#4. No Competition For Jay Cutler – 2009 – Present
Spoiler, trading for Cutler is not on this list. The first reason is because it was in 2009 and the second reason is because that wasn’t a terrible decision when it was done. Cutler was a starting quarterback that became available in a very unique situation allowing the Bears to capitalize and fill a need. One of the biggest mistakes Chicago has made though, since originally acquiring Cutler, is not bringing in real competition for him. Instead, the Bears rotated coaches trying to fix a problem that inevitably will never be fixed, Cutler’s decision making.
Think about it. The first names that likely come to mind when you think about capable Cutler backups are Josh McCown and Caleb Hanie. We used the word “capable” loosely there. Both of those quarterbacks were signed to hold the clipboard and both of them, after getting a chance to play, caused a quarterback controversy in Chicago. The reasons wasn’t because either of them were spectacular in any way, it was because the team didn’t show a huge drop-off when Cutler wasn’t playing. Many will disagree on the talent levels that separate Cutler from McCown and especially Hanie, but when you look back on it now it appears “fixing” Cutler was a lost cause.
To try and boost Cutler’s confidence level, and essentially keep him happy, Chicago never really signed a capable quarterback that would actually compete with him to start. They also never really drafted one, none of the Bears’ picks since Cutler arrived were used on a quarterback higher than the fifth round. The reason is likely because the Bears saw a path of success with Jay, unfortunately it never came to fruition.
If the Bears would’ve focused more on bringing in competition for Cutler, they would have more of a success plan than they do now which is likely to result in #6 getting cut. Too bad we can’t tap David Fales to come and start next year …. and that’s because he was taken in the sixth f-ing round.
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