Jay Cutler admits he had some growing up to do
By Hayden Kane
If you regarded Jay Cutler in the previous years of his NFL career, you might have found him to be mopey. You might have found him to be immature, to be a jerk, and perhaps even to be a word that is not suitable for these electronic pages.
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Well, by the quarterback’s own admission, you might have been right. As Cutler prepares for another season under center for the Chicago Bears with a fresh new contract extension under his belt, he acknowledges that he might have had some growing up to do in previous seasons. Quotes from Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com:
"Having recently signed a seven-year extension with the Bears, Cutler attributed his change to “a lot of factors,” admitting that in “my younger days in Denver, and even when I first got here, you do some things that are foolish and you regret.” He said the organization’s hiring of general manager Phil Emery and head coach Marc Trestman “kind of forces you to grow up.”“If you don’t want to grow up, you’re probably not going to last,” Cutler said. “They’re going to find somebody else.”"
To some people’s eyes, the Bears found somebody else after Cutler got injured last season and Josh McCown shined as his replacement. Thankfully for the Bears, they aren’t silly and stuck with Cutler as their guy, but the point is still well taken about the impermanence of the NFL.
Cutler has always had the goods to be an elite quarterback in terms of his raw skill set. He is clearly in a good system to succeed with Marc Trestman as head coach. With good health and a good head on his shoulders, perhaps this will be the season that he finally approaches his lofty potential.