Aug 14, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) passes the ball during the first quarter of a preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Expectations are sky high for the Chicago Bears offense in 2014. After finishing with the second ranked scoring offense in 2013 and returning all 11 starters, it’s no surprise that analysts expect big things from the Bears offense. NFL Network analyst and former Super Bowl winning coach Brian Billick set the bar pretty high for quarterback Jay Cutler. How high? This high:
As I said on @NFLN_Playbook, my bold prediction for the 2014 NFL season: Jay Cutler wins league MVP.
— Brian Billick (@CoachBillick) September 5, 2014
Those are lofty expectations considering Cutler hasn’t even played a full season for the Bears since his first year after being traded from the Denver Broncos back in 2009. In that first season with the Bears, Cutler was plagued by turnovers, throwing 27 TD’s to go with 26 INT’s. Who could ever forget that 5 INT game against the San Francisco 49ers?
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In 2010, Cutler missed a game with a concussion but the Bears advanced to the NFC Championship Game. Of course, Cutler left that game with a knee injury that almost broke Twitter.
In 2011, Cutler and the Bears were rolling right along, riding a 5 game winning streak until Cutler broke his thumb in Week 11. The Bears went on to lose 5 straight without Cutler and miss the postseason.
In 2012, Cutler was knocked out of a Sunday night game against the Texans and missed the next start against the 49ers – both losses by the way. The Bears finished 10-6 that season but still on the outside looking in on the postseason. Lovie Smith got the axe and for 2013, the Bears brought in a new regime.
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