NightLink: Has Jay Cutler Already Plateaued?
by Dane Noble on May 7, 2009 6:00 PM CDT
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PrintThe comparison of the Chicago Bears offensive line and wide receiver corp to the Denver Broncos has been debated more than enough. And many have said that there is no way Jay Cutler will throw the ball as many times as he did while in a Broncos uniform, thus his production will go down as a Bear.
That being said, there was an article on PFT back at the end of February that contained an interesting nugget of information:
There’s a consensus in league circles that Cutler has plateaued after showing some improvement early in the 2008 season.
Now, I'm not toally sure what to make of this. If there are indeed "league circles" that believe this, to what degree do they think he has plateaued? Are they saying that Cutler, who has only played in 3 NFL seasons, has already reached his prime? I can't imagine how anyone could come up with this opinion.
He has improved each year in the NFL, and who is to say that he will not continue improving? Sure, Cutler is in a new system now, with a new Offensive Coordinator, and a different OLine and wide receivers, and is likely to take a while to get settled in. And certainly, the Bears, being a run-first team, will unlikely throw the ball 600 times a season.
But to have already plateaued? Let me just say that if Cutler has indeed reached the apex of his ability, I hope he can maintain that level of performance for a good 6-8 seasons more.
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Yeah, about those league circles...
Something tells me the word jerk is fitting on the end of that phrase.
Yes. Cutler had a good OLine and good WR in Denver. Cutler also had ZERO defense, and last year didn’t even have a running back at one point, so he was forced to throw nonstop and win games completely on offense.
Do I expect him to get 28 TD or whatever he got last year? No. It’ll drop. However, I’m definately expecting to see improvement more in the realm of his TD to INT ratio.
+1
In theory, we’ll have a more balanced attack… and Cutler won’t be attempting 38.5 passes per game, like he averaged last year.
Does that mean his value decreases? Hell no it doesn’t. It means winning increases, and perhaps the TD/INT ratio improves.
The guy is gonna make huge plays for us, and win games. That’s the bottom line.
"You win because of the quarterback. We have to get that position stabilized. We're fixated on that." -- Jerry Angelo (12.30.2008)
Jerry Angelo trades for Jay Cutler! (4.2.2009)
.
Anyone who would say that is not living in the real world.
To say that he has peaked or plateaued is absolutely absurd. He will just keep getting better for many years IMO. I just hope RT call’s plays that will win us games. When Cutler gets real familiar with the playbook, it would be nice to see RT and Lovie cut him some slack and let him make some of his own decisions on the play calling. A little freedom like Manning has.
Vance A. Waggoner
by Bears fan 4-ever!!! on May 7, 2009 6:32 PM CDT up reply actions
Peaked at 26?
People are just bitter, jealous, and every other word under the sun because we got a young franchise QB. Personally, I could care less if his numbers go down. What I’m really concerned with is how many wins can he bring to the Bears? That’s what really matters in any sport.
"I'm not so mean. I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." - Dick Butkus
That's ricockulous
I really hope he doesn’t have as many pass attempts. If he throws that much again, it means our running game sucks. They had like 47 RB’s get injured last year. I almost expected to see them start suiting up random fans just to have a body on the field. To say that he’s plateaud because he won’t be forced to pass on every freaking down is completely retarded.
"Well, we didn't block real good but we made up for it by not tackling."
- John McKay
At least "plateued" is better than "peaked."
People should remember that while they have the right to their opinion, they are not entitled to be taken seriously. --Bruce Bartlett
I'm tired of all this negative stuff about Cutler...
it seems he has become the most hated man in the NFL. I bet these league circles are exclussively in Denver, Pat Bowlen and Josh McDaniels to be specific. He is 26, and he has already surpassed his prime, that’s so stupid it’s laughable. However, I like all this negativity against Cutler it should motivate him to perform better, he is said to be very prideful so nothing like insults to piss him off.
Right on brother...
people who say stupid shit like that in those circle jerks should concentrate more on not getting anything on each other than talking non-sense.
Hear about the blind hooker, you gotta hand it to her.
by Bears fan 4-ever!!! on May 7, 2009 6:43 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Actually Chase
No one in Denver is really even talking about McDaniels anymore. That is mostly the national media. Cutler is a good young QB. He needs to mature and improve his attitude but he is very talented. I think some of the plateau talk was a critcism of Shanny and Bates not getting the best out of Jay. If you can handle his tantrums and sometimes depressing demeanor, who have yourself a good QB. I hope he does well for your team. I have a lot of respect for the Bear franchise…unlike the Raiders…
Just another thought on the Cutler subject...
Does anyone else get the Concrete Cyanide vibe from McDaniels? Every time I see that guy, or hear him speak I can’t help but think of Gruden. With that in mind, if I got the Gruden vibe off the guy, and I was the QB and heard him wanting to shop me around I’m pretty sure I would have made an attempt to GTFO as well.
Please
Cutler is 26 years old. Physically his body probably isn’t even going to peak for another few years and I’m sure he is still more than capable of learning. Not to mention, I speak from experience here, it’s not like your body’s production suddenly falls off a cliff when you hit thirty. He has plenty of time to improve his already well above average game.
I suspect the circles of Douche Baggery that are ragging on him are the same people who are part of teams that weren’t able to get him for their teams.
I’m sure if I was in a circle of teams that had Rosenfals, Jason Campbell, whomever the Bucs plan on starting (I do like Freeman, but don’t think he’ll be starting this year), or just spent a high 1st round pick on Sanchez/Stafford, all teams that were supposedly trying to get Cutler, I would say he wasn’t worth it too.
Fortunately for me this and every year, I’m a Bears fan and can’t wait to see the kid play!
I would hope that Cutler’s production goes down a little bit. We will be off our game plan if he is throwing 40 times a game. Hopefully with less forced passes his percentages will go up. If they don’t, I’m still not going to complain. The trade was a bold move and injected some much needed energy into our team and fan base. Something it was sorely lacking.
I don’t really want to hear about better receivers in Denver either, Eddie Royal and Brandon Marshall were taken, I think in the 2nd and 4th rounds of the draft and are incredibly young too. Cutler made them both look great, I’m sure he will do the same for Hester, Bennett, and Iglesias; and that’s not even mentioning our better TE and RB situation. Their Oline was a little better than ours last year, ours will be better this year.
Only thing I’m curious about and it is a moot point now. What do you guys think? If we had gotten Gaffney or Stokely instead of the 5th round pick? I’m glad about the way it turned out now, I like Iglesias and Knox. Just back before the draft, I was a lot more worried about the receiver position.
Go Bears!!!
KC Joyner
Did anyone happen to see his chat today? Someone asked him how he’d rank the NFC north QBs if the Vikings signed Favre. This is how he listed them.
1) Rodgers- acceptable because of his great numbers.
2) Favre- reputation alone? How old is he? Shoulder?
3) Cutler- it’s ludicrous to have him 3rd.
4) Stafford- where he belongs cause of his rookie status.
"I'm not so mean. I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." - Dick Butkus
Mike Florio
was the writer of that particular article. That comes as no surprise as he is a noted hater of certain teams and players.
We are who we think we are.
Let's Look at the Numbers
Last year Cutler threw 616 passes. Kyle Orton? 465. That is the difference in offensive schemes and weapons. Denver had 6 RBs on IR and two good young receivers. The Bears? We had a ROTY candidate at RB, Brandon Lloyd and Rashied Davis. You tell me you’re not going to hand it off 19 times a game over throwing it 30-odd times?
Cutler threw the ball only 467 times his first full season in 2007, when Denver actually had a run game. So there you go.
His numbers will drop, he should improve TD/INT and that’s that. No one’s plateaued.
I wish people would stop saying Denver didn’t have a running game. The Broncos ran the ball nearly 50 less times than the Bears for almost 150 more total yards. If Denver ’didn’t have a running game’….then what would you call the Bears running game?
The Broncos had a commitment problem…not a running problem.
"C" is for Championship...that's good enough for meeeee!!!
by PosterNutbag on May 7, 2009 10:26 PM CDT up reply actions
Run game or not
All I meant was Cutler will not attempt 616 passes as a Bear, ever. At least under the current regime.
by Sam Householder on May 8, 2009 4:13 PM CDT up reply actions
Also, in terms of comparing total passes, didn’t Orton miss at least a couple of games? Not that a couple of games would have accounted for a 151 pass discrepancy, but it would have accounted for some of that difference.
"C" is for Championship...that's good enough for meeeee!!!
by PosterNutbag on May 8, 2009 12:48 AM CDT up reply actions
He missed 1 and 1/4 games
I believe. So that maybe accounts for 35-40 passes.
by Sam Householder on May 8, 2009 4:10 PM CDT up reply actions
I have no doubt in my mind that Cutler’s best statistical performance is behind him. Unless, the Bears get Jeremy Bates, or someone as pass-happy as he is, to call their plays and is willing to throw the ball 616 times in a season (not going to happen in Chicago for a myriad of reasons) then Cutler will never come close to matching last years numbers. That does not, however, mean that Cutler has ‘plateaued’ as a Quarterback. He still has a tremendous amount of maturing to do as a QB and his decision need to be substantially improved. I think he is smart and dedicated enough to continue to improve as a QB.
"C" is for Championship...that's good enough for meeeee!!!
who cares if he has peaked
the ability he has shown is already better than anything we have had in ages
Hmmmm… did you pick this up when you were at DN? Because I swear I remember someone whipping that aricle out on you…
And I wouldn’t worry about Cutler having plateaued (what a weird word…). I’m sure he’ll learn a thing or two pretty quickly after getting reacquainted with Jared Allen and meeting his new friends, Pat and Kevin :D.
In AP I trust
Brett Favre should go die somwhere
by FarvaForTheVikings on May 7, 2009 10:14 PM CDT reply actions
Pat and Kevin?
No, I’m sorry, Cutler hasn’t tested positive for any illegal substances.
I'M A MAN! I'M 22!
Oh, that’s low. But clever.
Unfortunately for Cutler, even if they are suspended for the first four games, they’ll still be available for both Chicago games. Too bad…
In AP I trust
Brett Favre should go die somwhere
by FarvaForTheVikings on May 7, 2009 10:45 PM CDT up reply actions
Unfortunately for Minn...
This is Jay Cutler and not Rex Grossman or Kyle Orton. Too bad…
"The phone's for you, I think it's the Devil."
Touche.
Unfortuantely, your receivers are Devin Hester and Rashied Davis/Earl Bennett/
Juaquin Iglesias, and not Darren Marshall and Eddie Royal.
Although Iglesias does worry me. A little bit.
In AP I trust
Brett Favre should go die somwhere
by FarvaForTheVikings on May 8, 2009 8:09 AM CDT up reply actions
and don't forget BRANDON Stokley.
Still one of the best slots in the biz.
"C" is for Championship...that's good enough for meeeee!!!
Whoops. Mixed up his name and another guy’s.
In AP I trust
Brett Favre should go die somwhere
by FarvaForTheVikings on May 8, 2009 1:46 PM CDT up reply actions
But my point still stands.
In AP I trust
Brett Favre should go die somwhere
by FarvaForTheVikings on May 8, 2009 1:47 PM CDT up reply actions
Touche' to you sir
But Royal and Marshall were nothing that Cutler molded into stars. Hopefully he can do the same for Hester, Bennett, and Iglesias. We’ll see. Can’t forget about Olsen and Forte either.
"The phone's for you, I think it's the Devil."
ummmm....have you never watched Marshall and Royal play?
Most of Marshall’s brilliance comes after he’s caught the ball. Royal is probably the best rookie route runner I’ve ever seen. Also, I don’t know why you guys keep ignoring Stokley. He may not put up the same kind of numbers as Marshall and Royal, but he is automatic on 3rd down. I maintain that Stokley is still one of the best slot receivers in the game and, fortunately, age doesn’t really impact him too much because of his style of play.
They may have had as much to do with making Cutler a star as Cutler did making them stars.
"C" is for Championship...that's good enough for meeeee!!!
Also, I think that playing in a Mike Shanahan offense is a big part of all of their success. The guy knows how to get it done on offense…period (unfortunately, he’s apparently completely clueless about how to put together a defense). As I said before, Shanahan and the Broncos put four different QBs in the Pro Bowl in a decade. At some point you have to acknowledge that maybe something greater than any single QB was at work there. It’s similar to how he could plug one RB after another into the backfield and have success. It’s all about the system.
"C" is for Championship...that's good enough for meeeee!!!
Excellently put.
In AP I trust
Brett Favre should go die somwhere
by FarvaForTheVikings on May 8, 2009 10:08 PM CDT up reply actions
Oh, I won’t forget them. Those two worry me more than anyone else on the Bears. Forte is easily the second best back in the division, and Olsen seems to be coming along pretty well.
Add that to the fact that the main thing the Viking’s defense did not do too well was defend tight ends and receivers out of the backfield, and that’s a worrisome combination.
But I’m not too incredibly worried. Not even the Vikings’ defense can be perfect. :D
In AP I trust
Brett Favre should go die somwhere
by FarvaForTheVikings on May 8, 2009 10:07 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm guessing he'd rather deal with them
over Merriman, Phillips, and Castillo like he’s been dealing with. And maybe the Vike fans shouldn’t be out sniping on other peoples QBs. Ya know, glass houses and all that…
"Well, we didn't block real good but we made up for it by not tackling."
- John McKay
True, true. But he’ll still be facing a tougher defense than than the Vikings’ QBs when our teams face off. That’s my opinion anyways. I’m sure you’ll tell me otherwise. :D
In AP I trust
Brett Favre should go die somwhere
by FarvaForTheVikings on May 8, 2009 8:11 AM CDT up reply actions
Not so fast...
Let us not discount our guy Ron Marinelli’s impact on Tommie Harris and others on the DL, also Lovie calling plays has to have a marginal impact on overall play. And the difference in defensive ability of a team versus the level of quarterback play of the opponent is always going to favorite the Bears when it’s Jay Culter versus the options in Minny right now
And let’s not forget your boys Pat and Kevin are both a year older and it must take a lot of strength to keep them both standing upright….
Has Cutler already plateaued?
That’s what she said.
Has Cutler already plateaued?
I think this guy is a better athelet and a better QB then Orton is or is going to be. That will turn into us winning some games that Orton just could not step up his game to have us win. QB is an extremely important position in the NFL and this guy is the best QB Chicago has had in a long time. It will all add up to some more wins!
Don't know about Plateaued...
I like Cutler, he was (and is) a very promising QB. No doubt about his arm strength or his ability to run when necessary, but there were some things that bothered me about his ability to be a leader. Really, he reminds me of the QB in Jerry McGuire that signed with another agent at the last minute. Just something about his attitude.
You don’t tug on Superman’s cape (claiming a better arm than Elway), you don’t flip off other teams QB’s (Rivers…who should have went to the Pro Bowl last year), and you don’t blow off phone calls from your boss, who happens to be one of the most respected owners in all of sports (Bowlen).
Like I said, I like Jay and I sincerely hope he does well in Chicago, but I think he’s got some growing up to do before he can lead a team to the next level.
On the flip side, I’m excited about Orton. While he may not have the physical gifts of Cutler (although he did break all of Drew Brees’s records at Purdue), he has the ability to lead a team. He is intelligent, gains the confidence of his teammates and is dedicated to improving himself as a player and as a person. Throw in some McLovin tutelage and the weapons he will have in Denver and he has a real chance to succeed. PLUS, he has one of the best Neckbeards known to man!
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