ESPN article on Cutler
In what turned out to be a phenomenal article written by David Fleming from ESPN, Jay Cutler was ripped apart. Fleming illustrates numerous reasons and events that compare Cutler to other players who are considered elite, and they all make Jay look bad. The main point of the story is to point out that “nothing is ever Jay Cutler’s fault” according to … well everyone.
“Nothing is ever Jay Cutler‘s fault.”
You might think, in a season opener at home against the bottom-feeding Bills, that a newly minted, $126 million, franchise quarterback with a single career playoff win who has had an entire franchise ripped apart and rebuilt to his exact specifications would, maybe, be to blame for throwing two picks that led to 10 easy points for Buffalo in a shocking 23-20 overtime loss.
And, like I said, you’d be wrong.”
Fleming goes on to say that the only franchise that Cutler should be running is a Denny’s.
“Given his track record of leadership, the only franchise Cutler should be running is a Denny’s.”
Still trying to figure out if this is a knock on Cutler, or a compliment to Denny’s…their pancakes are delicious.
Even though it appears harsh and a bit over the top, Fleming backs up his point strongly using numerous examples of other quarterbacks who have thrived with less and taken responsibility when things went wrong. One glaring comparison is the one he makes to Aaron Rodgers, basically saying he won a Super Bowl with a sub-par offensive line, riddled with injuries, yet Cutler needs “perfect protection” to be effective. Fleming goes on and on in the full story, it’s well worth a read.
Why Chicago Thinks Differently
The only thing Fleming lacks in his article about Cutler is faith. Cutler’s past surely makes it appear that history is repeating itself every time Chicago prepares for a new season. It’s also easy to say that Bears fans love Cutler simply because there hasn’t been a quarterback of his caliber in Chicago for a very long time, that’s somewhat true. Bears fans watched the team struggle to find offensive success for years and Cutler is the main ingredient for change. Answering the requests of your franchise player doesn’t make the Bears weak, or blind to Cutler’s weaknesses as indicated by Fleming. It simply shows that this organization will now commit to the success of it’s offense, even though their past history shows otherwise. They showed that when they paid Cutler a king’s ransom and when they hired Marc Trestman to be the head coach.
Chicago fans are extremely passionate and they have backed Jay to this point, but they won’t wait for Cutler to figure out greatness on his own watch. The contract is signed, the table is set – if Jay falls on his face this year, it’s safe to say the faith will be gone