Jay Cutler Failure Came Down To Tragic Coaching Losses
By Erik Lambert
Mike Martz – 2012
His first year without Shanahan in Chicago, Cutler threw a career-high 26 interceptions. The Bears knew they needed to find somebody who could work well with quarterbacks. So Lovie Smith fired Ron Turner and called on old friend and colleague Mike Martz. He turned Kurt Warner into an MVP and Marc Bulger into a Pro Bowler. Why wouldn’t he be able to figure something out with a megatalent like Cutler? Suffice to say their relationship got off to a rocky start.
Cutler had a hard time adjusting to the pass-happy Martz scheme. He was sacked a lot. Some wondered if the pairing was really a good fit or not. Soon though they began to develop a repoir. The Bears offense finished 2010 clicking and reached the NFC championship. The next year after another slow start Cutler was in the MVP conversation as he helped the Bears roll off five-straight wins. Then a freak accident resulted in him breaking his thumb.
The offense failed to adjust without him and the team collapsed down the stretch to finish 8-8. Martz was blamed for much of the issues, unfairly in hindsight, and got fired as result. When Cutler returned he had Mike Tice waiting for him as a replacement. That proved a disaster and the entire coaching staff was fired after the 2012 season.