Tag: Jay Cutler (Page 10 of 32)

      Jay Cutler out for Sunday – will Mike Martz be forced to rely on the run?

      October 7, 2010 /
      Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz stands on the field during warmups before a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders at Soldier Field in Chicago on August 21, 2010. UPI/Brian Kersey Photo via Newscom

      Mike Martz has long established that he would rather sit next to a crying baby on an airplane than run the football any more than he has to on Sundays. In fact, if it were truly up to him, he may scratch the run entirely and throw the ball on every down.

      But he has a problem this week. The Bears are in Carolina to take on a winless Panthers team and Jay Cutler is still feeling the affects of the concussion he suffered last Sunday night in New York. That means Todd Collins will have to start, which doesn’t bode well for Martz’s pass-happy offense.

      Collins was beyond putrid last weekend and it would behoove the Bears to keep the ball on the ground and allow their defense to win the game. Chicago has two capable running backs in Matt Forte and Chester Taylor, but thanks to Martz’s pass first and ask questions later approach, Da Bears are gaining only 68.8 yards per game on the ground this year.

      If Martz can’t adjust, the Bears are in trouble. The Panthers may not be in the win column yet and they certainly don’t have the pass rush that the Giants (Chicago’s opponent last weekend) have, but they hung with the Saints last Sunday and have two running backs in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart that can wear down a tired defense late in games. If Chicago’s defense is on the field for long periods of time thanks to the ineptitude of Collins, then Carolina can take the game out of rookie quarterback Jimmy Claussen’s hand and lean on their ground attack.

      I don’t know what’s least likely to happen, Collins actually throwing the ball for more than 2.5 yards per pass or Martz changing his offense to a run first approach.

      Or Carolina winning a game.

      External Sports, NFL

      2010 NFL Power Rankings Week 5

      October 5, 2010 /
      JACKSONVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 03: Quarterback Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts throws while taking on the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field on October 3, 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

      Week 5 comes with a realization that there isn’t a clear-cut best team in the league right now.

      My top team in Week 4, the Colts, lost to the last-place Jaguars last Sunday thanks to a Josh Scobee 59-yard field goal. Despite their record, the Packers are a mess, the Ravens don’t give me that we’re-the-best-team-vibe and the Saints have injury issues.

      So while I’ve moved the Packers back into the top spot, just know I’m not entirely convinced they’re the top team in the league. Right now, no team has established themselves as the best.

      Let’s get nasty…

      Check out Week 4’s Power Rankings

      1. Green Bay Packers
      Previous Week: 2
      One would have thought that after their embarrassing loss to the Bears on Monday night last week that the Pack would come out and steamroll the Lions. But as fellow TSR contributor and Green Bay fan John Paulsen said to me after the game, this team lacks that killer tenacity. Regardless, they moved back into the top spot after a one-week hiatus.

      2. Indianapolis Colts
      Previous Week: 1
      I wrote it before the season and I’ll write it again now: the Colts are going to have issues stopping the run all season. They’re weak up the middle defensively and they’ll continue to struggle against any team that can establish the run.

      3. Baltimore Ravens
      Previous Week: 4
      It’s never easy to march into Pittsburgh and knock off the Steelers. It’s even harder to look good while doing it, so I’m not going to knock the Ravens for having to pull out a win in the final minute. This isn’t college football, where teams get style points for wins. That was a hard-fought win, Baltimore.

      4. Pittsburgh Steelers
      Previous Week: 3
      Even though the loss to the Ravens last Sunday stings, Mike Tomlin has to feel good that his team went 3-1 without Ben Roethlisberger. Even though everyone in Pittsburgh is excited for his return, it’ll be interesting to see how rusty Big Ben is next week. The Steelers’ bye couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.

      5. Atlanta Falcons
      Previous Week: 5
      You could have seen that letdown coming from a mile away. The Falcons were coming off a huge emotional win over the Saints in New Orleans and were taking on a winless 49ers team at home. Thanks to Roddy White’s outstanding hustle, the Falcons were fortunate to walk out of the Georgia Dome with a victory last week.

      6. New Orleans Saints
      Previous Week: 6
      I thought about dropping the Saints down after they struggled last Sunday with the lowly Panthers, but this is one banged up football team right now and Carolina has always given them trouble for one reason or another. The Saints just have to get by with what they have until they can return to full strength.

      7. New York Jets
      Previous Week: 7
      The Jets are already making me look bad for predicting them to finish third in the AFC East. What a display of domination they put on in Buffalo last Sunday and who says L.T. is finished? It’s great to see him at the top of his game again.

      8. New England Patriots
      Previous Week: 11
      Holy special teams, Batman – what a performance in Miami. Congratulations to Tom Brady for his 100th career win. Even though it’s fun to root against the Patriots because of their success, let’s not overlook the fact that Brady is a self-made player.

      9. Houston Texans
      Previous Week: 9
      Considering the Texans were without Andre Johnson and benched Arian Foster for the first quarter, it was impressive that they still scored 31 points. I realize it was against the Raiders, but Bruce Gradkowski has breathed life into that team and it was good to see that Houston didn’t falter against an inferior opponent on the road.

      10. Chicago Bears
      Previous Week: 10
      I’ve been awfully hard on the Bears so I’m going to give them a mulligan this week. Even though they still probably would have lost given how bad Jay Cutler was playing, they didn’t have a chance once Todd Collins entered the game. And whom else am I going to put here? Dallas? The Giants? This is a worse spot than No. 1.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Todd Collins was a tad rusty to his return to the field

      October 4, 2010 /
      EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 03: Todd Collins of the Chicago Bears lays on the field after getting injured against the New York Giants at New Meadowlands Stadium on October 3, 2010 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

      For much of the offseason, the Bears were actively pursuing a veteran quarterback to back up Jay Cutler and after Todd Collins’ performance last night in Chicago’s 17-3 loss to the Giants, they might want to keep searching.

      The Bears knew they weren’t getting much when they signed Collins two weeks before the season started. But they hoped that a) they would never have to play him and b) if they did, he would show some of the veteran poise that made him a reliable backup in other cities.

      Unfortunately the Bears did have to play Collins last night and even more unfortunate was how he fared. He completed just 4-of-11 passes for 36 yards and was intercepted once before leaving the game late in the fourth quarter after taking a shot from a defender.

      His performance was a painful reminder for the Bears about how unsettled the backup position is behind Cutler. They had drafted former Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour in April, but he failed to impress this spring and was eventually claimed off waivers by the Bengals. That leaves Chicago with Collins, who had to play last night because Jay Cutler was suffering from concussion-like symptoms at halftime, and No. 3 Caleb Hanie.

      At this point, the Bears don’t have many options (we’re talking the Brian St. Pierre’s of the world), which is troubling to say the least. Cutler’s injury isn’t believed to be serious, but with the new concussion rules that the NFL has, who knows if he’ll be medically cleared to play for Chicago’s next game. And if he can’t go, that means another four-plus quarters of Collins.

      Granted, the Giants’ pass rush is fierce and it was Collins’ first game in quite some time. But nobody wants to see that again. Not Bear fans. Not NFL fans. Not even Todd Collins fans.

      Suddenly Brian St. Pierre doesn’t sound that bad.

      External Sports, NFL

      Packers avoid costly mistakes, somehow still lose to the Bears

      September 27, 2010 /
      Chicago Bears wide receiver Devin Hester (23) reacts after an incomplete pass during the first quarter of their NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers in Chicago, September 27, 2010. REUTERS/John Gress (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Two turnovers, 18 penalties (for 152 yards), horrendous special teams play and poor ball security late in the game were just some of the things the Packers accomplished in their 20-17 loss to the Bears on Monday night.

      If I didn’t know better, I would have thought Green Bay wanted to lose tonight.

      It was undisciplined football at its best and yet, the Pack still had an opportunity to win the game in the end as long as they continued to move the ball down field (as they had done for most of the night) and not turn it over. But with just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and the scored tied 17-17, Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs knocked the ball out of receiver James Jones’ grasp after a short reception. Then, by the grace of George Halas himself, somehow the ball tight roped down the sideline and Chicago cornerback Tim Jennings was able to recover it at the Green Bay 38.

      Thanks to a holding penalty, the Bears were backed up to their own 44-yard line, but soon thereafter Jay Cutler made an outstanding throw to Greg Olsen, who made an even better catch for a 21-yard gain down to the Green Bay 35. Two plays later, Morgan Burnett was called for molesting Earl Bennett on a pass interference penalty and the ball was moved inside the 10-yard line. Four plays later Robbie Gould kicked the 19-yard game-winner to propel Chicago to victory.

      You may not witness an uglier loss by a Super Bowl contender all season. And not all the ugliness was due to the players either, as the Green Bay coaching staff shares in the misery too.

      Why didn’t the Packers instruct punter Tim Masthay to kick the ball away from Devin Hester? He sent a bullet at him late in the second quarter and Hester almost broke it for a touchdown. Then, with his team only up a field goal early in the fourth quarter, the genius once again tempts fate by kicking it straight to Hester, who promptly returns it 62-yards for the go-ahead score.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Overrated doesn’t even begin to describe the Cowboys anymore

      September 19, 2010 /
      ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 19: Quarterback Jay Cutler of the Chicago Bears looks to pass against the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium on September 19, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

      The Dallas Cowboys continue to prove that talent only takes you so far.

      Talented teams don’t win when they turn the ball over three times and don’t compile any takeaways themselves.

      Talented teams don’t win when they commit six penalties and their opposition (who is playing on the road, mind you), only commits two.

      Talented teams can’t win when they only rush for 36 yards and can’t make field goals.

      The Cowboys might be talented, but talent doesn’t always translate into victories. Dallas haters will say that the Cowboys aren’t that talented, but they are. You’re fooling yourself if you don’t think they are. But something is obviously missing and it’s not just Wade Phillips’ inability to keep his team focused week in and week out.

      The Bears played a damn near perfect game in their 27-20 win over the Cowboys on Sunday. Jay Cutler was outstanding in throwing for 277 yards on 21-of-29 passing and three touchdowns. The fact that he had such a tremendous day after he was nearly swallowed whole by Dallas’s pass rush in the early going made his performance even more impressive.

      The Chicago defense also played extremely well, holding the Cowboys to only 36 yards rushing and forcing three turnovers. They also held Dallas to only six points (two field goals) in the second half and didn’t buckle with the game on the line late in the fourth quarter.

      I give the Bears a lot of credit. I was one of many people who described their Week 1 win over the Lions as “lucky” and had the Cowboys took it to them today, I probably would have been one of the first people back in line to bash Chicago again.

      But they were the ones that stuck it to a talented, yet incomplete team on the road. The Bears proved that they’re going to be a handful in their division, while the Cowboys proved that they’re not even close to being the best team in the NFC East.

      External Sports, NFL

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