Decision to Start Cutler is a Questionable One

After having completed all necessary tests, Jay Cutler is said to be back at full health and mobility after being sidelined for the past four games. The starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears suffered a high ankle sprain on November 10th, a game which the Bears fell to the Detroit Lions. Since then the second-string quarterback (34 year old Josh McCown) has, in a way, been as dominant as any quarterback in the league. Yet all of McCown's success seems to just be a favor in the mind of head coach Marc Trestman as opposed to something that is worth investing in, at least for the time being.

McCown has exceeded expectations thus far

I understand that Cutler is "the guy" and he's the one that's got the big contract. It is that exact reason why I feel like Trestman feels obligated to have Cutler start as soon as possible. Sports has become about money and the players who make the most tend to get whatever they want. As a Bears fan, I would rather see Cutler on the sideline until McCown plays his way out or gives the coaching staff a justifiable reason to sit him.

Take a look at what the back-up has done this season: in seven appearances he has managed to throw for 1,271 yards while boasting a league-leading 85.7 quarterback rating. To put this situation in perspective, Jay Cutler's QBR is 63.2. To take it a step further, both quarterbacks have thrown for 13 touchdowns thus far so it's not as if McCown has been any less productive. And while the quarterbacks have both thrown the same amount of touchdowns, the difference in interceptions is absolutely laughable. Cutler has thrown eight picks as opposed to McCown's one. Need I say more?

Now many people would argue that you should never lose your job due to injury. I can understand that and even support that to a certain degree. But in this particular situation, why would you even think of taking out McCown? The guys is putting up numbers that are the best any Chicago quarterback has put up and he's hot right as the fight for a playoff spot is at it's most heated point. What more could you ask for?

McCown's statistics as a starter have surpassed Cutler's

In any other sport, I feel like the opinions on a situation like this might be different. In football, the quarterback is obviously the leader of the offense and the team functions only as well as the quarterback does. I get that, but in baseball you wouldn't take out a guy who's swinging a hot bat nor would you take out a shooter in basketball that's found a great and consistent rhythm. Sports is all about who's hot at the right time. Look at the 2011 Connecticut Huskies in basketball. They came off an astounding Big East tournament championship only to run the table in the NCAA tournament despite not being one of the nation's top teams. When things are going well and your team is in sync and all on the same page, it doesn't matter where you rank in the league. Things just seem to click.

That's exactly how the Bears look right now. Despite McCown's 2-2 record as a starter, the offense has, for the most part, looked much better than it has with Cutler. Not to mention the breakout performances from wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. McCown has the trust of his offense and has earned the spot as a starter and the Bears have a very good chance to grab a win against Cleveland this Saturday. It will be interesting to see how Cutler performs in his first game in over a month. I still disagree with Trestman's choice because I've heard a phrase many times that applies to this situation perfectly: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  

Marshall's Maturity Crucial for Chicago

It wasn't long ago that Brandon Marshall fit the stereotype of a NFL wide receiver perfectly. There were plenty of highlight grabs and touchdowns, but also plenty of prima donna Keyshawn-esque moments of demanding the ball. Off the field Marshall racked up a slew of legal troubles and has been arrested multiple times, which made the question, "is this guy worth the trouble?" an often-asked one. Thanks to treatment for his borderline personality disorder plus the maturation into a team leader, the only trouble surrounding Marshall now is how defenses are going to go about stopping him.

Whereas Marshall seemed to have once studied the Randy Moss Guide to Being a NFL Wide Receiver, he has now taken a leaf out of Larry Fitzgerald's book and simply let his play do the talking. No longer does he pop up on Sportscenter for arrests or suspensions, but instead for putting up All-Pro numbers. In his first season with the Chicago Bears last year Marshall had a career year, racking up career highs in receptions (118), yards (1,508) and touchdowns (11). The Bears need that type of production from him, but they also need his leadership.

Two years ago Marshall wasn't exactly the guy coaches wanted to mentor their rookie wide receivers. Now, he's the perfect man for the job as second-year wideout Alshon Jeffery looks to improve off of an up-and-down rookie season. Marshall has always been a precise route-runner, but now he is in a position to pass on knowledge to Jeffery and other young receivers about things like playing smart (Green Bay, Week 15) and not letting emotions get the best of them (Washington, Preseason Game 2).

By treating his BPO and maturing, Marshall has given the Bears exactly what they need and has given himself the opportunity to fully show off his talent. Chicago is the farthest thing from a wide receiver factory and Marshall basically rewrote the record book in just one season. He owns the franchise records for single-season receptions and yards and he became the first Bear to record 1,000+ receiving yards and make the Pro Bowl since 2002. Chicago has longed for a playmaker at the wide receiver position for years and now they have a top five guy in Marshall.

Chicago is in a tough division and the defense lost their heart and soul with the retirement of Brian Urlacher. To overcome Green Bay and Minnesota the offense will have to score more, while the defense will have to continue it's stellar play. Marshall will again be Jay Cutler's top target and, if the offensive line can keep Cutler upright, these two can work wonders. Hopefully, their work translates to a playoff appearance -- somewhere Marshall has never been in his career.

Brandon Marshall's maturity pays dividends in multiple ways for he and the Bears. He stays on the field, performs at a high level and doesn't cause distractions. Being asked to mature and harness a disorder is no easy task, but Marshall did it. That should make the Bears' next request sound pretty simple -- how about another career year?

Quitter or Not, Get Rid of Cutler

Sports is a place where heroes are born and legends are made and where men lay it all on the line just to win a game. Football in particular is a sport that requires maximum toughness both mental and physical. Sunday afternoon the Green Bay Packers defeated the Chicago Bears 21-14 to earn a trip to Dallas where they will meet the Pittsburgh Steelers for Super Bowl XLV. The Bears were so close yet, to me, seemed like they were so far away from winning the NFC Championship. Maybe I felt like that because the Packers are a great team with the top quarterback in the league right now. Maybe I felt like that because the Bears were always playing from behind. Or maybe I felt like that because quarterback Jay Cutler was sitting on the sidelines for the second half while Todd Collins looked like the Bad News Bears behind center and Caleb Hanie nearly became the hero that Cutler never will become. Yeah, the third reason is definitely why.

In one of the final series of the first half Cutler injured his knee and there talks within the Bears organization that he would not even take the field for the second half. However, he tried it and after one unsuccessful series retreated to the bench, which is where he would stay for the rest of the game. Todd Collins entered and left in the blink of an eye and then it was third-stringer, Caleb Hanie's turn. You know Hanie woke up that morning just excited to have a great seat for the game and wasn't expecting to even step on the field. Yet, there he was leading the comeback for the Bears and, had it not been for Sam Shields second interception of the day, perhaps could have tied the game up with under a minute to play. We can't fault Hanie's effort because he is a third string quarterback who was thrown into the biggest game of the Bears-Packers rivalry and told to lead the comeback, a Super Bowl birth on the line.

When it comes to Cutler though, questions are raised about his effort. He hurt his knee, and his teammates and coaches have defended him 100% so far, but how bad was it? Was it bad enough that he had to sit out of the biggest game of his career? Because it wasn't bad enough that he couldn't stand on it or even ride the bike. He wasn't receiving any treatment and there was no brace or anything on it. He was just standing there with that look he always wears, one of disinterest and unhappiness. I'm not going to sit here and say that Jay Cutler quit because I don't really know how bad that sprained MCL was. The training staff wouldn't let him go but in my mind it didn't seem to affect him much.

Ronnie Lott had his finger cut off so that he could keep playing and Willis Reed took the floor with a broken leg. Phillip Rivers has played with a torn ACL and many players have knee injuries but they still play. I just think that if Cutler really wanted to play he would have done everything he could to get on that field. Good players compete in Playing Time but the great ones show up in Winning Time. The second half of that game was Winning Time and Caleb Hanie was under center. Keep in mind this wasn't just any game, this was the NFC Championship against the Bears biggest rival and this was only the second time the two teams had met in the playoffs. Cutler was coming off his first playoff game since high school, a win against the Seahawks and a win in this game would have elevated his status as a great quarterback in Chicago and in the league.

Sad thing is, he never gave himself a chance and that's why people will question him for the rest of his life. What if the Bears never get back to that point with him? In my opinion he won't be in Chicago too much longer and that means fans lasting memory will not be Cutler throwing the ball on the field; it will be Jay Cutler standing on the sideline, jacket and stocking cap on, watching as his team lose a chance to go to Dallas. Some franchise quarterback...