Cutler Proving Inadequate in Prime Time
Vinnie Iyer - SportingNews.com
Nov 25, 2009
CHICAGO -- When the Bears found themselves down 24-20 to Philadelphia with only 1:50 left in the fourth quarter, it was clear that the seesaw affair would be decided in one of two ways: A game-winning Jay Cutler touchdown pass or a game-ending interception.
If you had watched any of Chicago's three previous prime time games, you already had a pretty good idea how this story would turn out.
Cutler's final pass against Philadelphia was intercepted at midfield about a minute later, after his favorite target, tight end Greg Olsen, couldn't hold on to the pass and deflected it to Eagles safety Sean Jones.
If you've been keeping track, Cutler has been blinded by the lights this season. That giveaway marked his 12th interception in four prime-time starts in '09.
Although it might seem like a positive sign that only one of his passes landed into a defender's mitts after four, two and five interceptions in the other three night games, it was the pass attempts that hit the turf that left Cutler most frustrated.
"I missed some throws early -- to Greg, Devin (Hester)," Cutler said. "That can't happen."
Even though everything is magnified at the end of games, Cutler's stretch of struggles also has been evident at the start of games.
At the beginning of the second quarter, with the Eagles holding a 10-0 lead and Chicago set up on Philadelphia's 27-yard-line, the Eagles blitzed, leaving Olsen and then Hester streaking to the open field on consecutive plays after beating man-to-man coverage. Cutler missed both throws, turning would-be touchdowns into field goals.
Overall, Cutler completed 24-of-43 passes with that interception but for only 171 yards. Like Bears quarterbacks before him, he settled for dinks and dunks and didn't connect on much-needed downfield passes. He seemed so focused on not throwing interceptions that he wasn't able to make the plays that were available. In such a crucial game, it came down to one big play and counterpart Donovan McNabb delivered it -- a 48-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson in the third quarter.
On NBC's broadcast, former Colts coach turned analyst Tony Dungy took notice of Cutler pressing and not letting it loose, being "too careful" instead of showing the confidence in the arm that he once told Sporting News was better than John Elway's.
As for Cutler's current coach, Lovie Smith, he also is having a hard time understanding Cutler's slump.
"I have no explanation why," Smith said of Cutler's poor first half. "We recovered from that and got ourselves back in position. We just could not pull it out."
There were positives to take from Sunday night's loss, providing hope for the near term. Sparked by newcomer Kahlil Bell, Chicago rushed for 126 yards against a tough Eagles defense. Cutler took care of the ball and is showing better rapport with old Vanderbilt teammate, wide receiver Earl Bennett. He also spread the ball around well, to seven pass-catchers.
As a talented quarterback who has been through some funks in what has been a successful career in a demanding city, McNabb can sympathize with Cutler and even counseled Cutler for a few minutes after the game.
"I've been through a different situation, but somewhat similar to what he is going through right now," McNabb said. "Everyone's been through a situation where you struggle a little bit, but he will bounce back."
It's probably be too late for Cutler to get the Bears back on the playoff path this season, but the team's investment in him is for the long term and he deserves the space and time to work things out.
Vinnie Iyer is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at viyer@sportingnews.com.
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