NFL Chicago Bears

It’s Time For Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler To Face The Music

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By @AndrewPappas24

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We’ve all seen the stories by now. Following the Chicago Bears‘ home loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 7, things got heated. Locker room leaders like Kyle Long and Brandon Marshall gave emotional interviews criticizing both the fans and their teammates. Head coach Marc Trestman gave a melancholy press conference.

Then there was Jay Cutler, the starting quarterback fresh off of signing a brand new, top-dollar contract, seemingly not caring … again.

I’ve been a “Cutler apologist” since his arrival in Chicago in 2009. The Bears had never had a quarterback with this kind of skill, and I couldn’t help but be enamored by the thought of Cutler quarterbacking for the charter franchise. I have also always thought that the whole “body language” criticism of Cutler and other athletes is overrated, and frankly dumb. His laid-back personality is akin to mine, and I’ve always thought of him as a relatable professional athlete. I mean, the guy drives a conversion van.

Throughout the painfully disappointing first five games of the season, Cutler has shown to be the same inconsistent gunslinger as in past seasons. For the Bears, it’s quite simple: if Cutler turns the ball over, they lose. If he doesn’t, they win. That was proven again against Miami on Sunday, as Cutler had two turnovers and finished with a quarterback rating under 80. The Bears offense scored just 14 points, and were rained upon with boos from their home fans.

After the game, Cutler shook off questions with the same careless attitude that I used to find charming. But things like a laid-back, careless attitude are only funny and charming until they’re no longer funny and charming. Today became that day.

For the past two seasons, Cutler has co-hosted the Jay Cutler Show on ESPN 1000′s Waddle and Silvy show. This is one of the platforms that helped the quarterback gain more of a fanbase in Chicago. He proved that he is “just one of the guys” with playful jabbing with the hosts, Marc Silverman and former Bears wide receiver Tom Waddle.

This season, Cutler has shared the stage with his favorite target and good friend Marshall a few times, but other than that, he’s been a rather reliable solo participant … until today.

This morning, Cutler informed ESPN 1000′s program director Adam Delevitt that he would not be appearing on the show. He gave Delevitt no reason for the cancellation. Had this come after any other game of the season, I’d assume that something family or team-related came up. Unfortunately for Cutler, that clearly is not the case.

I get that media members are not always the easiest to deal with, especially for high-profile athletes. I get that answering fan questions related to fantasy football is not the preferred activity for an athlete following a tough loss. I even get that Cutler, a target for many fans and media, sometimes deserved, felt as though the show today would do him more harm than good. That said, this looks awful for the Bears QB.

Kyle Long filled in for Cutler, and luckily for Waddle and Silvy, he’s usually a very open, entertaining guest — and he has some questions to answer himself after yesterday. Still, it still doesn’t scratch the Cutler-bailed itch.

As Marshall described the Bears’ loss yesterday, Cutler bailing on the show is “unacceptable.” Once he signed that seven-year, $126 million contract in the offseason, he agreed to be a new man. He, his coaches and his teammates all spoke out about what a different guy he’s been since becoming a father and since the arrival of Trestman. He has talked about Bears fans and their passion, about how this is a fandom that you are born into.

All other sports in Chicago have a bit of a divide among fanbases, but not the Bears. More or less, the Bears and their fans own the sporting world in this city. It’s time for their team, one of the most talented in the league, to stop being fraudulent. It’s time for them to walk the walk, but it’s also time for Cutler to talk the talk. No more vague answers. No more acting annoyed by questions about his poor decision making. No more redirecting the tough questions.

Cutler is the quarterback of the Chicago Bears — the winningest franchise in the history of the sport. Without the Bears, there is no NFL. He needs to man up, be a professional, participate in his own radio show and for the love of god, start taking care of the football.

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