Just about everyone else thought he was crazy. It turns out he is crazy-genius.
Maybe the Black Unicorn Martellus Bennett was on to something with his Marc Trestman/Willy Wonka comparison…
Jay settled down after the 2nd INT and drove the Bears down the field and scored a touchdown right before halftime to tie the game 10-10.
Dec 15, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett (83) fumbles as he is hit by Cleveland Browns defensive end Billy Winn (90) during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns recovered and returned the fumble for a touchdown. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports
The Browns were able to score a 2nd defensive touchdown when Martellus Bennett fumbled and keep the game competitive for a while.
Then the 4th quarter started, which around Chicago has become known as Cutty-time.
Cutler was 5/7 for 71 yards and 2 TDs. At one point the Bears scored 21 unanswered points and took a 38-24 lead that they never relinquished.
Cutler finished the day 22/31 (70.9%) 265 yards 3TDs, 2INTs and a QB rating of 102.2.
Yes Cutler looked rusty; that is expected after not playing for 4 weeks.
But he played well enough to win. He was efficient with the ball once he settled down and the Bears won the game.
His stats were not as eye-popping at McCown’s have been, but the Brown’s defense was a bit (a lot) better than the Rams, Vikings and Cowboys.
That is not taking anything away from McCown; he played at a very high level, but this was Jay’s day.
Chicago was 9/14 on 3rd downs (64%) which extended drives and increased chances of scoring. Cutler was 11/12 for 152 yards, 2TDs, 7 of which were converted and a passer rating of 158.3. That’s about as good as it gets.
And that is the difference between Trestman and the rest of us.
He has been coaching quarterbacks for a long time; coaches often see things in their players that the players (and others) often cannot see themselves.
It is what they do.
It doesn’t always manifest exactly the way coaches expect it but, typically it does materialize.