When you strip football down to its foundation, when you take away billion dollar stadiums and diehard fans, the media frenzy and the scandals, the huge paychecks and celebrity status of players, at the heart of it all is one man: the quarterback. The one who, ultimately, decides your team’s fate. The one who your Super Bowl hopes and dreams depend upon.
Maybe that’s a touch overdramatic. (Okay, it totally is.) But no matter which way you spin it, it’s hard- maybe impossible, even- to have a truly successful team without a quarterback that consistently performs at high levels and proves his worth game after game come fall. And if you do manage to find a mediocre QB that can win, there’s a palpable uneasiness every time he takes the field because who knows what’s going to happen.
The Chicago Bears acquired Jay Cutler back in 2009 from the Denver Broncos in exchange for a first-round draft pick in both 2009 and 2010, among other things. It was a real bargain for the Bears, who hadn’t seen a truly great quarterback on their roster since the 1940s with Sid Luckman.
Jay Cutler. Now the epitome of a football dream crusher. He may look good on paper (he’s the Bears leader in passing touchdowns, passing yards and claimed the NFC Championship in 2010) but remember- the Bears haven’t had a decent quarterback in a really long time. And of course, Cutler ended 2010 watching his team lose to the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs from an exercise bike, nursing a sprained MCL. Football is a sport of give and take, but with Cutler is just seems different. His play is lackluster at best despite theoretically having everything it takes to be the real deal. He can’t be trusted to get the job done. He isn’t a leader and doesn’t care what anybody thinks.
And now, the final blow. In Week 2 of the regular season, in the midst of a less than stellar performance, Cutler suffered a thumb injury that will sideline him for at least several weeks. This came after what appeared to be a promising drive with Cutler connecting with his receivers and looking like a team that could actually put some points up, but then ended with an interception. “A Real Cutler Move” one sportswriter called it.
If you’re a Bears fan, the easiest thing to do is rip the team. Blame it on inadequate coaches or the near-sighted general manager. Blame it on a roster that lacks talent. Blame it on the quarterback who should have been cut. That’s the easy thing to do. But the right thing to do is stand with the team. Stand with them and believe that things will get better. Stand with them and find a way to somehow justify a quarterback who can’t get it done, but still got a 7-year contract renewal in 2014 (worth $126 million with $54 million guaranteed, I might add).
We’re not taught to give up, especially in sports. Push through, ignore the odds, make it happen. But somewhere along the way, logic has blurred with illusion for the Chicago Bears. It’s time to give up; Jay Cutler needs to go. It’s time to just admit that the guy isn’t that great. He may have a cannon for an arm but that doesn’t do a team much good if he’s throwing picks or sidelined constantly with an injury. It’s time to wasting time and money on Cutler and find someone who actually has half a chance of winning.
