Why Jay Cutler Is Good Enough to Win a Super Bowl

Criticism dogs Bears QB Jay Cutler much like the locust plague of 1915, and in Jay's case some of those "pests" have been his own NFL brethren.

I'm here to tell you that I am certainly not blind to the facts, nor am I too much of a "homer" to see the forest for the trees. 

Yet as a lifelong Bears fan, I like what I see in Cutler much more than any other QB this team has had in my lifetime.

Admittedly, that isn't saying much. The Bears have run quarterbacks out there like circus clowns escaping from a derailed carnival train.

In fact, the Bears have had more lousy QBs in my time than Brett Favre has had retirements...than apes have gone through bananas...than...well, you get the idea.

In short, the position has been brutal for the Bears for a very long time.

The last good QB was probably Jim McMahon, but he couldn't stay healthy. Before him, there was Sid Luckman. Honestly, that's about it.

Still, even considering that the Bears book of QBs reads like a list of Cubs championships, Cutler is a special talent.

Keep in mind, too, that he has been productive. He is not just smoke and mirrors.

Cutler has had four seasons with over 3,000 yards passing, including a 4,526-yard performance for Denver in 2006. He has averaged about 24 TDs per full season.

But it's his enormous untapped potential that makes him the target of abuse, even among some Bears fans. They see that powerful arm, that mobility, and wonder why he isn't better.

Oh, sure, many dislike his personality too, and how he wears frustration during games. But as bad as his offensive line has been—and let's face it, they almost have gotten him killed—he refuses to throw them under the bus.

Then there was the injury during the NFC Championship game last season. No matter what you may have felt about the way the Bears handled that situation, anyone who says Cutler isn't tough is simply smoking funny things.

The man endured 52 regular-season sacks, and numerous assorted body blows last year yet missed only one game with a concussion. I'd say that qualifies as toughness.

The Bears public relations department made Cutler look bad by not making the injury appear to be serious. But then again, Cutler cares about that kind of stuff about as much as I care about opera.

But that has nothing to do with the question of whether or not Cutler is a legitimate Super Bowl-type of QB. My opinion is that he most certainly is and can be.

Look, Cutler has all the physical tools to be a Super Bowl QB. Heck, Rex Grossman took the Bears to the Super Bowl. Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson and Jeff Hostetler have even won a Super Bowl.  

Perhaps the biggest knock on Cutler is that he hasn't won anything. And he tends to wilt in the red zone. Both are true, but neither are totally his fault.

Yes, his mechanics haven't always been the best and he tends to throw off his back foot. He gets "happy feet," but who could blame him after all the hits he has absorbed?  

But in Denver, he had an awful defense so he was usually playing from behind. In Chicago, he has no offensive line or a true No. 1 receiver to throw to.

But until he wins a ring, there will always be questions. In fact, so many people dislike him that there would still be questions even if he did win.

Yet that does not mean he can't be a Super Bowl QB in the right system and with the right weapons. It may not happen in Chicago, at least with this team.

Meanwhile, he has the requisite strong arm and is learning to throw the ball away instead of force it downfield when he is trouble.

He is also mobile, though Mike Martz won't allow him to utilize that skill.

Plus, this year, he has been more vocal and has taken on more of a leadership role than ever. He rededicated himself to his craft this offseason and came into camp in the best shape of his life.

Still, none of that will matter if his offensive line performs like it did against the Saints on Sunday. But heck, Joe Montana would have had trouble performing well in that game.

Now, if you hate Jay Cutler, nothing I write will ever change your mind. But when he does lead a team to the Super Bowl—and he will—I will be the first to say, "I told you so."

But Cutler won't ever say that. He doesn't care what you think.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/857796-why-jay-cutler-is-good-enough-to-win-a-super-bowl

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