Jimmy Clausen Will Start over Jay Cutler vs. Lions in Week 16
Published by Adam Wells on December 17, 2014
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears have benched starting quarterback Jay Cutler in favor of Jimmy Clausen for Week 16.
Continue for updates.
Cutler Speaks About Benching
Thursday, Dec. 18
Cutler spoke to the media about the Bears’ choice to bench him in favor of Clausen. The Bears pass along Cutler’s comments on the decision and his future:
Jeff Dickerson of ESPN Chicago has more from Cutler:
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network weighs in on Cutler’s demeanor:
Clausen Weighs in On Earning Starting Job
The Bears provide Clausen’s take on being the Bears’ starting quarterback:
Jeff Dickerson of ESPN has more from Cutler:
Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times provides Clausen’s comments on the adverse situation he’s entering:
Marc Trestman Explains Decision
Marc Trestman spoke about his decision to bench Cutler. NFL Network provides comments from the head coach:
The Bears have more on the decision:
Players Respond to Cutler Benching
ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson reports on players’ takes on Cutler’s benching:
A pair of accomplished and respected Chicago Bears players told ESPNChicago.com on Wednesday night that a portion of the locker room feels “confused and uncomfortable” over how coach Marc Trestman handled Jay Cutler’s benching compared to the minor discipline offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer received last week.
From a pure performance standpoint, neither of the players, who requested to remain anonymous, objected to Cutler losing his starting job to Jimmy Clausen for Sunday’s game versus the Detroit Lions.
But while noting that a faction of Cutler detractors exists inside Halas Hall, the general belief is the respective punishments for Cutler and Kromer are gravely inconsistent, after the Bears’ offensive coordinator received “basically a slap on the wrist” for his very public indiscretions when he tearfully revealed in a team meeting on Dec. 8 that he was the anonymous source cited in a published NFL Media report highly critical of the quarterback.
Jason Cole of Bleacher Report also weighed in on Chicago’s decision to move Cutler to the bench:
Cutler Benched for Clausen
Wednesday, Dec. 17
Chicago Bears head coach Marc Trestman has apparently seen enough Jay Cutler turnovers this season and will make a change at quarterback in Week 16 against the Detroit Lions.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears will reportedly go with backup quarterback Jimmy Clausen on Sunday:
Schefter also noted Cutler’s guaranteed salary for next season, though who ends up paying that is very much in question now:
Mike Silver of NFL.com reports that the decision to bench Cutler came from Trestman, not from anyone in the front office:
Peter King of Sports Illustrated thinks starting the backups to close this season is a smart move by the Bears for evaluating purposes heading into the offseason:
It’s been a difficult season for Cutler, who has regressed in his second season under Trestman. He leads the NFL with a head-scratching number of total turnovers, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com:
Trestman addressed Cutler’s struggles but made it clear there are other problems with the team’s performance, per ESPN.com’s Michael C. Wright.
“I haven’t been able [to coax the best from Cutler] and we haven’t been able to do the things that we want to get done,” Trestman said. “We’re working towards that. But the answer to that is obvious. I’m trying to give you the most truthful answer and that is, we’ve seen moments of it, but it’s not where we need to go. It’s not where we need to be. But it’s not all about Jay. It’s about our entire offense, working together to get it done.”
He’ll now turn to Clausen to “get it done.”
This will be the first start for Clausen since his rookie season with Carolina in 2010. He has appeared in three games this year and has a completion percentage of 33.3 with no touchdowns and no interceptions on just nine attempts.
The Bears, who are on a three-game losing streak and sit 5-9 on the season, will hope that he can provide a spark on offense.
As for Cutler, his future in Chicago is now very much up in the air. He signed a seven-year, $127 million contract extension in January, though there’s a definite possibility the team tries to part ways in the offseason, potentially via trade. In any event, his contract figures to be a major obstacle.
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