It's all on Jay...

[madlithuanian]

If he wins out, especially showing that he can defeat the Packers at home...and especially if Rodgers plays....

 

He will be our QB for years to come.

 

If not, it'll probalby come down to money. If he doesn't fleece us, he's still probably our QB. But if it is way too much money, we will probably look elsewhere. Whether is Josh & a pick, or a new guy potentially like Cousins.

 

It' simply all on Jay. And I for one am rooting for him big time. I truly hope he delivers what we've all been hoping for. People keep gving McCown credit for seeing the light on being a good QB...let's give Jay more than one rusty game after injury to try to show the same.

 

Bear down! LET'S GO BEARS!!!!

 

 

PS - Please line up this week Lance! You will be needed!

 

PS - Let's go PIT!!! Beat the damn Pack, your playoff possibility hinges on it!

 

PSSS - Let's go Giants! One time this year...do it!

[BearFan PHX]

Well I think you've hit it right on the head, and the people FOR Cutler and the people AGAINST him, are all saying the same thing.

 

We're all saying let's SEE if Cutler can get more disciplined and play within himself and the offense like McCown did. What separates us is our prediction. But that's OK cuz if he doesn't mature quick, most of the PRO Cutler people will agree when Trestman goes another way, and if Cutler DOES "grow up" and execute Trestman's system, then Emery will keep him, and all the people AGAINST him will be converted.

 

Basically, it's wait and see.

 

But here's the thing. Two more games is enough to see if he's failing, but not if he's succeeding. They will look at ALL the tape on Cutler, and every week he leaves us with a mixed bag, and keeps the question open, is another week towards his end in Chicago. Trestman knows what good QB play is, and there's no way he's going to hitch his future as an NFL head coach to a guy that won't run his plays the way he wants them run.

 

Jay better show some real moxy, and extend this 2 game audition so as to get more good playoff performances on tape. If he does that, then he will prove he can still develop, and the sky is the limit for him and Trestman. If not, I'm all behind whatever Trestman and Emery decide. I mean, if I was appointed GM of the Bears today, knowing only what I know now, and I had to decide what to do about Cutler, my first phone call would be to Trestman.

[Chitownhustla]

Talk about pressure!!!!

 

1. Contract year

2. Back up playing lights out while on the bench due to injury

3. Reports saying some players on the D were not happy Cutler was starting

4. Ravens just handed the Bears the keys to the driver seat, win two games and you are in

5. things could pan out to the last game of the season will determine who's in and who's out, against our most hated rival Packers

6. Similar stories, Rodgers and Cutler both out for extended time both come back to lead their teams to the playoff

 

 

The Eagles just lost to the Vikings without AP, we barely lost to the Vikings. The Bears D can not stop the run, the Eagles have the best rushing attack. This is setting up to be a shoot out,

 

Cutler has typically sucked against the Packers. Will Trestman's work with Cutler change that?

 

If Cutler wants to shut up all the haters he now has a golden opportunity to shut them all up!!! I will be praying he does.

 

[CrackerDog]

If Cutler wants to shut up all the haters he now has a golden opportunity to shut them all up!!! I will be praying he does.

 

Me too. But I'm not holding my breath. Cutler haters aren't swayed by results or logic.

[CrackerDog]

if Cutler can get more disciplined and play within himself and the offense like

 

if Cutler DOES "grow up" and execute Trestman's system,

 

Jay better show some real moxy,

 

I understand what you're saying but to be honest, most of this is insulting BS. Yes, Jay has some proving to do but only because the backup did a fine job. Which makes many question whether anyone could do what the two Bears QB's have accomplished this year. Putting up huge points to overcome a D that blows ass isn't easy no matter what the system. Jay has proven himself. He's on a full season pace to throw for over 4,000 yards and it's my opinion that we'd be even better than our 8-6 record if jay had stayed perfectly healthy. Sure, he can improve! But let's not get arrogant about the results the Bears have seen this year despite some huge challenges.

 

In short, I think Jay just needs to do exactly what he's already done to get that big contract. He's shown plenty of "moxy". He's a talented QB and will commmand huge money in the open market. The Bears will have to compete for his services with a market deal. All this crap about Jay needing to take a cut, give us a deal... All bullshit.

 

Like you, I'll be satisfied with whatever Emery and Trestman decide but unlike you, I don't think it'll have a lot to do with Jay growing up and buying into the system. He's clearly still learning the system and while learning he's been putting up big numbers and scoring lots of offensive points. That'll only get better as he gains more experience with Trestman.

[selection7]

I understand what you're saying but to be honest, most of this is insulting BS. ...

In short, I think Jay just needs to do exactly what he's already done to get that big contract. He's shown plenty of "moxy". He's a talented QB and will commmand huge money in the open market. The Bears will have to compete for his services with a market deal. All this crap about Jay needing to take a cut, give us a deal... All bullshit.

BearfanNYC didn't say anything but the obvious. Insulting? Not unless you think questioning Cutler being an elite QB is insulting. But either way, certainly not BS. It really will come down to what we see on the field.

 

As for the contract situation, all I hear about is the mega-deal Cutler is looking to get. ...as recently as Billick in last Sunday's game. But let's get real here. We're talking about a QB who has never had one elite season in his whole career, and he's now in his 30's, being backed up by a guy who has outperformed him so far for an extended period of time. I will make this prediction. If Cutler can't play the best ball of his career to finish the season/playoffs, he'll be gone, not because he isn't a better choice than McCown, but because Trestman isn't foolish enough to pay elite QB money to someone who's not when he's got a very real alternative. Will some other team? Maybe. But I bet even then many of you will be surprised. There's a lot of QB talent in this league right now. The market for a "pretty good" quarterback isn't what it used to be. As for what Cutler would settle for in this hypothetical case, I'm just taking everyone's word for it that he won't settle for anything but a contract that is far greater than his body of work has been, which makes predicting the contract situation's resolution pretty easy.

 

Of course, if Cutler continues to play the way he did last sunday, things will be very close, and if he plays better, he will indeed be playing at an elite level and all bets are off.

[CrackerDog]

BearfanNYC didn't say anything but the obvious. Insulting? Not unless you think questioning Cutler being an elite QB is insulting. But either way, certainly not BS. It really will come down to what we see on the field.

 

I found the terms used a little insulting. To suggest Jay hasn't bought into the system when there's no way of knowing that but to ask him. He's bought into it while still continuing to believe in his abilities. You can't expect that to change.

 

To say Jay needs to show some moxy, the dude is all MOXY.

 

Listen, Joe Montana threw low to mid teen picks a season and never had to overcome this shitty a D. Cutler averages about .5 of a pick more than that while being in his fourth system in four years. Sorry, that's not outrageously bad.

 

Jay will see his payday.

[bowlingtwig]

Talk about pressure!!!!

 

1. Contract year

2. Back up playing lights out while on the bench due to injury

3. Reports saying some players on the D were not happy Cutler was starting

4. Ravens just handed the Bears the keys to the driver seat, win two games and you are in

5. things could pan out to the last game of the season will determine who's in and who's out, against our most hated rival Packers

6. Similar stories, Rodgers and Cutler both out for extended time both come back to lead their teams to the playoff

 

 

The Eagles just lost to the Vikings without AP, we barely lost to the Vikings. The Bears D can not stop the run, the Eagles have the best rushing attack. This is setting up to be a shoot out,

 

Cutler has typically sucked against the Packers. Will Trestman's work with Cutler change that?

 

If Cutler wants to shut up all the haters he now has a golden opportunity to shut them all up!!! I will be praying he does.

I saw that report that some D players were upset with decision to go with jay. That's laughable don't you think. Is that not the biggest case of hypocrisy u have seen from our beloved in a long time. Hell of it wasn't for that D we would have wrapped shit up already. And this is exactly why I can't say its all on cutler to get us into playoffs. If he performs great but the D gives up 45+ pts each game. How can see blame cutler on that on him. That said if jay plays like shit I get the point

[scs787]

I saw that report that some D players were upset with decision to go with jay. That's laughable don't you think. Is that not the biggest case of hypocrisy u have seen from our beloved in a long time. Hell of it wasn't for that D we would have wrapped shit up already. And this is exactly why I can't say its all on cutler to get us into playoffs. If he performs great but the D gives up 45+ pts each game. How can see blame cutler on that on him. That said if jay plays like shit I get the point

 

 

Yup, theres no way they should have lost 2 games where they scored 30+.

 

Also shouldn't have given up 41 to the Rams.

 

But I guess that's what injuries do to a team. Still a little shocked we're even in this situation.

 

Also, just to throw it out there....freak the Vikings. How did Josh McCown, Mr. #1 QB in the world lose to them?

[AZ54]

I saw that report that some D players were upset with decision to go with jay. That's laughable don't you think. Is that not the biggest case of hypocrisy u have seen from our beloved in a long time. Hell of it wasn't for that D we would have wrapped shit up already. And this is exactly why I can't say its all on cutler to get us into playoffs. If he performs great but the D gives up 45+ pts each game. How can see blame cutler on that on him. That said if jay plays like shit I get the point

 

 

I too was LMAO at the Defense comments. The read between the lines translation is "we're so bad at D we can't afford any risk on offense". In reality any INTs do not matter as our D was giving up a scoring drive no matter where the opponents started. I hope this changes with Briggs back on the field this week and Ratliff is playing well. He's already the best player on our Dline.

[adam]

Yup, theres no way they should have lost 2 games where they scored 30+.

 

Also shouldn't have given up 41 to the Rams.

 

But I guess that's what injuries do to a team. Still a little shocked we're even in this situation.

 

Also, just to throw it out there....freak the Vikings. How did Josh McCown, Mr. #1 QB in the world lose to them?

FG from 49 yards on 2nd and 9.

[BearFan PHX]

I actually don't really disagree with Cracker. The word moxy was misused in my post.

 

I meant that for HIM, going to the scary place might be doing less, playing within the offense more.

 

You're right, the best and worst things you can say about Cutler are that hes tough, bullheaded, a competitor. He gets compared to Brett Favre, some say he has a gunslinger's mentality. For better or worse, that is definitely tough, so Cracker is right.

 

What I meant, was that he needs to show that he can run the system the way Trestman wants it. Cutler looks heroic to me at times, but rarely smooth.

 

For Trestman, this decision will define the QB position for his tenure as coach. I can't see him taking a guy with physical tools who won't do the progressions the way Trestman wants it done. So the question for Trestman, and for me too, is can Cutler do that? Or maybe will Cutler do that?

 

I'm sure that if Trestman thinks he can get into Cutler's head and mold him where he wants to go, that Cutler will be a Bear for a long time and win a Super Bowl. I don't see them in meetings etc. I don't know what Trestman thinks about Cutler's play, and what his ceiling is.

 

Good thing is, Trestman knows, so I'm inclined to follow whatever he does.

 

ANyway, Im not particularly optimistic about Cutler's ability to do this, but if he does it, I will certainly cheer for him.

 

Cracker was right tho, people who question Cutler's heart are wrong, and Im not one of them, even if I sound like I was.

 

Still, I'd be thrilled with a rookie under McCown and a revamped defense next year if that's where Emery and Trestman take us.

[scs787]

FG from 49 yards on 2nd and 9.

 

They shouldn't even have been in that position with the world beater that is Josh McCown at QB. Held to 20 pts against a team giving up 30 a game? A team who has been scored on through the air 32 times, tops in the league.

 

I know this probably isn't the thread for it, and we're past it now that Jay is our QB but I just wanted to point it out because I feel like it was never brought up.

[adam]

They shouldn't even have been in that position with the world beater that is Josh McCown at QB. Held to 20 pts against a team giving up 30 a game? A team who has been scored on through the air 32 times, tops in the league.

 

I know this probably isn't the thread for it, and we're past it now that Jay is our QB but I just wanted to point it out because I feel like it was never brought up.

That was an odd game because based on the stats, we should've scored more. Minnesota is 4-3 at home and 0-6-1 away.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

For Trestman, this decision will define the QB position for his tenure as coach. I can't see him taking a guy with physical tools who won't do the progressions the way Trestman wants it done. So the question for Trestman, and for me too, is can Cutler do that? Or maybe will Cutler do that?

 

I'm sure that if Trestman thinks he can get into Cutler's head and mold him where he wants to go, that Cutler will be a Bear for a long time and win a Super Bowl. I don't see them in meetings etc. I don't know what Trestman thinks about Cutler's play, and what his ceiling is.

 

Good thing is, Trestman knows, so I'm inclined to follow whatever he does.

 

ANyway, Im not particularly optimistic about Cutler's ability to do this, but if he does it, I will certainly cheer for him.

 

Cracker was right tho, people who question Cutler's heart are wrong, and Im not one of them, even if I sound like I was.

 

Still, I'd be thrilled with a rookie under McCown and a revamped defense next year if that's where Emery and Trestman take us.

 

I think you hit on some valid points. Those being, is Cutler capable of playing outside his 'norm'? I think we got a pretty good taste of it this last week with his 1st half vs 2nd half performances. As one analyst pointed out, Cutler is notorious for slow starts and probably one of the higher rated quarterbacks in the last two (especially the 4th) periods. The 1st half showcased some of his old habits mixed in with some rust. He threw to BM almost on each and every pass play. He forced it (in my opinion) a few too many times and it paid in turnovers.

 

However, he came back in the second half with less rust and more patience. He started looking over the field and realized there were other recievers on the field besides Brandon. If that was a meausre of what he is capable of, I'm hopeful (not confident) that he can continue the trend. In order for me to be completely (or as close as I can this year) sold on him being able to adapt, I would need for him to be able to maintain that play for the next two games. Then we would find our team in the playoffs and Cutler would most certainly earn himself some leverage in the contract negotiations.

 

Whatever you do, don't EVER tell Cracker that he is completely right.

[bowlingtwig]

I think you hit on some valid points. Those being, is Cutler capable of playing outside his 'norm'? I think we got a pretty good taste of it this last week with his 1st half vs 2nd half performances. As one analyst pointed out, Cutler is notorious for slow starts and probably one of the higher rated quarterbacks in the last two (especially the 4th) periods. The 1st half showcased some of his old habits mixed in with some rust. He threw to BM almost on each and every pass play. He forced it (in my opinion) a few too many times and it paid in turnovers.

 

However, he came back in the second half with less rust and more patience. He started looking over the field and realized there were other recievers on the field besides Brandon. If that was a meausre of what he is capable of, I'm hopeful (not confident) that he can continue the trend. In order for me to be completely (or as close as I can this year) sold on him being able to adapt, I would need for him to be able to maintain that play for the next two games. Then we would find our team in the playoffs and Cutler would most certainly earn himself some leverage in the contract negotiations.

 

Whatever you do, don't EVER tell Cracker that he is completely right.

Dead on. Especially last part about cracker. That's against my religion

[jason]

I found the terms used a little insulting. To suggest Jay hasn't bought into the system when there's no way of knowing that but to ask him. He's bought into it while still continuing to believe in his abilities. You can't expect that to change.

 

To say Jay needs to show some moxy, the dude is all MOXY.

 

Listen, Joe Montana threw low to mid teen picks a season and never had to overcome this shitty a D. Cutler averages about .5 of a pick more than that while being in his fourth system in four years. Sorry, that's not outrageously bad.

 

Jay will see his payday.

 

Joe Montana and Jay Cutler? That's about as far away in terms of QB type as you can get. Ignoring the obvious physical differences...

With Chicago Jay Cutler has an INT% of 3.6%. Career 3.4%.

With SanFran Joe Montana had an INT% of 2.7%. Career 2.6%.

 

That means Jay throws 1 INT more per 100 passes. I know some would say, "That doesn't seem like a lot." Figure about 33 passes a game to make math easy. That's one extra pick thrown every 3 games. Or put another way, Joe Montana might get through the stretch of three games without a pick (based on percentages). Cutler will not. And if Cutler's lucky enough to get through those three games? Oh, holy shit, a horrible game is on the horizon. And those stats don't even get into field location of interceptions, something I'm sure would make Cutler's INTs look worse.

 

And BTW, Montana's TD% is roughly 0.5% better, which means he probably throws an extra TD in there during that three game stretch. And if not, it was guaranteed in the fourth game.

 

And BTW part 2, I don't have comprehensive stats on this, but Joe Montana was FAMOUS for being a person who ran the offense efficiently, checking down to Roger Craig, Tom Rathman, and Dwight Clark even when he had Jerry Rice. Montana's big stretch with Rice is 87-89, and at no time did Rice's receptions go above 25%. In fact, two of those years Craig had more receptions than Rice. And Rathman had 73 receptions the other year. A FULLBACK. Cutler? Not so much. In his first three years with the Bears he spread it around. The most receptions was still under 20%. But as soon as he got his buddy Marshall, that figure jumps to a staggering 41%! The point to all this is that Cutler doesn't appear to be the type of guy willing to spread the ball around when he has an elite player at WR. Which is what makes so many frustrated about him, particularly when Jeffery and Bennett are putting in such good years.

 

And BTW part 3, it's not like Jay has had to deal with horrible defenses this whole time. This year? Yeah, sure. The three previous years? Not even close.

[CrackerDog]

...if that's where Emery and Trestman take us.

 

Good post. Particularly the "Cracker's right" part.

 

I think we agree more than not on this. I'm a little more optimistic about Cutler being able to adapt to the system because I think he has the tools and it's just a matter of time. But as you say, Trestman is in those meetings, knows exactly what Jay should of done on each play and how Cutler is responding to constructive criticism. Nobody on this board can be sure one way or the other because what we see is the public Jay, who I think we all can agree is a bit of a tool. Maybe less so now than in the past, but still sort of a tool.

[CrackerDog]

Dead on. Especially last part about cracker. That's against my religion

 

Ha!

[CrackerDog]

Joe Montana and Jay Cutler? That's about as far away in terms of QB type as you can get. Ignoring the obvious physical differences...

With Chicago Jay Cutler has an INT% of 3.6%. Career 3.4%.

With SanFran Joe Montana had an INT% of 2.7%. Career 2.6%.

 

That means Jay throws 1 INT more per 100 passes.

 

LOL! There's that reading comprehension thing again with you. Read my post again. Or should I say READ IT. I said Cutler throws .5 more picks per game than Joe so I'm actually rounding up to his detriment according to your calcs. I know he throws more picks than Joe, the point being that given all the coordinators he had to go through, no offensive line, shitty receivers, and this year a D that can't help but put pressure on him to score every single series... THAT AIN'T BAD by comparison. So in comparing Cutler to an all time great, a guy everyone mentions as their example of cool under pressure, given the circumstances, he isn't playing wildly out of control like you and others pretend.

 

Which is what makes so many frustrated about him, particularly when Jeffery and Bennett are putting in such good years.

 

LOL! So is Jay spreading the ball around or not? I realize those guys have had some good games under Josh (your hero) but they've done pretty well with Jay out there too. I mean, this week alone, Alshon for 72 yards and a TD. E. Bennett for a TD this week. In fact, three receivers over 70 (including M Bennett) and three passing TD's to different receivers against a decent defense, not the patsies Josh played against. Add Alshon for 218 yards and a TD against New Orleans. Over 100 against Detroit with another TD. Both also good D's.

 

We don't have a fullback on the field 90% of the time (almost never on passing downs) but that's a nice straw man. I LOVE the pass to a fullback but when he isn't on the field, you can't expect Cutler to hit him, can you? Our TE is catching plenty of balls. Etc. I would like to see him check down to Forte more than he did this week but 38 points is OK with me. And Forte's best receiving game of the season (10 catches) was under Cutler, not McCown.

 

In short, one of the biggest criticisms of Cutler is being blown out of proportion by the talk radio types and internet football experts out there. There's certainly room for improvement but he's already improving and has shown me enough to not want to jettison him just when things could finally be getting interesting.

[Lucky Luciano]

Joe Montana and Jay Cutler? That's about as far away in terms of QB type as you can get. Ignoring the obvious physical differences...

With Chicago Jay Cutler has an INT% of 3.6%. Career 3.4%.

With SanFran Joe Montana had an INT% of 2.7%. Career 2.6%.

 

And BTW, Montana's TD% is roughly 0.5% better, which means he probably throws an extra TD in there during that three game stretch. And if not, it was guaranteed in the fourth game.

 

first off... i am not being facetious when i ask you how much have you actually watched the 49ers of the 80's play. have you really watched them during that period? i can say that i have watched a lot of 9er's football at that time and not because i wanted to. they were always on because they were always in the post season mix.

 

montana was the essence of what you call the accurate pin-point passer. add this to his timing (which is of critical importance) in hitting the multitude of receivers in stride. he was excellent at this and could think/see 3-dimensionally when looking at the field and assimilate the information very quickly. thus the old adage of the game slowing down.

 

that said, there is never going to be a real 'set-in-stone' comparison statistically between these two QB's because their styles of play and the systems they played in are a WHOLE lot different. but i think the comparisons can be made in a general sense but you have to look at it in an abstract way to slot in the surrounding talent and coaching.

 

And BTW part 2, I don't have comprehensive stats on this, but Joe Montana was FAMOUS for being a person who ran the offense efficiently, checking down to Roger Craig, Tom Rathman, and Dwight Clark even when he had Jerry Rice. Montana's big stretch with Rice is 87-89, and at no time did Rice's receptions go above 25%. In fact, two of those years Craig had more receptions than Rice. And Rathman had 73 receptions the other year. A FULLBACK. Cutler? Not so much. In his first three years with the Bears he spread it around. The most receptions was still under 20%. But as soon as he got his buddy Marshall, that figure jumps to a staggering 41%! The point to all this is that Cutler doesn't appear to be the type of guy willing to spread the ball around when he has an elite player at WR. Which is what makes so many frustrated about him, particularly when Jeffery and Bennett are putting in such good years.

 

these stats are very misleading. for you to say that the 9er's running backs or fullback's were for some reason an unusual target from a great QB compared to what cutler has done is not really the case.

 

it was the system they worked within. the S.F. west coast offense as it worked at that time used it's short passing attack as a large part of it's running game. in other words they used a lot of short passes to it's RB's instead of calling a running play and in essence cultivated the same results.

 

this had multiple implications. they could run the ball with a very good RB or use the short passing game in it's stead. this also opened up the their medium to deep passing attack by freezing the LB's and safeties in short zones thus making a lot of MOM matchups downfield (also, a LOT of rice's yardage was YAC from short to medium passes). it also opened up a lot of room for a running play to succeed.

 

one more item... d. clark was a really nice receiver. he wasn't fast per se' but he was large with good hands. this was the guy that was our marshal or JEFFERY in the endzone. at 6'4 he was an unusually large receiver for that time and was a key target of montana in the red zone.

 

And BTW part 3, it's not like Jay has had to deal with horrible defenses this whole time. This year? Yeah, sure. The three previous years? Not even close.

 

if i am misunderstanding your point my apologies in advance...

 

you can not possibly compare previous seasons in chicago with anything. there is nothing in the books to compare with the ineptitude of our coaches and players on offense.

 

that cutlers game stats are even close to what they are is a testament to him having at least good qb capabilities with NO offensive line, with NO receivers and NO gameplan or coaching.

 

finally... defenses DO make a difference in a very big way as they have done here in chicago this season. the long sustained drives on nearly every series eats up the clock and takes time AWAY from your offense. instead of watching the game on the sidelines they could be generating offense themselves to score points and finish the game out.

 

there are in my estimation at least 2 extra series a game our offense could be on the field.

[BearFan PHX]

Good post. Particularly the "Cracker's right" part.

 

I think we agree more than not on this. I'm a little more optimistic about Cutler being able to adapt to the system because I think he has the tools and it's just a matter of time. But as you say, Trestman is in those meetings, knows exactly what Jay should of done on each play and how Cutler is responding to constructive criticism. Nobody on this board can be sure one way or the other because what we see is the public Jay, who I think we all can agree is a bit of a tool. Maybe less so now than in the past, but still sort of a tool.

 

Yup.

[jason]

LOL! There's that reading comprehension thing again with you. Read my post again. Or should I say READ IT. I said Cutler throws .5 more picks per game than Joe so I'm actually rounding up to his detriment according to your calcs. I know he throws more picks than Joe, the point being that given all the coordinators he had to go through, no offensive line, shitty receivers, and this year a D that can't help but put pressure on him to score every single series... THAT AIN'T BAD by comparison. So in comparing Cutler to an all time great, a guy everyone mentions as their example of cool under pressure, given the circumstances, he isn't playing wildly out of control like you and others pretend.

 

There's nothing wrong with my reading comprehension. There's something wrong with your comparison comprehension. I don't care what stats you throw out, when you start to compare Cutler to Montana it's just a really bad comparison. And keep in mind I've been the President of the "Fix the OL Club," and a firm member of the "Cutler is our QB Club" before this year. The "he only threw .5 more picks" stuff is nonsense because it discounts thousands of other factors that make the discussion and comparison ridiculous. Ask literally anyone about that comparison and it's laughable. Jay hasn't been horrible, but he's been nowhere near Montana, regardless of how a single statistic gets misconstrued.

 

LOL! So is Jay spreading the ball around or not? I realize those guys have had some good games under Josh (your hero) but they've done pretty well with Jay out there too. I mean, this week alone, Alshon for 72 yards and a TD. E. Bennett for a TD this week. In fact, three receivers over 70 (including M Bennett) and three passing TD's to different receivers against a decent defense, not the patsies Josh played against. Add Alshon for 218 yards and a TD against New Orleans. Over 100 against Detroit with another TD. Both also good D's.

 

We don't have a fullback on the field 90% of the time (almost never on passing downs) but that's a nice straw man. I LOVE the pass to a fullback but when he isn't on the field, you can't expect Cutler to hit him, can you? Our TE is catching plenty of balls. Etc. I would like to see him check down to Forte more than he did this week but 38 points is OK with me. And Forte's best receiving game of the season (10 catches) was under Cutler, not McCown.

 

In short, one of the biggest criticisms of Cutler is being blown out of proportion by the talk radio types and internet football experts out there. There's certainly room for improvement but he's already improving and has shown me enough to not want to jettison him just when things could finally be getting interesting.

 

The point to the second part is that Cutler only spread it around when he had to because nobody was good. He was forced to work with what he had. And most people who paid attention didn't blame him because the receivers and OL sucked. But not now. He's got weapons and an OL. It's like not having your favorite food and basically eating whatever is in the fridge. But when he got his favorite food (i.e. Marshall), that's about all he saw. The point to the fullback, which I'm not surprised you missed, is that Montana used all his weapons, not that it was specifically a FB.

 

 

[CrackerDog]

The "he only threw .5 more picks" stuff is nonsense

 

No, it isn't. That single stat (and according to you it's only .33) reflects exactly that Cutler is fairly close to "Joe Cool" when it comes to what he's most accused of being bad at, brainfart picks. I realize you'll never admit to losing an argument so I'll just leave it at that. I never said Cutler was a good as Montana. You like to argue with people based on things they never said. That's generally considered not cool.

 

It's like not having your favorite food and basically eating whatever is in the fridge. But when he got his favorite food (i.e. Marshall), that's about all he saw.

 

All of this is horseshit. I assume this year he hasn't "had to" as you blather. I'm sorry, hitting your RB with 10 passes in a game, helping to create a new young WR superstar in Jeffery this year, hitting both Bennetts when that's what the defense was giving him... Are you off your meds?

 

The point to the fullback, which I'm not surprised you missed, is that Montana used all his weapons, not that it was specifically a FB.

 

Does Cutler call his plays? Does he decide the personnel groupings? Is it him who keeps the FB in for additional blocking on the rare occassion the FB is actually on the field on a pass play? Shit man, even your newfound "wanna humpy hump" stud Josh McCown topped out at 2 passes to the FB this year, that's a full reception more than Cutler! JESUS MAN, YOU'RE RIGHT, THAT'S 100% MORE!!!

[Alaskan Grizzly]

... and this year a D that can't help but put pressure on him to score every single series... THAT AIN'T BAD by comparison. So in comparing Cutler to an all time great, a guy everyone mentions as their example of cool under pressure, given the circumstances, he isn't playing wildly out of control like you and others pretend.

 

What's good should be good for the gander (bolded). McCown has played with that same crap D. In fact, many here have said that the D was better early in the season, when Jay was playing, before they lost several of their key players. So.....in reality it's McCown that has had he benefit (or detriment) of playing with a bad D, thus putting pressure on HIM to perform.

 

And by not making the comparison to an "all time great" but instead to a former HS Football coach, I found that in 8 games (counting Detroit #2) Cutler threw 13 TDs to 8 INTs and fumbled the ball 3 times. Where McC (in 7 games) did 13 TDs to 1 Int and 1 Fumb. That perhaps measures the "wildly out of control" you are referring to.

 

LOL! So is Jay spreading the ball around or not? I realize those guys have had some good games under Josh (your hero) but they've done pretty well with Jay out there too.

 

I think pretty highly of McCown too, especially given from where he started. But looking at pure "distibution" in the games that both McCown and Cutler played with Marshall and Jeffery as the primary WR's. In the first 8 games (predominately Cutler) Marshall had 46 receptions to 38 with McCown. Whereas Jeffery had 33 receptions in the same sample to 42 with McCown. Almost a literal swap. Is that because AJ improved or because McCown does better at surveying the field?

 

I mean, this week alone, Alshon for 72 yards and a TD. E. Bennett for a TD this week. In fact, three receivers over 70 (including M Bennett) and three passing TD's to different receivers against a decent defense, not the patsies Josh played against. Add Alshon for 218 yards and a TD against New Orleans. Over 100 against Detroit with another TD. Both also good D's.

 

So let's look at this last week. Cutler targeted BM 13 times to AJ's 5 (one of which was the 'hail mary' reception). Of those numbers 9 were caught by Marshall in the first half and 3 by Jeffery. The rest (4 / 2) were in the second half. What does that tell me? It tells me that we are confirmed that Cutler was looking like his old self in the first half by trying too much to hit BM. He seemed to spread it around more in the second half. Why? One can only speculate but my guess is he either figured it our or was told to.

 

Again using the Cleveland game as a simple measuring stick I would say I agree that Cutler is "improving". Not sure how well but the next two games will better determine what to do with him next.