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Jay Cutler playing well, but Chicago Bears still need someone else

By Carlos Nazario

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Many are giving Jay Cutler rave reviews for his play this season. The fact of the matter is the Chicago Bears are still going nowhere with him and should find another quarterback.

There have been some surprises that have happened during this season for the Chicago Bears. They already have as many wins as they did all of last year, yet there are still four games remaining. The defense for the most part has played much better than the embarrassment they were over the past two seasons.

And Jay Cutler has not been the turnover machine he was over his career with the Bears.

The last one has been very interesting. For years, Cutler has been the whipping boy for Chicago Bears fans and media members. He has been a lightning rod of controversy, whether it was for not finishing the NFC Championship game, pushing his linemen around or looking like he just does not give a damn about what is going on.

There has been a change this season, however. Jay Cutler has not been the turnover machine he’s been in Chicago, and has made some better decisions, and many are saying this is the Cutler everyone was waiting for.

Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com predicted that Cutler would have the highest passer rating of his career.

“Jay Cutler will finish 2015 with the highest passer-rating of his career. His previous best is 89.2 in 2013, and right now he sits at 90.1. Cutler didn’t look great in Week 13 against the 49ers (18-of-31 for 202 yards and one interception), but expect him to bounce back. He has posted a passer-rating of below 88.4 in only three starts under offensive coordinator Adam Gase.”

Adam Gase has gotten a lot of the credit for transforming Cutler. Gase is in his first year as Chicago Bears offensive coordinator.

Remember, we fell for this before.

When Marc Trestman took over as head coach, he was known as a quarterback whisperer. He coached Rich Gannon during his 2002 MVP season, and many quarterback draft prospects went to him for help.

In his first season under Trestman, Cutler was getting good reviews as well. The Chicago Bears came close to making it to the playoffs, falling in the last game of the season to the Green Bay Packers.

There was much hype and hope going into season number two. We all know how that finished. He led the league in turnovers and looked like he quit on the team. At one point he was even benched.

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As you can see, Cutler’s 2013 and 2015 seasons are pretty similar. The main difference, of course, is the interceptions. He has made better decisions and his interceptions are down this year.

The one similar stat for Cutler is the record. In both seasons, his record is 5-6. I know, I know, Cutler’s defenders will counter with bad defenses, bad coordinators, bad offensive lines, etc., but the fact of the matter is that he continues to have losing records, and fair or not, the quarterback gets the brunt of the blame for it.

Now Adam Gase will be a leading candidate for a head coaching job somewhere. It does not mean he will ultimately take a job somewhere else, but eventually he will be a head coach.

How will Cutler react to Gase’s departure if/when it happens? How will he act in a second season with Gase. The thinking was with Cutler playing under Trestman with a season under his belt in his system, he would have a better season the second year.

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While Cutler’s interceptions have gone down, the damage of them are still there. His interceptions have resulted in 31 points scored by the opponents. He also had a fumble lost against the Denver Broncos deep in their territory that cost the Bears points in a two-point loss.

Also, seeing the Chicago Bears’ game plan against the San Francisco 49ers was to keep the ball out of Cutler’s hands as much as possible. There were plenty of times that the play action pass would be successful. The Bears were running the ball well, and the Broncos would need to watch for the run, and play action would exploit that.

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I still do not think the Chicago Bears coaching staff is completely trustful of Cutler. Some are saying now that with Cutler’s good season, the Bears would not have a need to go after a quarterback early. That would be a mistake. The team’s priority should still be finding a quarterback.

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