This past offseason the Bears hired Marc Trestman to replace long-time head coach Lovie Smith. Tabbing the former CFL coach as the successor to the deposed Smith sent a message to fans and those around the league that Chicago was determined to get as much out of supposed franchise quarterback Jay Cutler as they possibly could.
Trestman has gained a reputation as something of a quarterback whisperer during his career; his offenses have been successful everywhere he’s been and he counts 2002 MVP Rich Gannon and Bernie Kosar among his former quarterback pupils. The hope among the Bears brain trust was, obviously, that if anyone could fix Cutler’s inconsistency and flawed mechanics it would be the erstwhile head coach of the Montreal Alouettes.
It certainly seemed as though the move was working through the first three games of the season. Cutler had three straight games in which he completed over 64 percent of his passes and had a passer rating above 90. In addition, he had a QB/INT ratio of 2:1 that — although not among the league leaders — was much better than the 1.36:1 figure he posted in 2012.
“He has not been rattled by defensive pressure, nor has he unraveled at points during games when he has in the past,” said columnist Dan Pompei. “In most cases, Cutler has made smart, and even conservative decisions even when the world has come crashing in on him.”
Cutler played so well in those first three games — all of them Bears wins — that I considered discussing his rising stock in my weekly fantasy column. Instead, I opted to include his favorite receiver, Brandon Marshall, and waited another week to see if Cutler remained consistent.
After the former Vanderbilt quarterback’s performance in Week 4 against the Lions, I’m certainly glad I didn’t urge all of my readers to hop on the Cutler bandwagon. The 30-year old relapsed into many of his old habits on Sunday, throwing passes into double coverage and displaying some poor footwork.
That reversion to his past form led to three interceptions and a lost fumble for Cutler and a 40-16 deficit midway through the fourth quarter for the Bears (the final score of 40-32 made the game seem much closer than it was).
At this point, if Cutler hasn’t learned to tone down his risk-taking mentality, he probably never will. After eight seasons in the NFL, it’s likely Cutler will always be this way; a good, sometimes great quarterback who often throws interceptions in bunches. No coach is going to change that.
“If I played better, this is a different ball game,” said Cutler after the game “I’ve got to give us a better chance at winning.”
The fact that he understands that reality shows evidence of mental maturation on Cutler’s part. But the fact remains, in the heat of the moment, Cutler still believes he can fit the ball into any window, no matter how small. Sometimes, he makes incredible throws because of that mentality; other times, he throws interceptions that leave fans and coaches shaking their heads.
I cannot in good faith recommend that you attempt to build your fantasy team with Cutler as your quarterback. He will certainly have some weeks in which he is a top fantasy QB, but those will be offset by weeks in which he costs you a win with a bevy of interceptions. He’s too inconsistent to trust as anything more than a QB2 in a deep league. As a Bears fan, I wish I was wrong, but the evidence is too overwhelming for even Marc Trestman to overcome.
Dylan Sinn is a freelance contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSinn or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
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