Bears Blitz

Published by James Kries on November 5, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

With the Bears still in the mix for the playoffs in 2011, most of the headlines have focused on the ongoing Matt Forte contract situation. In a  couple of years, another Bears contract controversy may be forthcoming.

While Jay Cutler will be satisfied with his giant two-year contract extension that will keep him a Chicago Bear through 2013, he may want to seek out a better situation to complement his talents at quarterback.

Is Cutler just an average quarterback? Is he handcuffed by inadequate talent surrounding him? Would he become a great quarterback on a different team?

These are questions that are most likely brought up at whichever water cooler Bears fans choose to drink from.

In year three of Cutler’s time with the Bears, his performances have been nowhere near consistently great. His first year with the Bears in 2009, Cutler threw 26 interceptions. Since coming to the Bears, his completion percentage has gradually declined. His current rate of completion is a career-low at 59.1 percent.

Another statistic that has declined for Cutler is his quarterback rating. While this decrease has been minimal, it was expected that Cutler would really take off when he came to Chicago. Statistically speaking, his career has been idling during his time in Chicago.

The most important statistic for Cutler, however, is his win-loss record with Chicago. This is the number that has improved since he left the Denver Broncos via a trade in 2009. Cutler is 21-17 as a Bear. With Denver, Cutler was 17-20 as a starter.

While it could be argued that some of those starts in Denver were a young quarterback getting his feet wet in the NFL, it is still an improvement for Cutler, along with his trip to the NFC Championship Game during the 2010 season with the Bears. 

For the money Cutler will demand when his contract expires, will he deserve elite quarterback money? Or, if he hasn’t won a Super Bowl in Chicago, would Cutler fancy his chances in another system?

Cutler may be stunting his professional growth in Chicago by playing on a team with a poor offensive line, a rigid offensive system implemented by Mike Martz that may not suit the current talent on the team and by having simply average wide receivers.

During his two-and-a-half years with the Bears, Cutler has been sacked 108 times. By comparison, over the same time period, New England quarterback Tom Brady has only been sacked 55 times, or barely half of Cutler’s total with the Bears.

That sack total doesn’t even take into account the number of hits Cutler endures, as he is constantly under pressure.

Martz, is Cutler’s second coordinator since he joined the Bears. Martz’s system is driven by timing and speed, and usually requires Cutler to drop back five or seven steps before releasing the ball. With the current talent on the offensive line, Cutler rarely has time to complete the called plays. He also does not have the ability to audible as other quarterbacks do around the league.

Cutler’s wide receivers have been a mix of undrafted players, players on the downturn of their career and receivers who were converted to the position and are still learning its nuances.

Cutler has arguably not played well on most occasions when he has been given time to throw. He has had games where he threw four and five interceptions, and only he could be blamed for those performances.

Mushsin Muhammed once famously said, “(Chicago) is where receivers go to die.”

That could probably be said for Chicago quarterbacks as well, but Cutler obviously has more natural talent than the parade of mediocrity that has been Chicago’s starting quarterbacks in the last half century.

Has Cutler reached his career plateau, or would he light up the league with a talented offensive line, a better coaching staff and better wide receivers?

If the Bears want to lock up Cutler after 2013 for the rest of his NFL career, he might be better served with better talent surrounding him.

So the question remains, would Cutler benefit from being under center for a different NFL team?

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