship that to anyone else,'” Cutcliffe recalled. “I stated, ‘We’ll take him — instantly.'”
There was only one downside. The Blue Devils didn’t have a scholarship obtainable for Jones within the fall of 2015. Cutcliffe requested Jones and his mother and father to belief that the employees would ship on a scholarship by the spring semester if they may foot the invoice for the autumn.
“Because it was, we had some gamers that had career-ending accidents and that opened up the door,” Cutcliffe stated. “And the remainder is historical past, as they are saying.”
Stated Jones: “I believe that entire factor in all probability had quite a bit to do with our relationship.”
Now, all these years later, the belief between them has solely grown. It is why, after that regrettable loss in Pittsburgh, Cutcliffe was one among Jones’ first calls. It is also why, simply earlier than reporting to coaching camp, Jones and Cutcliffe rendezvoused at Samford College in Alabama for some last-minute on-field work (Cutcliffe works as an adviser to the Southeastern Convention in close by Birmingham).
However Cutcliffe’s pupils know to not anticipate solely constructive reinforcement after they search his steerage. He is a coach at coronary heart — a demanding one, at that.
Take it from Cutcliffe’s most well-known pupil.
“He all the time instructed me the unvarnished fact, and also you respect that extra because the years go by,” Peyton Manning instructed ESPN in a earlier interview. “As a result of that is an essential a part of attempting to do in addition to you possibly can presumably do, is anyone prepared to present you that form of honesty.”
Manning added, “You already know it is good, however perhaps not how good till you look again and see the influence.”
Cutcliffe is folksy and jokey off the sector. He has a humorous saying for nearly any state of affairs, and his gamers have heard all of them earlier than. One such saying, which Cutcliffe repeated throughout an interview, was “sizzling range.”
He defined.
“For those who’ve ever cooked and touched the attention of a range, you get your hand off there with superb quickness, proper?” Cutcliffe stated. “OK, similar factor. Once you get knocked down in soccer otherwise you get beat, it is one easy phrase: sizzling range. I do not need to hear it. Get your ass up. Be the primary one again up.”
That very piece of knowledge was delivered throughout Cutcliffe’s name with Jones after the Pittsburgh loss.
“Off the sector, he is a really variety and enjoyable persona to be round,” Jones stated. “However the second you step on the sector and mess one thing up, you hear about it in a big-time means. He is a soccer coach and he is old-fashioned in that means. He’ll nonetheless name me and inform me one thing about the way in which I am carrying the ball within the pocket or getting the ball out faster or no matter.
“It is all these basic issues that you just heard a lot as a younger participant as a school man that I believe are nonetheless actually precious. And I believe that was a giant motive why Eli and Peyton would all the time return to [Cutcliffe], for these basic reminders that each quarterback wants to listen to.”
It is not shocking that Jones would hunt down the additional tutoring. Colts coach Shane Steichen cites Jones’ meticulous preparation as the important thing to his success this season — extra so than his arm expertise, accuracy or working potential.
“He’s the toughest employee on the workforce — by far,” backup quarterback Riley Leonard stated.
Cutcliffe would not have it some other means. However whereas he continues to pour into Jones, Cutcliffe can also be benefiting from this relationship. He watches each Colts sport with nice anticipation and stated speaking about Jones’ efficiency this season is “my favourite subject.” On Sundays, Cutcliffe stated, “My spouse is aware of to not speak to me when the Colts are on TV.”
In the meantime, Jones and the Colts (8-2) roll on, heading right into a key AFC matchup on Sunday towards the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs. Jones will take middle stage, and he deliver with him the teachings imparted by Cutcliffe by the years.
It is that knowledge that has helped make him who he’s, Jones stated.
“There isn’t any doubt I would not be right here with out him and the affect he is had on me as a participant and as an individual,” Jones stated. “I believe what I realized on the sector from him at Duke was big. After which going into the NFL, him advocating for me as somebody who NFL executives and coaches belief and know his pedigree, know his background, went a great distance for me.
“And, then, within the NFL, he is continued to teach me and assist me and all the time assist me.”
Jeff Legwold contributed to this report.
