Bears Season Awards: Jay Cutler is Team MVP
It’s that time of year again people. Yes, that time of year when us Bears fans can begin to think about non-football items. Winter is picking up steam, the snow is falling, have you taken down all of your holiday decorations yet? Unfortunately, as a Bears fan this is not a time of year for excitement and wonder about the weeks ahead. As fans in other cities prepare for the playoffs, the Chicago Bears spend yet another turn of the new year at home lamenting about what might have been. January 16th will mark the five-year anniversary of our last playoff win, a divisional victory over the Seattle Seahawks for those who need a smile.
So, just like 2015, this season for the Chicago Bears has come to an end. The Chicago faithful are now popping their heads up, one at a time, from their fox-holes. The 2014 season was a never-ending artillery strike right on top of Soldier Field, but 2015 was more about a Bears team that picked itself up off the ground and began to find an identity.
With the season now behind us, it’s time to take a look at the most notable Bears this year, good and bad. In the coming weeks I will submit to you my choices for the Bears’ end of season award winners. To get the ball rolling, where better to start than Team MVP?
Most Valuable Bear: Jay Cutler
“Heading into Week 17 only one Quarterback in the entire NFL had zero games with 2 interceptions or more… it was Jay Cutler”
In a year where many believed the Bears would have moved on from the much embattled Jay Cutler, the Bears did the opposite and committed to the Vanderbilt Gunslinger. While some in the media have long picked on Cutler for his demeanor and untimely interceptions, the quarterback has never had his physical abilities questioned. He has a top-5 NFL arm, and his athletic body has always given coaches reason to believe in the 6’3 QB. Cutler has therefore been a bit of an enigma, in that no coach had seemingly been unable to unlock the best from Jay’s talents.
This season the narrative changed. All of a sudden with a new coaching staff and some visible leadership from the top, Cutler was able to improve in areas that many had long ago written him off. From footwork to ball positioning while in the pocket, Cutler improved on the fundamentals that have long beleaguered his coaches. The results were tangible. Heading into Week 17 only one quarterback in the entire NFL had zero games with 2 interceptions or more. Aaron Rodgers would be the obvious preseason choice for this distinction, a man who set records in his home building for consecutive passes without an INT. Alas, it was Jay Cutler who held that honor heading into what turned out to be an ugly albeit meaningless Week 17 game with the Lions. So the very player who has long been labeled as a “Turnover Machine” was actually one of the best at not turning the ball over in 2015.
Another reason Cutler deserves this award, was his ability to produce while other key players around him were unavailable. With the departure of Brandon Marshall in the offseason, and the injuries to Kevin White, Alshon Jeffery, and Eddie Royal, for weeks at a time, Jay was left with a receiver group of unknowns. Guys like Josh Bellamy and Marc Mariani became names Bears fans were becoming familiar with, for no other reason other than they were healthy enough to run a route. Even missing key pieces, Cutler kept the Bears in games by not turning the ball over, and making big plays when the Bears needed them. To translate that into Cutler being a game manager would be inaccurate, as even guys like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers have shown that the best QBs in the world look human when their supporting cast can’t play their role.
Receivers were only a portion of the problem for this offense. Offensive line woes continue to plague Chicago, and are a major obstacle in the continued development of the offense. Despite this shortcoming, Cutler masterfully maneuvered in and out of the pocket this season, finding space with his feet to create play after play. Offensive Coordinator Adam Gase had spoken about Cutler’s ability to move around and throw on the run heading into the season, it was refreshing to see coaching and game-planning that actually showed up on the field on Sundays.
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Why Cutler Can Be Bears’ MVP in 2016:
As the Bears move into their second offseason with Ryan Pace and John Fox running the show, there are some questions looming about the Bear’s signal caller. On most people’s minds, what happens to Jay Cutler and the offense with the probable departure of Adam Gase?
Without focusing too much on Gase, it is undeniable that Cutler benefited from his relationship with the talented young coach. The game plans this season seemed to have a certain level of common sense that had been missing for too many years. Running the football took on a premium of importance for the first time since Lovie Smith occupied Halas Hall. Weak spots on the offensive line were not compounded by ridiculous 7-step drop backs. Screen passes and getting the ball out quickly became focal points in the offense- these all contributed to Jay’s progress in 2015. So what will happen when one of the most sought after coordinators in the NFL lands a head coaching job and moves on from Jay and this Bear team?
As our not-so-good friend from down the road likes to say, RELAX. Jay Cutler is not just some math problem, where Adam Gase + Jay Cutler = success. That formula may be true, but we are dealing with people here who learn and grow, and it would be unfair to attribute Jay’s growth and success to simply one coach. Fact is, that Jay Cutler spends just as much if not more time with his positional coach, Dowell Loggains. Many within the Bear’s organization have credited Loggains for being instrumental in the continued development of Jay Cutler’s intangibles. With the help of better coaching and stronger relationships with the coaches, Jay Cutler has grown as an NFL Quarterback. This means that the Jay Cutler going into 2016 will be different from the Jay Cutler of years past. With better fundamentals and a better knowledge of the offense, it makes sense to expect an increase in Cutler’s play as his familiarity with the system increases through another offseason. Cutler has repeatedly commented on his high comfort level and good personal relationship with both Loggains and Gase, and it would not be hard to imagine Loggains stepping into Gase’s shoes should he leave, helping to keep the continuity in the offensive system in place.
While Adam Gase may very well have a new home in 2016, it is highly likely that Dowell Loggains will remain in Chicago with Jay Cutler, possibly as the new offensive coordinator, but at least retaining his role as Quarterbacks Coach. It also should be mentioned that John Fox is one of the best in the business at bringing in reliable and talented coordinators and coaches. Fox already addressed the situation with Gase possibly leaving at his end of season press conference. Fox went on to say that the offensive systems installed this past year would remain largely in place with or without the return of Coach Gase.
The final reason that Jay Cutler could very well end up being the Bears’ MVP next season is that the team around him should improve along with him. Kevin White will be a contributing member of the receiving corps, and with any luck Alshon Jeffery will be able to play on more than one leg at a time next year. Anything at all out of Eddie Royal is an improvement, and with Zach Miller’s emergence this offense has no shortage of weapons at Jay’s disposal. One can only hope that Ryan Pace and company will find some long-term solutions on the offensive line, and with a combination of these improvements it is not difficult at all to see Jay Cutler putting together possibly his best season as a pro in 2016.
Next Week: Least Valuable Chicago Bear in 2015