No More Jay Cutler Excuses

Oct 19, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) drops back to pass during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Often times, fans lack objectivity about their favorite team. They can make sound assessments about squads about whom they don’t care, but when it comes to their favorite team, they are blinded by flawed support. This is the case for Jay Cutler and his zealous fans. They all want to love him. He is a gifted talent with extreme toughness, easily the most skilled quarterback in Bears history. The frustration with him comes from this, because his raw talent usually does not translate to the way he plays.  When he plays well, his avid supporters go crazy for him, praising him like he’s Peyton Manning. When he does not, they blame it on the defense. They are incapable of avoiding excuses for the veteran surrounded by talent.

Oct 12, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) passes against the Atlanta Falcons during the first quarter at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

One great game against the lowly Falcons and everyone goes crazy. He led his team to victory against a soft defense and the Cutler fans told the (justified?) Cutler haters to keep their mouths shut, calling them fair-weathered and unsupportive. First of all, being a true fan does not require being a supporter of all the players on a favorite team.

There is a difference between rooting for a player and supporting him. For example, I did not support starting J’Marcus Webb as a left tackle because I thought he was bad at football, but I still rooted for him to become the next Willie Roaf because I love the Bears. Just because I might not like Jay Cutler as a player, I will still root for him to become the player his biggest fans assume he is. Secondly, it was one great game, following too severely Cutlerian up and down performances. After his games against Green Bay and Carolina, criticism (not direct hatred) was necessary for the quarterback who wasn’t meeting expectations of winning games and taking care of the football.

The main excuse that’s driving me off the wall is when people say “Jay Cutler doesn’t play defense. He did not give up 27 points.” This makes me crazy. The defense was often given short fields and actually played an okay game. They are doing as well as the fans expected them to do this season. Ten of Miami points came from short fields. To make matters harder for the defense, the Bears offense could not sustain a drive, thus making the defense be on the field for far too long and wearing them down. He did not give up 27 points, but he contributed to them being scored by only scoring 14 of his own.