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Why the Chicago Bears must cut ties with Jay Cutler

By S. Silverman

Dec 4, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) in their game against the Dallas Cowboys at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 4, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) in their game against the Dallas Cowboys at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ryan Pace and John Fox couldn’t have it any better with the Chicago Bears.

It’s not that the former Monsters of the Midway are rife with talent and in a strong position to challenge the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions in the NFC North. They are far from that place. The reason life is good for both men is that their predecessors did such a miserable job and performed so badly that these two look like saviors to nearly everyone in the organization.

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Former general manager Phil Emery thought he had a better way of running an NFL franchise. His two signature moves were hiring Marc Trestman as his head coach and extending quarterback Jay Cutler.

Those turned out to be two head-shaking moves, and the McCaskey family could not abide either one.

They fired Emery at the end of the season, and they booted the well-meaning but incompetent Trestman as well. Trestman understands offensive football and knows how to gameplan. Unfortunately for the Bears, he lacked the ability to manage a group of 10-year-old Cub Scouts, let alone a full-grown team of Chicago Bears.

Pace, as the new general manager, and Fox, as the team’s new head coach, can’t do anything but shine in comparison. That doesn’t mean that they will get a free pass this year. They must take the correct steps to make the franchise better, and the best and most important one is getting rid of Cutler.

While Cutler may have a chance to show off his passing arm and make some team better than it is right now, there is no chance that it will be with the Chicago Bears.

Since coming to the Midwest in a trade with the Denver Broncos in 2009, Cutler has been a monument to unfulfilled potential. You can check off all the boxes with Cutler when it comes to tangible talents.

Arm strength, quick release, athletic ability – Cutler has them all.

But when it comes to being a locker room presence, making the right decisions and handling pressure, Cutler has failed far more often than he has succeeded.

It should be an easy call for Pace and Fox.

At the most basic level, Cutler does not have the charisma to be a leader. When he walks into the locker room, it is usually with slumped shoulders and eyes averted from his teammates. He will interact when he has to, but not out of choice.

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    • Skeptics may say that leadership and an infectious personality are overrated factors when it comes to analyzing quarterbacks, look at the most recent Super Bowl. Tom Brady and Russell Wilson both have commanding personalities and are able to come up with big performances at key moments and also draw out the best from their teammates.

    Cutler offers little in those areas.

    Forget about those intangibles for a second. Cutler threw a league-high 18 interceptions last season, and many of his turnovers came at inopportune moments. Go back to the first game of the season when the Bears hosted the Buffalo Bills. They were heavy favorites to win that game, but the Bears and Bills were tied at 17-17 in the fourth quarter when Cutler threw a miserable interception in Buffalo territory that kept the Bears from attempting a go-ahead field goal. That play set the tone for a miserable season.

    Cutler has thrown 44 interceptions in the last three seasons, and his inability to secure the football played a key role in both Trestman and former Bears head coach Lovie Smith losing their jobs.

    Cutler’s perpetual sulk makes him appear to be a player who does not care about anything other than collecting a substantial paycheck. He is scheduled to make $15.5 million next year and the team will take a cap hit of $16.5 million. He is simply not worth it.

    It might hurt the McCaskey family to cut a check to a player just so the Bears can be rid of him, but that’s exactly what needs to happen.

    Sign former Bears backup Josh McCown and have him manage the game by handing the ball off to Matt Forte and throw short passes to tight end Martellus Bennett.

    It would give the team a fighting chance to improve. Maybe not win a title, but at least give them the opportunity to compete each week and surprise a few opponents.

    Cutler would merely drain the team of whatever fighting spirit remains in Chicago.

    Pace and Fox have to realize that Cutler’s presence will only cause more pain for the struggling Bears.

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