Jay Cutler Just Not Cutting It This Season

Jay Cutler has been a whipping boy for years, but this season, with all the weapons around him and a quarterback whisperer as his coach, he is still not getting the job done. Perhaps some criticism is warranted.

Jay Cutler has been an easy target to go after on the Chicago Bears. He makes these faces that don’t endear him to many people. I don’t understand how facial expressions make a quarterback, but some people like to see their quarterbacks smile.

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Cutler does give off this “I don’t care what you think” attitude to all the haters around him. I think that is what a quarterback needs. Quarterbacks need to be tough and tough skinned. Cutler is both.

There is something different this season, however. He has the same “I don’t care” attitude, but this time it looks like he’s taking it to the field. When the Bears are in key situations, he doesn’t have a sense of urgency. He is stubborn in his approach to finding targets. He zeroes in on a receiver, and if he drops one, that receiver may not see another target for a while.

In his post game press conference, I heard a lot of “I don’t know” and “I don’t have the answer” coming out of Cutler. He is the leader of the offense, the face of the franchise. He should have SOME answers.

It has gotten very difficult to defend Jay Cutler. Before, one could easily argue that he did not have receivers. Now he has the best receiving corps in the NFL, and the best pass catching running back in the league. Before, one could argue that he did not have a decent offensive line to protect him. Now, he has one of the best offensive line units in football. Some of the backups can start on other teams.

With all those weapons around him, Cutler is still leading the Bears into mediocrity.

“We got a great, great group of guys and this is unacceptable.” -Brandon Marshall

Even his most staunch supporter, his best friend Brandon Marshall, turned on Cutler Sunday. In a locker room full of emotion after the game, Marshall supposedly called out his buddy Cutler for not getting the job done.

Talking to reporters after the game, Marshall spoke about how the Bears have great talent.  “We got Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennett, Matt Forte, we got a stud offensive line,” Marshall said. “We got a great, great group of guys and this is unacceptable. What did we put up? Fourteen points. Was it 14 points? That’s unacceptable. That’s unacceptable.”

Did you notice how he left off a certain quarterback who recently signed a huge contract?

This criticism comes from a receiver who IS GETTING THE BALL! If Marshall was selfish, he could just keep quiet and continue to catch passes. He wants to win, however, even if it means he isn’t the leading receiver.

There were times in the game when Alshon Jeffery, who only had two catches for nine yards on Sunday, was open. On the last drive in the 4th quarter, Jeffery was wide open on the sideline, and could have turned and gone to the score. Instead, he went to Marshall, who was double covered, for an incompletion. Cutler is still depending too much on Marshall, and that has to change.

In addition to the weapons Cutler has around him, he has a weapon in himself. He has a great, rocket arm. He is tough and can run. There is just something missing

Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

with him. He cannot put it all together for whatever reason. He will have to figure something out quickly, or there will be no one other than his family who will still support him.

Things could turn very ugly very fast for Cutler. When Chicago fans turn on their players, they can get vicious. Being 0-3 at home is making the home crowd restless.

The home record is concerning, because after their November 9th game in Green Bay, the Bears have five of their last seven games at home. That would normally be a good thing, but they have to figure out what is happening at home or that may be a problem. Where would this team be if they weren’t 3-1 on the road?

Jay Cutler has to figure this out. Yes, he signed a seven-year deal, but there is an out after three. If this continues, the Bears will be forced to look at a young quarterback, and groom him to take over sooner rather than later.

The Chicago Bears already showed their support of Jay Cutler. It is time for him to show his support of the Chicago Bears.