I'm laughing out loud looking at Jay Cutler's 2014 stats and trying to figure out why HE'S getting benched Sunday.
I’ve maintained since the beginning of time, Jay Cutler was the right move for the Bears to make if they wanted to move their franchise forward and compete with the Green Bays and New Orleans Saints of the world. As I sit back and look at what Jay Cutler has done this year, and in year’s past, I just can’t help but scratch my head at the amount of illogical thinking going on in Chicago (nothing new for that town), and here’s where I’m at.
I’m right.
I don’t get to say that often, but I am.
Here’s the 31 year old’s resume this year:
- Top 10 in the league in completion % (66%, which is a career high for him BTW).
- Yes, Jay Cutler leads the league in picks, but let’s look at this list of guys that join in him as “among league leaders in picks”; Andrew Luck, Andy Dalton, Phillip Rivers, and Eli Manning. Those are some pretty good names if you ask me. Makes sense given this is a passing league.
- In addition, only six others guys have aired it out more than Cutler.
- Once again in the top 10 in the league in getting sacked. To me that's not an indictment on him, but the guys up front protecting him... But that's just me.
- He's top five in the league in completions.
- Why does the fact he has 28 touchdowns (also a career high) go unnoticed?
- Technically, only four guys (it’s actually two) complete more passes per game than big Jay.
So from a logical perspective here, in many respects, Jay Cutler is having a career year. It’s not a great, nor ideal, “career year”, but Jay Cutler is hardly the problem in Chicago.
The Monsters of the Midway defense is actually the problem with this team. Their resume is as follows:
- Most passing TDs allows (33)
- 2nd in passing yards allowed (3811)
- Top five in yards per carried allowed (4.3)
- The Bears defense allows opponents to score more than any other, as almost of their opponents possessions end in a score.
One compliment I can give the defense is they’re actually average in forcing turnovers. They’ve forced 20 and the league average is 20. So they have that going for them?
You see, while Jay Cutler is actually having a decent year, the defense is not.
The bottom line is this team STINKS! Offensively, Marc Trestman and company can’t figure out they have one of the best running backs in the game, who somehow is limited in his touches and still is among the league leaders in a ton of categories. They have no run game, which means they’re passing game is going to be very limited. Their offensive line is STILL a work in progress. How long have I been screaming about that?
This defense has been terrible for the better part of two years now.
But all Bears fans and the media can seem to find blame in is Jay Cutler.
Here’s what Jay Cutler is. Cutler isn’t Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, or Aaron Rodgers. He’s the equivalent of Eli Manning or Joe Flacco. He’s going to frustrate you a lot. He’s NOT going to lose you more games than he wins you. He’s a strong armed, granted sometimes knuckleheaded decision maker, but he’s going to make throws that two-thirds of NFL QBs can’t.
Just my opinion, if Cutler had what Flacco, Eli and Peyton Manning, Brady, and Aaron Rodgers all had, which consistency in his coaching staff, consistency with the playbook, and support from the front office (among other things), I actually think he’d actually be an upper tier QB. (I do think he is one from a talent perspective, but he's just not lived up to that yet).
The Bears are flawed in so many areas, there is no doubt about it. They are likely going to tear the whole thing down (once again) and start all over. Is Jay Cutler going to survive the remodel? Who knows. That contract is going to be a lot for teams to take on.
But from my perspective, again, Jay Cutler is not your problem. I believe he’s a better piece for the solution and a better quarterback than many current NFL QBs.
Whine away about Jay Cutler this, Jay Cutler that, but the problems for Chicago run much deeper than #6.
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