One out of three isn't going to cut it for Jay Cutler.
He is not a franchise quarterback.
Cutler, acquired from the Denver Broncos by the Chicago Bears on April 3, was supposed to be the franchise quarterback the Bears have lacked since, well, ever. If his first regular season game the savior is any indication of his franchiseness, then Bears' fans are in for a long season.
Cutler's Chicago debut was inauspicious, to say the least: 17-36, 277 yards, one touchdown and a career-high four interceptions.
His 43.2 QB rating was actually quite generous, as his play was atrocious for much of the evening.
But let's go back to why Denver traded the brat.
It all started after the Broncos hired Josh McDaniels, former New England Patriots' offensive coordinator. McDaniels tried to acquire QB Matt Cassel, who enjoyed a career year in his system in 2008. Upon hearing the rumors, Cutler threw a toddler-sized tantrum and demanded to be traded.
After weeks of posturing and attempts to make up by both the Broncos and Cutler, Denver finally gave in and traded the crybaby.
Prior to the saga, Cutler had endeared himself to Denver fans as the heir apparent to John Elway's throne, which has been a revolving door since Elway retired.
After the opening of the 2009 NFL season, Denver fans must be elated after witnessing Baby Jay's performance on national TV.
Cutler threw three first-half interceptions, resulting in just seven Packer points.
He finally seemed to be on track in the second half after throwing a 36-yard TD pass to wide receiver Devin Hester. But it wouldn't last.
The Packers eventually took the lead with just over a minute to play in the game. This was Cutler's chance to prove to everyone that he was worth the price Chicago paid and would show Denver what a mistake it made in trading him.
Cutler, the prima donna, failed miserably.
On the first play of the final drive, Cutler threw a horrifically bad pass that was picked off by Green Bay cornerback Al Harris, clinching the victory for the Cheeseheads.
One play, one interception, one embarrassing loss.
Cutler walk's off the field after throwing the game away.Kyle Orton, on the other hand, was not so unfortunate or embarrassing.
The QB Chicago sent to Denver in exchange for Cutler went 17-28, 243 yards and one of the most miraculous TDs you will ever see -- with a little help from Lady Luck.
After Cincinnati scored a TD to take the lead with 38 seconds to go, Orton threw a pass that would give Bronco fans a heart attack, followed by pure joy and adulation. The pass was tipped in the air only to be snagged by WR Brandon Stokely, who ran 87 yards for a game-winning touchdown.
As the old adage goes, "It's better to be lucky than good." Orton was definitely lucky on this day.
Cutler, on the other hand, was neither lucky nor good -- a bad recipe for winning football games.
Orton may not be the definition of a franchise QB, but Denver is 1-0 while Chicago is 0-1.
Will Cutler have better games? Of course he will. Will he ever evolve into the franchise QB Da Bears so desperately need? Don't count on "It."
Da Bears!
This column is a good recap of a game, along with some commentary, but would be stronger if the writer got away from the play-by-play and went to his earlier stated positions about the player.
ReplyDelete"But let's go back to why Denver traded the brat."
And...
"Cutler threw a toddler-sized tantrum and demanded to be traded."
Good sentences, powerful language. But I would love to have had the writer use his formidable skills of description to describe that tantrum in some detail, to prove that the player is, indeed, a brat.