FanPost

Making the Right Call at the Wrong Time

It has definitely been an exciting week for Bears fans...unfortunately its the type of exciting that you don't really want. Tuesday afternoon we were greeted with reports that Marc Trestman's fate has already been decided and he will be fired at the conclusion of the 2014 season. Then on Wednesday fans were shocked by the news that the Bears would be sitting their "franchise" QB in favor of Jimmy Clausen---the man that couldn't even manage to evade South Bend police during his college days--good luck against the likes of Suh and Ansah. While I don't believe Cutler's days should be done in Chicago, I think benching him might be the right move--but it is, in fact, too little too late.

~Before I get into the meat and potatoes of this post I will make this very clear. I do NOT believe that Marc Trestman should be fired and I do NOT believe that Jay Cutler should be traded or cut. If you really want to know why please refer to my previous post.~

If Marc Trestman was going to bench Jay Cutler it was something that he should have been done weeks ago. In Trestman's most recent press conference he noted that he has seen great QB's careers revived from games like these, and frankly I am inclined to believe him. However, this should have happened a long time ago. In hindsight he should have been benched for the final game against Green Bay--if his plan is indeed to light the fire under Jay's ass. Sitting your franchise QB midseason, against your #1 rival, would be much more eye opening than making him ride the pine in the second to last game of a lost season.

I think the decision to bench Cutler is indicative of a bigger issue..that is Trestman's job security...which it appears is non-existent. If the decision has already been made to depart from the second year coach then I suppose Trest is just pissing in the wind, for lack of a better term...but if he can still save his job then perhaps it is more. It could, for all intensive purposes be a Hail Mary by a coach that has been called soft and a bad motivator.

We all know the story about what happened with Aaron Kromer. We all know that he broke the circle of trust and vented his rage on a reporter. Specifically Ian Rappaport who, in my opinion, is among a class of NFL reporters that care more about twitter followers and google hits than the people's jobs they threaten by spreading their garbage on the internet. There used to be a time where journalists cared about people...for the most part I assume those days are gone. Moving on. Kromer apologized, his apology got leaked, everyone was pissed, and the national media fed on the 2014 corpse until the next big Bears blunder came along. Lucky for them it was only a few days awa

Marc Trestman was put in a very awkward place following Kromergate 2014. He could punish Kromer, fire him, filet him, shoot him out of a cannon...something that would have appeased the Media and Fans...but he didnt. Trestman did what any boss would do he stood up for integrity and accountability and let Kromer off the hook. Unfortunately for Trestman the higher ups were NOT on his side. Put yourself in Aaron Kromers shoes for just a moment. We all have jobs that suck...at least sometimes. We all have jobs where we blame our frustrations on other people and vent to someone that we probably shouldnt have. Sometimes that venting makes its way back to the wrong person, the boss, and we are left wondering if we will suddenly be without employment. I've been in this position before, a moment of weakness puts your ass on the line and you are left at the mercy of someone higher up. That person is then left with the decision to give you a break( we are after all human) or pull out the pink slips and move on. Good men accept peoples mistakes and give them another chance but sometimes being a good man puts the target on your back.

This is why Trestman benched Cutler. It makes no logical sense to sit your franchise QB for the likes of Jimmy Clossen at the end of a lost season---unless you are trying to make a point. It appears to me that Trestman is proving to higher management that his abilities run more than skin deep. He is trying to prove that he can and will make the tough call. He will give players the tough love they deserve, and he will stand up and do everything he can to mold this team. Unfortunately he is making the right call at the wrong time. It could very well be too late for him to save his job, and it could be too late for him to prove that he can turn Jay Cutler into a winner.

I may be among the last to believe that Jay Cutler can still be a winning QB. The aspirations of him competing with the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, or even Andrew Luck have long since passed. Jay is an average QB with above average potential. He isnt worth the money the Bears are paying him...but if Chicago didnt pay him then somebody else would.

Of the 68 QB's that started or filled in this season Jay ranks 24th in QB rating...a spot ahead of Matt Stafford. So if the Bears really believe that they can do better that Jay by drafting in a weak draft class or grabbing some reject from another team, then by all means go ahead. If they Bears think they stand a better chance at winning next season by completely gutting the coaching staff and starting from scratch for the second time in three years then go ahead.

My hope is that cooler heads prevail but they likely wont.

Whats the old saying? Wish in one hand....

As always mind the grammatical errors.

This Fanpost was written by a Windy City Gridiron member and does not necessarily reflect the ideas or opinions of its staff or community.