It's really hard to remember a player in the history of the Chicago Bears franchise, or Chicago sports for that matter, who was more divisive than quarterback Jay Cutler. Ever since he arrived with the team back in 2009, he's created a furious debate among the media, fans, coaches and fellow players alike. Some love him. Some hate him.
For Bears fans, it really is a yin-yang sort of situation. On the one hand there is the quarterback who is the most talented in franchise history. He holds every meaningful mark from passing yards to touchdowns. He's also led 16 fourth quarter comebacks and won more games than anybody in the Super Bowl era.
On the other hands this is the man with well-documented attitude problems. He's withdrawn, moody and often reckless. He also has the most losses of any Bears QB to go along with second-most interceptions. Despite years of watching him play, people still can't reach a common consensus on him. That's why the question has been posed to several prominent NFL personalities over the past couple months.
TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE
Terry Bradshaw knows a thing or two about being a divisive quarterback. For the longest time Pittsburgh Steelers fans hated him. They thought he was a bust who just couldn't play consistent football despite having one of the best arms of his era. Sound familiar? Eventually though he figured his problems out and went on to win four Super Bowl titles in six seasons. That self-knowledge and years of experience made him uniquely qualified as somebody to ask the Cutler question. In a matter of just eight seconds during a pre-Super Bowl media session, Bradshaw delivered a statement that has become hard to argue at this point. https://twitter.com/TyDunne/status/826539949172412417 The fact is Cutler has had numerous opportunities over the years to change the narrative of his football life. Going from 8-5 to 8-8 in 2008 that got Mike Shanahan fired in Denver. Reaching the NFC championship game in 2010 but injuring his knee. Failing to score 20 points in three-straight critical losses down the stretch of 2012. Something that cost Chicago the playoffs and got Lovie Smith fired. Failing to shut the door against Green Bay in the 2013 season finale. [video width="854" height="480" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Jay-Cutlers-Rough-Day-Bears-vs.-Buccaneers-NFL-Week-10-Player-Highlights.mp4"][/video] Those were all moments where true franchise quarterbacks tend to take their games to the next level. Cutler, for all his talent and grit, has never managed to do that. Chicago has given him every opportunity to succeed. Yet for one reason or another, his fault or otherwise, it just hasn't happened. Now the chorus is growing that the time has come for a change.BUILDING A CONSENSUS
Bradshaw isn't the only NFL personality who feels that it's over, and that it should be over. Charles Tillman played with Cutler for five seasons. The two never had an issue with each other but that didn't stop Peanut from being honest with his thoughts of the situation.“I’m sure Chicago is fiending for another quarterback right now. Eight years, I think it’s probably time for both parties to part ways, leave it on good terms and call it a day.”He wasn't alone. Dave Wannstedt, a former Bears head coach who now works for the FOX network, has been a Cutler fan in the past. Even he sees the writing on the wall with this situation. His window can't stay open any longer.
“From a talent standpoint, Jay has as much talent as most of the quarterbacks in the league. We know that. But I think you also, when you’ve had a guy that long, you also have to look at, the team’s gonna struggle at some point. “And when the team struggles, is this guy gonna be coachable? How’s it going to be in the locker room when the media turns on him, because they’re going to turn on him? How’s he going to handle all this? “If there’s any doubt that it’s not a good thing, it might be best for you and best for him to move on.””No one is ever going to say Jay Cutler didn't give it his best effort. The man put himself through some hellacious beatings over the years trying to win football games. His toughness is never doubted in this city. In the end it was a mix of bad luck and his own faults that created the disappointment his entire run has been.
