Jay Cutler's problem
by VandyImport on Jan 25, 2011 12:15 AM EST
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PrintFirst, if you haven't read Spencer Hall's article, read it. I concur in every particular.
Done? Sweet. Now, an analogy (they're those things on the SAT, for you Big XII fans):
Brett Favre:Mark McGwire::Jay Cutler:Barry Bonds.
Think about it. Favre is out there dragging around the field, playing progressively worse until finally being dragged off, and Minnesota''s out of contention - and each of his previous three seasons after "retiring" ended with a game-killing interception, usually in the playoffs - but because he's a good ol' boy and a gunslinger and like a kid having fun out there, he completely skates. Even after we all saw why he wears that jersey number. (Too soon?)
Meanwhile, here's Jay Cutler with a grade-2 tear of the MCL - but because people don't like his personality, he gets no benefit of the doubt. Actually, strike that - because people don't like what they think is his personality. Problems with the coach in Denver? Jay's a spoiled little whinebagger, and never mind that Denver fired Josh McDaniel once they realized that you can't catch New England Patriots-ness like you would a cold. Cutler ineffective in Chicago? Never mind that Chicago led the league in sacks allowed this year, or that #6 already has one concussion on the season. Comes out of the NFC title game on a national stage? Well he must be a girly-man wimp, since he can obviously walk around, they should have to drag him bleeding off the field as he fights to grab his helmet and run back out there! Never mind that an MCL tear on a quarterback's plant leg is basically an invitation to crumple in a heap, assuming you can stand up long enough to try to plant on it.
The NFL machine - the league, its amen corner on ESPN, and even some of the players, who haven't wrapped their heads around what "union" means - have already made their decision. Jay Cutler is Not Their Kind Of Guy. And in the ultra-conservative, ultra-conformist, neo-Dickensian world of the NFL, that's the worst mark a player can bear. Meanwhile, off we go with one alleged rapist in the Super Bowl and a convicted dogfighter in the Pro Bowl.
But Cutler's the bad guy. Ah. OK.
Tell you what, all you muttonheads burning your jerseys in the Windy City - if you're tired of our boy, why not consider releasing him? I'm sure there are at least a few teams that might like to take a chance. Speaking as a guy who has Redskins fandom the way other people have, say, herpes, I'd sign Cutler tonight with no hesitation at all. Because unlike the usual assortment of steroid freaks and has-beens on the Sabbath gasbag shows (Deion? DEION SANDERS thinks somebody's soft? That's like having Paris Hilton call you a slut), those of us who have actually seen #6 at work know the truth: if he ever had an O-line commensurate with his talent, Cutler would have some kind of ring already.
A little advice for the yuk-yuks on cable, and AM radio, and throughout the blogosphere: forget about what you "know" and try looking at what's actually going on. You might be a little surprised. Meanwhile, I'll be out somewhere raising a glass in my black-and-gold #6 jersey, because that's our guy. I got his back.
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Cutler might be a bad guy, but he's still a tough QB
I think criticism of Jay’s attitude likely is deserved. Jay looked like he was pouting when he could have been cheering on his team or giving advice to an inexperienced QB. Do we know everything that happened on the sideline? No, but based on what I saw and what I know about Jay Cutler from his time at Vanderbilt, he is not a guy that I would want as the QB for my pro team in a championship game.
That being said, I think he’s an incredibly tough QB. How many times has he gotten knocked down and gotten right back up? A lot – both at Vandy and Chicago. So, I have to believe his knee was killing him.
Bullsh*t
Dude wasn’t pouting.
Watch his reaction after the Bears’ first touchdown: You’ll have to click on the “Taylor TD gets the Bears on the board” link
Afterwards, he was shown sitting with Hanie on the bench, while Hanie was going over stills from the previous drive. Somehow, I doubt he was saying “Man, this sucks for me. I wish I was anywhere else right now.”
Give me this team with one #1 receiver and a middle-of-the-road O-line, and I’ll take my chances in a championship game with Cutler at the helm. Give me ANY quarterback in a championship game with a grade 2 MCL sprain, and I’ll show you a guy who’s about to collapse when he tries to plant to make a throw, and subsequently be out for the next 9-12 months.
Maybe the dude was pissed about coming out of the Championship game
You can’t tell me you haven’t seen many many pictures of injured star players on the sidelines in big games standing there “pouting” (as you say).
Do you really think it’s more common for a guy who has just been told, hey, you can’t play in the game you worked your whole life to get to, enthusiastically helping out. Maybe he could run down the sideline (with a limp of course, better look hurt enough) pumping the crowd up.
Is it not perfectly reasonable for a star athlete (a tough guy, a guy who really really does care, a guy who has almost never sat out no matter how bad he’d been walloped and no matter how dire the situation) to be super pissed that he has to watch and hope. Isn’t that even more likely after the guy had been quite ineffective so far, feeling like he has let the team down and possibly missed his best chance ever.
Yes, he should try to do whatever he can to help his team win. And as Brian points out, he was interested in his team winning and Hanie pulling it out. But can he not be dejected at the same time.
But it’s much easier to play the Cutler doesn’t care about anyone but himself card.
Agree to disagree
I am not questioning Jay’s toughness – in fact, I think Jay is one of the toughest QBs in the NFL – so much as his leadership ability and attitude. Cutler has won at every level except for college and the pros. I’m tired of hearing that Jay is so great, but everyone around him is the problem. Great quarterbacks elevate the talent around them. Jay seemingly has failed to elevate his teams since high school.
This postseason was his big chance to prove that wrong. Instead, the lasting image of this season will be of Jay pouting on the sideline while a third-string QB played better than Jay did before he hurt his knee. You might have seen a leader on the sideline or an emotional guy cheering on his team, but a quick google search indicates that most people saw the same thing I did – a guy pouting. Yes, I saw his brief emotion when the Bears scored, but I also saw him sitting next to Hanie, staring off in silence (since then, Hanie, like a good teammate, has said that Jay was trying to help him).
Ultimately, I think Tony Dungy has it right. People are mostly mad at Jay because they want him to be something that he isn’t – an emotional leader on the sideline. Personally, that is something I would like in my QB, but it’s not Jay Cutler.
Better evidence
Believe what Hanie said?
or
Google “Cutler pouting” and “Cutler helping Hanie”and see what gets more hits?
Not sure
I don’t know that either is necessarily credible in this situation. Most of the fans, like us, were simply seeing it on TV, while Hannie is a third-string QB who presumably values having a job in the NFL. The media – or at least more established folks like Wilbon – base their opinions on what they see on the field, as well as what they hear from other players and coaches. Unfortunately for Jay, Hanie’s opinion likely is the one that matters least, regardless of credibility.
I base my own opinion on Cutler off of a few times talking w/ him after games and what I saw of him at Vandy. Not a huge sample size, but I have seen nothing in Denver or Chicago to dissuade me of those notions. I root for Jay because he can help Vandy, but I think I would find it pretty easy to root against him otherwise.
The easy way out
It’s easy to assume he was pouting – at first glance, that’s what it looked like. That’s about as simple an analysis as you can get – something akin to criticising him for not contacting the media whenever he goes out to do charitable work. He doesn’t act the way most NFL quarterbacks do, so he must be bad.
He may well be a complete jerk who pouts when things don’t go his way. Or he may be a quiet, private guy who was taught from a young age not to make a show out of drawing attention to himself. Personally, I think you’re taking the easy way out … I did that when I first saw him on the bench, too. But, I believe I was wrong. He was handling it the way he was raised – don’t show pain, don’t show emotion – but the facade doesn’t always enlighten us to what is inside.
“Great quarterbacks elevate the talent around them. Jay seemingly has failed to elevate his teams since high school.” Do you remember the five fourth-quarter comebacks against very good teams on the road in his senior year? When the defense was giving up points left and right, and Cutler was leading the offense back every time to either tie or take the lead? He didn’t elevate that team?
I should have said that "he has not elevated his teams enough"
Obviously, Jay was an integral part of a decent Vandy team. It was not that Jay was not good enough to elevate his team sometimes, but he never helped the team accomplish anything truly noteworthy (unless you count a win over a mediocre Tennessee team). Of course, I remember Jay leading the team against Wake, Arkansas, Florida, and Tennessee but I also remember him screaming at his linemen when things were not going his way. I also remember that Vanderbilt won more games with Chris Nickson as a starter than with Jay.
My only point is that I think a great quarterback wins bowl games (even at Vanderbilt) or playoff games in nine years as a starter. I think it’s much easier to blindly support a Vandy guy than to acknowledge his flaws. I find Cutler to be incredibly talented, but deeply flawed as a leader and decision maker. I hope he proves me wrong next season.
I've never even liked Cutler
I get the impression that he probably is kind of a dick. Giving him the benefit of the doubt I’ll say that he’s immature, because that carries the connotation that he can still mature. And he probably has already matured quite a bit since he entered the league.
But even if you know Cutler, have met Cutler, gave Cutler 1,000 chances and have repeatedly found Cutler to be a douche and a half, it is totally unfair to pile on to him when HE DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG, just because he’s a dick.
This is not even along the lines of comparing McGwire and Bonds. Both of those guys did something wrong. It’s one thing to say, I’m going to give the guy who is nice a little slack over the one who is a jerk when they both did the same thing, but to go after a guy for for acting perfectly reasonable with no reason other than that he’s a jerk is just silly.
Kind of makes me root for him a lot more now than I ever have.
Good points
I think it is important to separate the criticism of Jay’s toughness from the criticism of his attitude too. It is absolutely absurd for anyone to question his toughness or willingness to play hurt. Jay has consistently played through pain. He has missed exactly one game as a starter since 2007 – after the New York Giants administered one of the most brutal beatings I have ever seen a QB have to endure.
Putting aside Jay’s proven toughness, the NFL needs to stop glorifying stupidity. Is it really worth risking Jay’s career for him to play a big game with diminished abilities? As far as I can tell, the guy came out there in the second half and tried to play through his injury, but struggled badly. I thought he showed a lot of courage on that first drive of the half, but it was pretty clear that he was not helping his team win the game.
Absolutely agree with the last bit there
I think pulling him was the only practical thing for the coaches to do.
I have the same Reskins fandom affliction. I'm terminal with it.
… and I would take Cutler faster than Snyder can take a high draft pick based solely on the ability to sell his jersey like wildfire.
er Redskins
The snow storm last night in DC (first instance of “thundersnow” I’ve ever witnessed) must have frozen my well-honed Vanderbilt grammar skills. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
SO glad to have moved
it’s 70 degrees out there today. Meanwhile, one of my co-workers got home from work at 2:30 this morning after leaving 10 hours earlier. Listening to the horror stories from the Junkies this morning makes me feel a lot better about the absurd mortgage…
"Well, if that ain't a show, I'll kiss your ass." - Gov. Jim Folsom Sr. (D-AL), 1948-52
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