Meet Jay Cutler, Game Manager
Sep 15, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen (69) sacks Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) and forces a fumble during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Sack %
A good bit of credit for this stat goes to the revamped offensive line, but a lot goes to Trestman and Cutler. The system DEMANDS that Cutler gets rid of the ball quickly. It’s 1…2… 3… OUT. The ball is out of his hand within three seconds or less on most plays. Cutler has been sacked at the second lowest rate among all NFL QB’s.
Interception %
Jay Cutler has only thrown 3 interceptions in 3 games. That’s a bad quarter of a game for him in most seasons. While that’s really encouraging, you have to normalize Cutler’s interceptions against attempts. When you look at the number of picks per passing attempt, it works out to a 3% rate, good enough for a #22 ranking. That’s not exactly where this number needs to be to fit the game manager billing, but it’s a big improvement. You can’t totally take the sling out of the gunslinger, can you?
Performs Well Late in Games
This goes back to our Mr. Fourth Quarter thing. Cutler is completing nearly 70% of his passes with 3 TD’s and 2 INT’s for a quarterback rating of 108.2. To be fair, one of the Cutler interceptions was on the first play of the fourth quarter against the Vikings and the second play of the quarter against the Bengals. Those aren’t exactly crunch time relatively speaking.
Usually plays for teams with good rushing attack and good defense…
The Bears are ranked 17th in rushing, gaining 105 yards per game, so they’re pretty much middle of the pack in that regard. They’ve been effective in stints, but the rushing attack needs to improve, no doubt.
The defense is not good when it comes to yards per game, which is how the rankings are typically set. The Bears rank 8th worst in the league, surrendering 383 yards per game. On the bright side, at least they’re not the Redskins, who are giving up 488 yards per game.
Where the Bears are good defensively is in takeaways. They rank second in the league in interceptions with 5 and first in the league in fumbles with 6, good for best in the league with 11 takeaways and tied with the undefeated Seahawks for a +6 turnover ratio. Oh, and they have 3 TD’s to boot.
So if you look across all of these categories, besides the Interception % being a little high and the rushing attack starting off a little slowly, Cutler fits the profile of a Game Manager. Didn’t we trade game manager Kyle Orton and a couple of first rounders to get Cutler in the first place?
Don’t let the stigma bother you. Jay Cutler has become a game manager and to his credit and the credit of those around him, he’s managing the hell out of it so far. If he can continue his winning ways, he’s going to need a money manager after the season.
What do you think? Has Cutler been converted to a Game Manager or is the old gunslinger still just waiting to come out and play?