Is Jay Singing a New Tune

Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler, owner of one of the strongest arms in the game, but also one of the more questioned attitudes in recent times.   He has perhaps unfairly garnered a reputation as a “coach killer” as the Bears have remained in the shadow of their long time rival Green Bay Packers since Rex Grossman of all people managed to take them to a Super Bowl.

Admittedly since then the Packers have had in Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers two of the all time greats at the QB position, which perhaps only serves to highlight the comparison with Cutler.  Having said that there are not many franchises that could compare with Green Bay’s quarterback transition, the Indianapolis Colts from Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck perhaps, maybe a few years ago the San Francisco 49ers from Joe Montana to Steve Young possibly, but no other franchise is so deeply rivalled with the Packers as the Bears. 

A succession of Bears coaches have introduced themselves to the media with a pledge that they will find a way to beat the Packers, and as coaches have come and gone in recent times Cutler has remained.  True the backup of the time has had the odd look as coaches try to grasp at straws but inevitably Cutler gets the role back.  This year of course the Bears have a new coaching team again, John Fox came over from Denver and bought with him offensive coordinator Adam Gates, these two have had a few years working with Peyton Manning of course, something that has not been lost on Cutler.

This year Cutler has been stripped of nearly all his supporting cast for vast majorities of the season, Brandon Marshall has of course gone to the Jets, Alshon Jeffrey, Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett have missed long periods of action due to injury, rookie Kevin White has yet to see the field at all and Cutler himself even missed the Seahawks game (which is the only game this year the Bears have not been competitive in).  Despite the lack of recognised talent around him there can be no doubt that Cutler has stepped his level of play up, and most of the credit for that goes to Gates.

Cutler is reported to have asked questions of the coaching staff for details of how Manning would do certain things, both in game situations and practice, and has looked to incorporate some of those ideas and thoughts into his own game.  Is this then a better, more mature, more focused Jay Cutler? Time will tell, but the Bears are coming off a Thanksgiving win over the Packers at Lambeau Field no less, the first win there since Cutler has been in Chicago.

That win does keep the Bears firmly in the Wild Card race, had they held on in the close defeats to Minnesota, Detroit and Denver they would even be in the divisional mix too.  The Bears defence has been improving all year, but the Bears were supposed to be one of the teams fighting for the number one pick, and most “experts” would have told you that pick would be used on a QB to replace Cutler, but right now this new improved Cutler is looking likely to be back in Chicago and at the helm of a genuine playoff contender.  Just don’t expect him to smile!