Jay Cutler Will Break More than His Thumb in 2012
By Deez
The Bulls and Blackhawks are out of the playoffs and the Cubs and White Sox are under .500. It’s officially football season (at least in my world)!
I think there is no better way to kick it off than by talking about everyone’s favorite QB, Jay Cutler. With his new cast of wide receivers and no more Mike Martz making his life miserable, he’s going to be breaking more than his thumb this year. I’m talking about Bears QB records.
Cutler has missed six games in his three seasons as a Bear but has racked up some pretty impressive numbers. He has completed 779 passes, ranking him fifth on the Bears all-time list, just 241 behind the leader Jim Harbaugh (1,023). Now that Roy Williams is gone, we can expect Bears receivers to actually catch the ball and catapult Jay to the top of the list. Cutler already holds the Bears record for most completions and attempts in a season going 336-555 in 2009.
Sid Luckman currently holds the Bears record for passing yards with 14,686, while Cutler ranks seventh with 9,259. It would be a stretch to say Cutler can throw for 5,427 (his career high is 4,526), but in this day and age, barring injury, you never know. If Matt Forte holds out, the Bears may be relying heavily on the pass this season.
Luckman also holds the records for career TD passes with 137 and Cutler is a long way away in sixth with 63. However, second place is Billy Wade with 68. Cutler should easily take over second by the third game of the season against the Rams. He also has a great shot at becoming the first Bears QB to throw 30 TDs in a season.
Cutler already has the best career QB rating of any Bears QB with 100 or more passes at 82.1. If last year was any indication of how he has matured, we can expect that number to jump up even more. Sid Luckman holds the record for highest QB rating in a single season with 107.5 (202 pass attempts).
Finally, there is one dubious record that Cutler could reach if this season is a flop. He has been sacked 110 times as a Bear. If we have a repeat of 2010 (when he was sacked 52 times) he would grab the title of most sacked Bears QB from Jim Harbaugh who has 157. With Martz and Frank Omiyale gone, I think that record is safe for another year.
The most amazing thing about Cutler’s statistical success as a Bear is that he has only played in 41 games, ranking him 38th on the Bears all-time list. That being said, I think this year we will finally see what Cutler can do with a better offensive plan and capable receivers.
Get ready, it’s less than three months until Cutler Camp begins!