Tag: Jay Cutler (Page 14 of 32)

      Vikings crush Bears, Favre showing zero signs of fatigue

      November 29, 2009 /

      If Brett Favre is wearing down, then he has everybody fooled because the guy is playing like a freaking maniac.

      Favre completed 32-of-48 passes for 392 yards with three touchdowns and no inceptions in the Vikings’ 36-10 win over the Bears in Week 12. Minnesota attacked Chicago repeatedly through the air, throwing the ball 31 times to just 12 rushes in the first half. When the dust settled, the Vikings had a 24-7 halftime lead and the game was never in doubt from that point forward.

      Minnesota is now 10-1 and will be rooting hard for New England to beat New Orleans on Monday night. The Vikes have the inside track on a first round bye, but they’ll have their eye on earning the top seed in the playoffs entering the final month of the season.

      As for the Bears, their disastrous season continues. All of their defensive problems were on full display today as Favre and the Vikings went up and down the field with the greatest of ease. Chicago was out gained in first downs (31 to eight) and total yardage (537 to 169).

      It was the same story today as it has been all season: They were outplayed in the trenches, they couldn’t run the ball and Jay Cutler turned the ball over multiple times. Nothing has changed about this team in over a month.

      NFL

      Martz a candidate to become Bears’ next O-coordinator

      November 25, 2009 /

      According to a report by the Chicago Sun Times, Mike Martz is a candidate to become the Bears’ next offensive coordinator.

      ”Martz would love to work with Jay Cutler,” said the source, who cited the close relationship between Smith and Martz in sharing the information.

      Smith is expected to stay with the Bears in 2010 because of more than $10 million in walking-away money.
      But offensive coordinator Ron Turner and at least part of his staff could be another story. The Bears (4-6) purged their defensive staff last offseason, and it might be the offense’s turn in January as Smith makes a final effort to turn around a franchise headed toward its third straight season of missing the playoffs. Since Turner was hired in 2005 after the firing of

      Terry Shea, the offensive staff has been untouched. In that same span, Smith has changed seven defensive position coaches and moved the title of defensive coordinator from Ron Rivera to Bob Babich to himself.

      This makes sense considering that the Bears have no interest in running the ball. Martz has always been able to get the most out of his quarterbacks (Kurt Warner, Marc Bulger, Jon Kitna, etc.) and could work well with Cutler. Of course, that could be a recipe for disaster given Martz and Cutler’s egos.

      Still, Martz pass-happy system would be a great fit for Cutler’s big arm. But even if the Bears do land Martz, they still need to figure out a way to rebuild the offensive line or else Cutler will continue to struggle no matter what system he’s in.

      This is an intriguing rumor.


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      Cutler struggles again as Bears lose to Eagles

      November 22, 2009 /

      It wasn’t a five-interception type of game, but Jay Cutler once again struggled as the Eagles beat the Bears 24-20 on Sunday night.

      Cutler finished 24-of-43 for 171 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The interception came on Chicago’s final offensive possession as Cutler was trying to lead the Bears to a game-winning score.

      Cutler was trying not to throw interceptions tonight. He seemed overly cautious in his decisions and overthrew three receivers throughout the course of the game that cost Chicago a chance for touchdowns. The most damning overthrow came with just under four minutes remaining when he overshot Johnny Knox, who had beaten Sheldon Brown down the sidelines and could have streaked into the end zone for a go-ahead score.

      Cutler and Donovan McNabb shared a nice moment after the game at midfield. McNabb spoke with Cutler at length and while it’s unknown what was said, one could imagine that the Philly QB offered words of encouragement and advice. Once the Bears build him an offensive line, Cutler is going to prosper. But until then, he’s going to suffer these roller coaster moments.

      For the Eagles, this was a huge win because the Cowboys and Giants both won as well. This wasn’t a clean victory for Philadelphia by any means (they turned the ball over three times), but youngsters like LeSean McCoy (20 carries, 99 yards, 1 TD) and DeSean Jackson (8 receptions, 107 yards, 1 TD) stepped up and that was key.


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      2009 NFL Week 11 Picks & Predictions

      November 20, 2009 /

      Here are my locks (locks, ha!) for Week 11 in the NFL:

      Chargers (6-3) at Broncos (6-3), 4:15PM ET
      Denver quarterback Kyle Orton is questionable this week with an ankle injury, which means Chris Simms could make his first start of the season. Simms looked Brady Quinn-like bad in a loss to the Redskins last week and I wouldn’t expect much out of him if I were a Broncos fan. If Simms starts, I fully expect the Chargers to load up to stop Knowshon Moreno and force the former Bucs’ QB to beat them through the air. It’s not going to happen and even if Orton does start, how effective can he be on a bum ankle? About as effective as he was last year for the Bears on a bum ankle? The Chargers are hot, have revenge on their minds and are eyeing sole possession of first place in the AFC West. Plus, Philip Rivers is playing just as well as Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Kurt Warner. I’m taking the Chargers to win outright and to cover.
      Odds: Chargers –2.5.
      Prediction: Chargers 31, Broncos 16.

      Redskins (3-6) at Cowboys (6-3), 1:00PM ET
      Now that the Cowboys have once again established that they’re still the same inconsistent team under Wade Phillips as they’ve always been, I’m wondering if the Redskins can pull off a huge upset this week in Dallas. Then again, without the brutal play of Chris Simms’ aiding them in victory, I can’t see Washington winning this weekend. In fact, I see this game being a blow out since the Redskins will once again be without running back Clinton Portis and Albert Haynesworth is doubtful to play as well. The Redskins have shown the ability to stop the pass, but if the Cowboys can control this game with Marion Barber and Felix Jones then Washington doesn’t stand a chance. Dallas’ offense should rebound from its horrid performance last week as long as the ground attack can help set things up for Tony Romo and the passing game. Washington just doesn’t have the players to compete with Dallas for four quarters and given how bad the Redskins’ O-line has played this season, they’re going to have trouble stopping the Cowboys’ solid pass rush.
      Odds: Cowboys –11
      Prediction: Cowboys 34, Redskins 13.

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      NFL

      Rex Grossman’s dad rips Bears organization

      November 17, 2009 /

      Rex Grossman’s dad took the opportunity recently to rip the Chicago Bears organization for how they mishandle the quarterback position.

      From the Chicago Tribune:

      “It’s a self-perpetuating problem that is not Jay Cutler’s fault,” said Dan Grossman, who played quarterback at Indiana in the ’60s. “It’s not Rex Grossman’s fault. It’s not Kyle Orton’s fault. It’s not every other quarterback who has been through that system’s fault. It’s the fault of the organization for not understanding what a quarterback needs.

      “What’s amazing to me is, here we go again with Jay Cutler. He came in and he was going to be the franchise quarterback and lead the Bears. I heard some people say they were going to the Super Bowl this year. And here we are, back in the situation where … because the team is not really built around a passing game, he has struggled. I don’t really blame it on Jay Cutler.

      “Jay Cutler, first-round draft pick. Rex Grossman, first-round draft pick. I mean, you’re telling me these guys were terrible? They did bad scouting? No,” Dan Grossman said. “You can connect the dots pretty easily when you just look. I am just amazed at how infrequently people in the media look at it. Their evaluation is that it is always the player. That’s not right.

      “I believe that the NFL is a passing league. It has been for the last 20 years. Chicago continues to use the phrase, at least Lovie Smith continues to use the phrase, ‘We get off the bus running.’ They need to abandon that concept. Running is obviously a very important part of the offense. But the best teams in this league are prolific passing teams.

      Grossman’s daddy makes a good point that the best teams in the league are prolific passing teams. The Saints, Colts and Patriots are three teams highly regarded as the best in the NFL and all of them can throw the ball.

      But what Grossman misses the fact that all three can also run the ball. It’s not the teams with prolific passing games that win: It’s teams that have a balanced offense. He’s right in that the Bears’ offense isn’t working right now and that it’s not Cutler’s fault. But the reason why it isn’t working is because they have zero balance. Cutler feels like he has to do everything himself because he has no running game to support him. That’s the problem.

      Grossman doesn’t want to come off like a bitter parent, but that’s exactly what he sounds like. He does offer a nugget of truth in that the Bears seldom set their quarterbacks up for success (look at their receivers and offensive line), but that’s because they’re a cheap organization and they often rely on has beens like Orlando Pace and Muhsin Muhammad to address their needs. It’s not that they don’t want to help the quarterback; they just don’t want to spend any money.

      Rex Grossman wasn’t the sole problem in Chicago, just as Cutler isn’t the sole problem now. That’s why they call it a football team – all phases have to produce on both sides of the ball in order to be successful.


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