Rex Grossman’s Dad Defends Jay Cutler
Published by Jake Perper on November 17, 2009
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Former Bears quarterback Rex Grossman is currently the backup to Matt Schaub in Houston, but that doesn’t mean his father doesn’t still watch the Chicago Bears. His father Dan quickly defended Jay Cutler and compared it to how Rex was in his time with the Bears.
Here’s what he had to say to the Chicago Tribune:
“It’s a self-perpetuating problem that is not Jay Cutler’s fault,” said Dan Grossman, who played quarterback at Indiana in the ’60s. “It’s not Rex Grossman’s fault. It’s not Kyle Orton’s fault. It’s not every other quarterback who has been through that system’s fault. It’s the fault of the organization for not understanding what a quarterback needs.
“What’s amazing to me is, here we go again with Jay Cutler. He came in and he was going to be the franchise quarterback and lead the Bears. I heard some people say they were going to the Super Bowl this year. And here we are, back in the situation where…because the team is not really built around a passing game, he has struggled. I don’t really blame it on Jay Cutler.
“You know who I feel worse for? I feel worse for the Cutler family because I know how hard it was on our family. We are a very proud family. We’re not going to whine to anybody and we’re not going to cry about it. But we’re human. It’s hard to go through that, especially after you had such high expectations.
“You know this young man can really play the sport and that position. It borders on the ridiculous. And the media wants to continually rip the player. And they are missing the point. It’s not the player. It’s the organization.
“I’m not even going to rip the coaches. It’s not even the coaches. The coaches are given a clear, strong message: ‘We’re not building an offensive passing team; we’re building an offensive running team.’
“Look at how much money they have put on the defense. That’s my observation.
“(Rex) wasn’t a first-round draft pick (22nd overall out of Florida) and an Associated Press national player of the year for nothing. Obviously he came in very well thought of. Those bumps that he had in Chicago have not helped him. But I am glad to say he is on an excellent team now. And he is on an excellent offensive passing team now. He is very pleased with that.
“The whole culture is different.
“Jay Cutler, first-round draft pick. Rex Grossman, first-round draft pick. I mean, you’re telling me these guys were terrible? They did bad scouting? No. You can connect the dots pretty easily when you just look. I am just amazed at how infrequently people in the media look at it. Their evaluation is that it is always the player. That’s not right.
“I believe that the NFL is a passing league. It has been for the last 20 years. Chicago continues to use the phrase, at least Lovie Smith continues to use the phrase, ‘We get off the bus running.’ They need to abandon that concept. Running is obviously a very important part of the offense. But the best teams in this league are prolific passing teams.
“And for a team to be effective at passing, in my opinion, you have to build your offense around your quarterback. You have to commit to the quarterback: ‘You’re our guy.’
“You don’t bring your quarterback in and say: ‘We’re going to get off the bus running. But on 3rd-and-10, you’ve got to come through for us now!’”
Thoughts
I agree with Dan Grossman on a lot of the things he said.
It’s true the league is now more of a passing league, but you still have to have some kind of running game to be successful. Jay Cutler needs to be surrounded with more weapons than just Devin Hester and Greg Olsen. Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett are good, but there just too young.
The offensive line is mixed with young inexperienced guys and veterans who are on the edge of their careers. This team has the talent to make the playoffs this season, but next year if they surround Jay Cutler with protection and talent, the Bears have a chance.
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