Top 10 Super Bowl-less second tier quarterbacks that can still win one
5. Jay Cutler
In the last five years there hasn’t been a quarterback under more scrutiny by the media and fans than Jay Cutler. Many have expected him to excel with the Bears, a team who hasn’t had a good offense since Walter “Sweetness” Payton rocked the navy blue number 34 jersey in the backfield while Jim McMahon was taking snaps. But quarterback troubles have swamped the Bears ever since the 80’s. And what better way to fix it than with Jay Cutler?
Well, not exactly…
Since signing an extension before the beginning of last season, Cutler has severely under-performed. In 2014, Cutler threw more interceptions than he has ever thrown with the Bears at 18. That $126 million dollar extension never sounded so bad as his passer rating dropped to an abysmal 88.6, which was the 17th worst in the league. To make matters worse, he was benched in the second to last game in 2015 for back-up Jimmy Clausen.
Even though Bears fans do groan every time Cutler throws an interception in the red zone, this doesn’t mean Chicago can’t win a Super Bowl with him. After all, from 2010-2012, the Bears offensive line was beyond awful, giving up 113 sacks in that time span. Then when they finally got that fixed in the 2013 season, the Bears secondary decided they weren’t going to cover anybody, giving up the second most points (480) in the NFL that year.
Dare I say Cutler hasn’t had a fair chance in Chicago?
Cutler isn’t going to win you games if his defense is giving up 30 points a game. He will definitely show flashes of brilliance, as his strong arm will connect with the Bears’ strong wide receivers from time to time. But this will also lead to turnovers, like we saw in 2014.
If the Bears would use Cutler as more of a game manager, they would be fine. They could establish themselves as one of the most feared defenses in the NFC North like they have in years past and be a for sure title contender. But until then, Bears fans will continue blaming Jay Cutler for not throwing 4 touchdowns a game while not turning the ball over once.
Next: Philip Rivers