Jay Feely Critical Of Chicago Bears Leadership
Nov 9, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) talks to head coach Marc Trestman in the second quarter during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Veteran kicker Jay Feely spent the last month of the 2014 regular season with the Chicago Bears as an injury replacement for kicker Robbie Gould. A month was all the time that Feely needed to size up the leadership of Bears’ quarterback Jay Cutler and former head coach Marc Trestman.
Veteran kicker Jay Feely has had many pit stops throughout his NFL career, and Feely’s most recent stop was with the Chicago Bears at the end of the 2014 season.
Feely served as an injury replacement for Bears’ kicker Robbie Gould during the last month of the 2014 regular season. In that month’s time, Feely was able to size up the leadership qualities of Bears’ quarterback Jay Cutler and former head coach Marc Trestman.
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While speaking on a radio show during Super Bowl week on Wednesday, Feely was critical of Cutler’s leadership skills.
“Not as a leader, no,” Feely said. “That’s not who he is. You’re going to have a vacuum there. So you have to know that as a general manager or a head coach, ‘Hey, we’re not going to have that leadership from this position, so we’ve really got to have other guys that are going to step up and are going to be our verbal leaders.”
Feely is not breaking any news with his comments of Cutler. The overwhelming, and sometimes off-base, criticism of Cutler has been his leadership.
Feely believes that Cutler can win on the field but he is hurting the Bears with his lack of leadership.
“Here’s my thing with quarterbacks in general,” Feely said. You are the person that every guy in that locker room looks to. When there’s a problem, they look to the quarterback. They want the quarterback to lead. When you have a quarterback who doesn’t like to lead, it leaves a hole in the team. When a quarterback is not a leader, there’s always going to be a vacuum there. Jay Cutler can win on the field, but he would be so much better and the team would be so much better if you’re a leader off the field as well. And I never saw him lead verbally. If he doesn’t want to do that, he doesn’t want to be that person, it’s not in his DNA, then you’re always going to have a vacuum there that somebody else needs to step into and fill.”
Again, Feely is not breaking any news with his comments about Cutler.
Cutler was not the only subject of Feely’s criticism of the Bears. The veteran kicker also was critical of former Bears’ head coach Marc Trestman.
“I think with Marc Trestman, he was a little awkward when he spoke,” Feely said. “So, he really didn’t connect with guys. You can have that as a coach if you have a strong locker room. If you don’t have leaders in the locker room, [and] you don’t have a coach who really inspires, then you end up having a losing season.”
Once again, Feely is not breaking any news with his comments.
The issue to take with Feely’s comments is not what he said rather the fact that he is the one saying it. Had Feely been a part of the Bears since training camp, then his comments this past week would be news. But the fact of the matter is that Feely joined the Bears when the season was already lost and the locker room was fractured beyond repair.
Kickers do not get much time in the spotlight. That would be why Feely took advantage of his time in the spotlight this week by making news in saying things that we already knew to be true about Cutler and Trestman.