Jay Cutler has one of the most complicated legacies in the history of Chicago sports. On the one hand, he never lived up to the massive trade package the Bears sent to the Denver Broncos for him in 2009, making the playoffs once in eight seasons. On the other hand, he is easily the best quarterback the franchise has had in the past three decades and may have made the team better than it was during most of his run.
People have often wondered if the Cutler era could’ve been better. They can’t determine how much of the frustration was his fault and how much was the situation around him. When he left, the majority felt he was to blame. As time has passed, that stance has shifted in the other direction. Fans don’t think the organization did nearly enough to help him. Either way, Cutler has received greater appreciation for his work these days. He still loves the team and has followed the progress of new quarterback Justin Fields.
The talent is undeniable.
Cutler told Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times that the former 11th overall pick has all the tools necessary to win. His legacy doesn’t matter. He wants the young QB to surpass everything he accomplished and carry the franchise to new heights.
The fan base desperately wants him to succeed, and that includes Cutler. He knows better than anyone how difficult it is to win over the city, but he’s optimistic Fields can do it.
“If the Bears start winning… I hope they do. And I hope Justin is successful and I hope he’s the next big thing here and he’s the best quarterback to come out of Chicago Bears history.”
Pretty awesome words from #6. At a point in time, it looked like Cutler was poised to take that leap himself. After a difficult 2009, he led the Bears to the NFC championship in 2010 and played like an MVP halfway through 2011. Then he broke his thumb against the Chargers. Things never quite seemed to click with him after that. Part of the problem was the inconsistent situation with the coaching staff. Cutler had six different offensive coordinators in Chicago.
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He admitted a fear that the same thing could be happening to Fields.
“I like him… he’s got all the tools, but it’s the same problem the Bears have had for a long time: They’re turning over coaches and turning over OCs,” Cutler said. “It’s hard for a quarterback. You look across the league and the guys that are really good at quarterback have the same coaches and same systems each year.
“This is like learning a different language. It’s like if I told you: ‘Hey, you’ve gotta learn Spanish this year and next year learn Italian and the next year learn Chinese,’ it’s not gonna be easy.”
Jay Cutler knows the challenge ahead for Fields.
One year after enduring Matt Nagy’s convoluted offense as a rookie, he is trying to start fresh under new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. It sounds like everybody loves the new system he’s bringing in. Cutler would know. It is a variation of the classic Shanahan wide-zone offense, the same system he played in during his three years in Denver when he made the Pro Bowl. That should bring excitement.
The tricky part for the Bears is whether they can stay patient. Jay Cutler was uneven in his first 14 games playing in that offense, throwing 18 touchdowns to 14 interceptions with an 86.4 passer rating. He finally started to click after that, throwing 34 touchdowns to 19 interceptions in the next 20 games. The improvement was obvious. A big part of that was continuity. He isn’t sure if Chicago will be able to give that to Fields.
The Bears haven’t featured the same offensive coordinator for three years since Ron Turner from 2005 to 2009. This coming season will be illuminating.
Cutler most forget is a full blown needle pushing diabetic ! So dealing with what happens to a diabetic when sugar is either to high or to low is always a problem. This is why their are so few diabetics playing football and of them most do not last as long as Cutler did ! Jay had times where he would get a shot , or need to eat something on side lines to stay in games . The ups and downs also was shown on his face and demeanor as a diabetic will look drained at times more than… Read more »
Chase is following in the footsteps of the legendary Mike Tomczak.
@ Bears_Down Daniels is #62 ALL-TIME in QB earnings. Fing Legend.
you all should do an article on Chase Daniel. Heard this recently Daniel will surpass $41 million in career earnings this year, having made five total starts and appearing in five or fewer games in nine of his 12 seasons. He’s made more than $220,000 per completion. Best gig ever bup qb haha
Jay was and is Great. Love that Dude a tough SOB and he used to piss in the face of media types so hes even more bad ass and sadly JF is in yr2 and system 2…not good since new guys are unproven