If Bears Are Serious About Making Playoffs, They Have to Stick with McCown
The Bears were supposed to evaluate Cutler and decide what to do with him for 2014 and beyond, but they’ve had a limited sampling with Trestman’s system. What’s made that evaluation more difficult is the fact that his backup Josh McCown has put up some pretty comparable numbers, begging the question, “Do the Bears need Cutler to run Marc Trestman’s offense?” There will be plenty of time to answer that question in the offesason, hopefully around mid-February. In the meantime, the Bears need to stick with McCown if they really want to give themselves a shot at the playoffs.
McCown is in the zone, with Monday night’s 348 yard, 5 TD (4 passing and 1 rushing), zero turnover performance the latest evidence that he’s on a hot streak and should continue to lead this team until proven otherwise. Whenever Cutler is cleared to play, there’s the question of rust. The Bears don’t have a game in hand or a soft schedule with which to re-acclimate Cutler to the offense. The Bears and their woeful defense frittered those opportunities away with road losses to last place teams in the Washington Redskins, St Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings.
McCown is locked and loaded, especially with Alshon Jeffery. They have to ride the hot hand. How hot is McCown? His ESPN QBR is the highest in the league. Yes, higher than Manning, Brees and Brady.
Now, with three games left to play, the Bears are fighting for their playoff lives. They will have to be road warriors the next couple of weeks, with trips to Cleveland and Philadelphia before returning home to face their arch rivals, the Green Bay Packers, who are only a half a game behind the Bears.
Assuming he’s cleared to return this week and if the Bears want to spend the last three games to help them continue their evaluation of Cutler, then by all means, they should bring Jay back ASAP. Every snap he can take in Trestman’s offense will help Emery and the Bears decide if they want to hand the keys to the kingdom, and $40 some odd million in guaranteed money on Cutler, the better. But if the Bears are serious about the playoffs, regardless of Cutler’s status, stick with McCown and let him play the Bears into or out of the playoffs and figure out what to do with Cutler during the offseason.
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