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Jay Cutler Doesn’t Sound Ready To Be John Fox’s Hero

By Erik Lambert

Sep 19, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) drops back to pass against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 19, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) drops back to pass against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 9, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) talks to head coach Marc Trestman in the second quarter during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) talks to head coach Marc Trestman in the second quarter during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /

Ask Marc Trestman. Late in the 2013 season rumors began to spread that the former Bears coach wanted to keep Josh McCown in as the starter. His reasoning was sound enough. McCown was playing some good football, going 3-2 and throwing 13 touchdown to one interception. The problem is this went against his assurance that when Cutler was healthy he was the starting quarterback. So in essence Jay felt lied to by Trestman. In such situations players often stop listening to a coach.

That may sound foolish but what happened in 2014 says otherwise. Cutler led the league in turnovers and the divide between him and Trestman grew so strained that he was eventually benched in the second-to-last game of the year for Jimmy Clausen. Chicago finished 5-11 and Trestman was fired.

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Then it’s time for John Fox. He doesn’t make the same mistake in 2015. He says he’s committed to nobody long-term. Cutler will be the starter but the job is his to lose. Jay responded with the best season, efficiency-wise, of his career. Unfortunately that’s when Fox fell into the trap. With 2016 beginning he and GM Ryan Pace declared Cutler was their starter. Period. End of story. He’d earned the job.

Fast forward a few weeks and he begins to feel the same tug as Trestman. Backup QB Brian Hoyer is putting up four-straight 300-yard games and not turning the football over. Being the conservative coach he is, Fox began to consider the idea of a permanent change.

As a result Cutler found himself declared doubtful for every game moving forward. This despite persistent rumors that he was healing well and maybe could’ve been back sooner. Not until Hoyer breaks his arm on Thursday Night in Green Bay does he almost magically return to practice without a single complication. That makes a conspiracy theorist believe Fox and the coaches were trying to keep him off the field long enough to see if Hoyer could give them enough reason to make a permanent switch.

For a competitor with trust issues like Cutler, that is a monumental mistake given their current situation.

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