Veal Cutler

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is hearing it again. He doesn’t make the big plays in big games. He isn’t tough enough. He wears cement shoes in the pocket. He’s a jerk.

That might be true. That does not mean that the Bears’ 23-10 loss at the hands of the Green Bay Packers before a national television audience on NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football was his fault. Quarterbacks typically get too much credit when they win and too much blame when they lose. The latter is true for Cutler.


CHAIN LINK OFFENSIVE LINE

Every quarterback wants to think of their offensive line as a fence, a fence that says, “Keep Out” to the opposing defense. Cutler is no exception. The problem is that his fence is like a chain link fence: full of holes.

Cutler was sacked on the first play of scrimmage. He would go on to be sacked six more times for a total of 52 yards lost on the evening. This is repeating, for the third consecutive year, the Bears inability to protect their quarterback early in the season.

What did Clay Matthews, III (right) say to Erik Walden (left) before the play? "I'll meet you at the quarterback (face down, middle)." 2

TWO PART EQUATION

The easy counter argument for anyone who dislikes Jay Cutler, and there are many, is that he holds on to the ball too long and does not move his feet enough. The truth often lies in the middle of two ends of any spectrum. Once is a coincidence, twice is a pattern, and three times is a trend.

Cutler’s mobility does leave something to be desired; there are quarterbacks with worse footwork in the NFL. Cutler did get three or more seconds to throw the ball in several of the instances in which he was sacked or hit; receivers need to be open before the quarterback releases the ball and that was often not the case. One or two sacks could be the greater responsibility of the man under center. Seven sacks…charge that to the offensive line.

Rodgers (left): "Gee. Your guys sure seem to hate you."
Cutler (right): "Yeah. It's AWESOME, isn't it?" 3

RED FLAGS

Cutler may not have had the help he needed from his team. A tally of seven sacks and over a dozen knockdowns is unacceptable. Pro Bowler Brandon Marshall was the only Bears receiver who appeared to get any separation from Packers defenders and with the pressure on Cutler, he was difficult to target when he was open. Those are all legitimate, football related defenses for Jay Cutler.

However, Jay Cutler is the NFL’s #1 jerk by reputation. His body language, pouting, and cursing at teammates is not good for his image. His sideline altercation with left tackle J’Marcus Webb was visible and not pretty. Rumors have circulated in the sports media, such as Pro Football Talk, that Bears management is concerned about a mutiny against Cutler.


IT’S ALL ON JAY

Jay Cutler is one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL; let’s be clear. He has a gun for an arm. He is big. He is tough. He is very smart. He’s also perceived to be a card carrying rewards member at the Alpha Hotel.

Only Jay Cutler can decide to change the vibes that he gives off. Only Cutler can attempt to be more in tune with what others, especially his teammates, think about him and his ability as a leader of men. After watching Cutler in his seventh year in the NFL, frankly, my dear readers, I don’t think he gives a damn.

J'Marcus Webb: "Jay! If you keep pissing everyone off, what will we all think of you?"
Jay Cutler: "Frankly, you slow lardass, I don't give a damn!" 1 

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1) Image sliced from images from http://funnyhow-filmblog.blogspot.com, www.midwestsportsfans.com, and http://articles.chicagotribune.com
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