Thread: Cutler's fundamentals `horrendous,' must change: Esiason

Well, the thing is that I keep have read that we don't need an elite OL and we don't need an elite QB, etc. At some point, someone better be elite, or you are just a good to average team and aren't going to win the SB. Our D is aging and I'm wondering how much longer we can say they are a top D.

Someplace on the team we need people that can dominate. The whole team doesn't have to but we keep saying that thir or that doesn't have to be elite and pretty soon we are back to a Lovie team.

Originally Posted by JustAnotherBearsFan99

I think one issue is that folks assumed Cutler would be elite. He's not. But we don't have to have an elite QB to have a solid offense. Some folks have said we paid an elite QB price for Cutler, so he HAS to be elite. I figure that what we gave for Cutler is "water over the dam" and we can't dwell on that. We will have to give Cutler a lot of support, in order to have a solid offense. I have no problem with that. There have been a lot of teams that have had "a lot of support" for their QB, and they still sucked. Cutler is better than that. With a supporting cast, he can be the QB who gets a SB win for us. That's all I ask.

He won't ever be Rodgers, Peyton Manning or any of the elite guys. But that's fine as far as I'm concerned.

Originally Posted by bearsinhouston

I agree with both these positions. I think that the OL has been a crutch that has been used for all of our bad play. Cutler has had time multiple times and I honestly did not see good QB play out of him. I think there are issues. At the same time, I think a QB plays differently when his mentality is always watching for a jailbreak. Jay did not play like this when he first came to Chicago. I want to see what happens and how he reacts to to some protection, stability and a capable OC. It's possible we Grossman'ed him, but I am hoping that he will rebound with some confidence in his surroundings. That will also allow him to get even better by being able to work on his fundamentals.

At this point, I do see problems, but am hoping that things work out. I think there is a very good chance of it. Should be a lesson to any other bright GM's that want to bring in a franchise QB without sufficient protection.

This is absolutely right. It's not just a matter of "he is only pressured on X plays, so he should be fine on the rest of them." It takes a lot out of a QB physically and emotionally to take the beating he has. You start to get the jitters and sense pressure when it's not there yet, get nervous in the pocket and shuffle your feet. It also hurts a QB when you have half a dozen guys you know you can't trust. When you've watched Hester, Knox, Roy Williams, or whoever else drop countless passes or run wrong routes, you are more likely to overlook them when they actually are open, and force the ball elsewhere. When you've seen Webb get beaten for three sacks so far today or have had an entire offensive line miss blitzers multiple times, you aren't as likely to stand comfortably in the pocket and make the right read. When you can't trust the coaching, can't trust the scheme and can't trust the talent around you, chances are you won't have much success.

Think of it like this. Aaron Rodgers is a in AP classes at a good high school. He has smart kids around him, has brand new text books, and has great teachers. Jay goes to a crappy school with bad lighting and no air conditioning, which doesn't offer honors classes (which he should be in). He has bad teachers who are just counting the minutes until last bell, uses 15 year old text books with pages ripped out and dongs drawn all-over, and can't concentrate because Hester keeps yelling Lil Wayne lyrics, Kellen Davis keeps flirting with girls and Webb keeps making farting noises aloud the entire class. Sure, it's possible that Jay scores as high as Rodgers on the ACTs, but chances are he will be going to a community college.

Originally Posted by MPBears68

No one I know of is saying that Cutler is in the elite category of QBs like Manning, Brady, or Rodgers. He isn't. Very likely will never be. Yes, there's plenty he needs to improve upon in his own game independent of his supporting cast (on and off the field). But...he's our QB for the forseeable future so let's get him all the possibly available tools he needs to maximize his potential and then judge it fairly again in a year.

By the way, even if Joe Montana ver 2.0 somehow falls magically into Emery's lap in the 4th round of this year's draft, he's going to need all that shit too to have a snowball's chance of reaching his ceiling too. So let's do it because we need to do it either way and stop worrying for now about Jay's "mechanics" since there is no other other 2013 option anyhow.

Listen, I have nothing against Cutler, I don't want him leaving anytime soon, nor do I think he will. What I want is to see the Bears win, go deep into the playoffs and have a chance to win a SB. And even if Cutler gets a 4th WR, a TE, an OL, a HC/OC/WR coach, a MLB, S, CB all to fall back on, it won't matter if he continues to lose his mechanics, or have horrible lapses in judgement. Right now I have a hard time placing CUtler in the Big Ben, Eli, type group(although he has that talent). What seperates them from him is not the OL, WR's, RB, coaches, it's him.

And I have no problems placing blame or talking about the needs of other areas, not once have I said that HE is the primary problem, he's not, not close, I just get tired of every thread, article, comment making a claim that Cutler has to get better turning into a dodge that he's not the problem, it's this that or the other. By saying Cutler has problems on his own, no one is saying there aren't other issues, or that the Bears should trade him or get rid of him or not resign him or be drafting his replacement. No one said that, or inferred it(that I've read).

Wanna talk about all those other issues, pick a thread, there's been 100's of them over the last season. Just leave the other issues there. Let's not pretend that Cutler was untouchable until he came here w/this garbage OL, OC, WR's. He was a high 50's, low 60's completion guy in Denver w/the great Shanahan, plenty of talent to throw to and a great OL, he still turned the ball over too much in Denver....anyone acting like he magically started throwing bone headed passes when he got to Chicago is ignoring history.


I'm not anti Cutler, I'm anti excuses. Cutler's a big boy and a key component of this team, same w/Forte, Marshal(on O). If they have bad games, or bad seasons I'm going to say something...but the difference is Cutler is THE most imporant of the 3(just like any franchise qb is). No Forte or Marshal, the team should keep going if Cutler is on top of his game(he's got work to do to get there). No Cutler, then the teams going to lose before getting to a SB regardless of a healthy Forte/Marshal

Originally Posted by Alf The Ref

I honestly believe that this is a make or break year for Cut in Chi . If he doesn't prove coachable , and doesn't improve enough to make it seem like he's making genuine progress , I wonder if Emery will want to extend him .

Cuz I think Emery's goal is to create an elite offense - and isn't stuck on one name as to who is going to be the Bears QB . The QB will be whoever can play best under the system that's in place . He's 'results' oriented not name oriented .

I agree, Alf. My best guess is that Emery feels like Cutler is "the franchise QB" for now and is going to bust his butt to give him all he needs to succeed (on and off the field) this offseason letting him play out his last contract year. Then he will make a decision about a year from now about whether he is "the guy" to either keep around or move on from.

I certainly wouldn't extend him now. He hasn't earned it for a variety of reasons, some clearly his own, some clearly not. May as well build up the "surrounding cast" this offseason as much as possible (coaching, OL, receivers) because that stuff is going to be needed either way. The decision on Cutler is 12 months minimum away. If he fails next season despite fixing all that's reasonable to fix, then I agree it would be time to look at alternatives.