Durkin: Time Is Now For Cutler To Prove His Worth
By Dan Durkin-
(CBS) Clearly, when you lose in the fashion the Bears did on Sunday night to their rival -- in name only -- Packers, there's plenty of blame to go around. Each phase played a part in the epic 55-14 collapse that dropped Chicago to 3-6 on the season, its fifth loss in six games.
Save for a Chris Williams kickoff return touchdown, special teams provided no field position, committed three penalties and had a botched punt. The defense allowed the Packers to score a touchdown on each of their first five drives and didn't force a punt until the third quarter. The offense was shut out in the first half, and during the team's three-game losing streak, it has yet to make it past midfield until the second quarter while committing multiple turnovers.
Quarterback Jay Cutler had a hand in all three turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble) against Green Bay and now has at least one fumble and interception in three straight games. His 15 turnovers (10 interceptions, five fumbles) ties him with Jaguars rookie Blake Bortles for the most giveaways in the league.
To be clear, Cutler isn't the Bears' only issue. However, when your special teams consistently leave you with long fields and your offense sputters to move the ball, turning the ball over and putting your vulnerable defense back on the field is a losing formula and antithetical to coach Marc Trestman's goal of playing complementary football.
Since Trestman arrived in Chicago, nearly every move made by the organization has centered around unlocking Cutler's potential. The organization made a concerted effort to ensure he had the proper coaching, protection and weapons necessary to succeed. In the second year of the plan, from play-calling to execution to decision-making, the offense has regressed.
"The biggest thing is that Jay has got to play better," Trestman said. "He didn't play well enough (against Green Bay) and we didn't play well enough, and I'm certain that he'd take accountability for that. But it's very clear he did not play well enough (against Green Bay). We can't sugarcoat that."
Against Green Bay, both of Cutler's interceptions were deflected passes, but what's most troubling about his play is the frequency with which his fundamentals break down. Cutler's footwork has been poor. He's often throwing off his back foot with no weight transfer, and his ball security in the pocket has been shoddy. Yet, Trestman maintains Cutler isn't displaying the same issues during practice.
"They're not showing up," Trestman said. "That's what has been the most disturbing thing, is that those things are not showing up in practice. They certainly didn't last week. I think anybody on this team who watched practice would tell you that."
The portions of practice the media is able to see are individual drills, so we don't have observable data to refute that. However, if true, why is Cutler unable to transfer his performance from the practice field to games?
As is the case in the NFL, quarterbacks typically get too much credit when teams win and too much blame when they lose. But considering the number of decisions they're asked to make during a game and coupling that with the amount of money they typically earn -- Cutler alone accounts for 14 percent of the Bears' 2014 salary cap -- it comes with the territory.
Trestman said that the Bears came up against two "very great" quarterbacks over the past two games. Undeniably, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are future Hall of Fame players, but can't one surmise that the Bears also viewed Cutler as a great quarterback when they gave him a contract this past January that eclipses both Brady and Rodgers in 2014 take-home pay?
Looking ahead, the Bears have two winnable games -- both at home -- over the next two weeks against the Vikings and Bucs. Undoubtedly, all three phases must up their game, but the time is now for Cutler to repay the organization for the faith it showed in him and put the team on his shoulders and lead it to victory. If he's unable to do so, one of the situations the Bears thought they had solved in the short-term gets added to an already bloated list of offseason priorities.
"We've got to go back and get ready for Minnesota, and with that in mind Jay's got to play better," Trestman said. "He's got to play better, but he can't do it alone. But he's got to play better just like the rest of us do."
Dan Durkin covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @djdurkin.
