No links today, kids. Unfortunately, it’s going to be way past my bedtime. I’ve gotta get to work in the morning (and maybe listen to Doug and OB after the game for some epic rants).
Before we get into it too deep, know that I’m on Cutler’s side here. Not so much as a Cutler apologist, but as a football fan with a brain. Doesn’t matter what offensive scheme you’re asked to run: A bad OL means a bad offense. Period.
Here’s the deal. I told you all over the summer that the offensive line would be the downfall of this team. When you’re in a Mike Martz offense, you’re asked to run 5- and 7-step drops consistently. I don’t care if you’re Jay Cutler, Drew Brees, or Jesus himself, you’re not succeeding in this offense. Did Jay maybe hold onto the ball too long during some plays last night? Sure. Having 9 (!) sacks does that to a person. Cutler’s a tough SOB, but it’s tough to stop seeing ghosts when that’s happening. Blame him if you wish, but you saw what happened when Cutler’s gone. Do you really want that long-term? If you do, become a fan of the Bills.
The real unfortunate part is that we were all praising Lovie, Martz, and Tice for adapting to circumstances in the first three games. Tonight was a great example of the anti-Dallas game. During the Dallas game, the coaches quickly adapted and we ended up setting the tone and winning. Tonight? Not so much. They tried to adapt, but the wide receivers also didn’t do a great job of trying to get seperation.
Good things? Well, our run defense was fantastic. Our pass defense was eh. Bowman forces a fumble, then gets beat on an underthrown ball. ST was good as per usual.
Bottom line: Funbad made an appearance tonight. Let’s hope Cutler comes back soon, otherwise it’ll be our season-long friend.
I’m sure our fantastic team of writers will have some more eloquent thoughts on the game. But after watching that performance, I feel like Jay Cutler: concussed.