Chicago Bears: Five Myths Surrounding the 2015 Team

Dec 28, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive end

(99) sacks Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) in the third quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 13-9. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Myth 1: Jay Cutler is not a good quarterback

It wouldn’t be an article without bringing up Chicago’s favorite whipping boy, would it?

It’s a little ridiculous when I see fans mistake actual football facts with what their expectations are. For example, I hear fans actually say that Jimmy Clausen or Kyle Orton are better quarterbacks than Jay. It happens and I almost throw up in my mouth when I hear it.

People that think that way are obviously wrong but their brain actually allows them to think it because there are no expectations from Orton or Clausen. So when they exceed them, these folks think they’re good.

Jay just signed a huge deal that he has not lived up to and was traded to a team that hasn’t had a decent quarterback since Truman was President. The expectations are about as high as they can get.

So, the perception from people is that he stinks. Is Jay bad or does he just not meet your expectations?

Furthermore, the “winning” argument is overrated when it comes to the quarterback as well, seeing that there are 52 other players on a roster and 10 other guys on the field at the same time.

Here’s an interesting perspective from Prisco’s CBSSports piece, as he discusses this as well as compares Seahawks QB Russell Wilson to Cutler:

"Does Cutler throw too many picks and make his share of mistakes? You bet. But any quarterback asked to play with the woeful Bears defense from a year ago would have struggled to make plays. It’s hard to play quarterback when trailing. Cutler threw 257 passes when trailing last season, 106 of those when trailing by 9-16 points. By comparison, Wilson threw 198 passes when trailing and 54 when behind by 9-16 points, including playoffs. Does that matter? Of course it does. Cutler threw six touchdown passes and three picks when leading. He threw 18 and 13 when trailing. Wilson threw 10 touchdown passes and two picks with the lead and 10 and nine when trailing. The other numbers also dropped greatly when he played from behind. It matters. Cutler threw 28 touchdown passes last season, which tied him with Atlanta’s Matt Ryan for 10th best in the league. He also completed 66 percent of his passes, which was eighth best of the quarterbacks who threw more than 400 passes. Cutler did throw those 18 picks, and he made his share of mistakes with the football, but he isn’t close to stinking as a quarterback. Yet that’s the perception."

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if there’s a better option than Jay at quarterback, I’m all ears.

Next: Myth 2: The offense has taken a step back without Marshall