Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011
Posted: 3:36 p.m.
By John Mullin
CSNChicago.com Bears InsiderFollow @CSNMoonMullin
Continuing an investigation...
A colleaguecompetitor who will remain nameless (so our bosses dont chirp about us fraternizing with enemies (yes, people can compete flat-out and have some good chat along the way) and I shared some thoughts from time to time. Like now.
The subject was this weapons thing and how the Bears havent given Jay Cutler any. Well, we noted that that in 2008, Denver Cutler was the exalted Pro Bowl quarterback with weapons that included receivers Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokely and Tony Scheffler, and running backs Peyton Hillis, Michael Pittman and Selvin Young, all of whom averaged more than 4 yards per carry. The Broncos scored 370 points and finished 8-8 with some input from a bad defense.
That same season, Chicago Kyle OrtonRex Grossman had Rashied Davis, new-receiver Devin Hester, unhealthy Brandon Lloyd (five starts) and old Marty Booker to throw to. The Bears were 9-7 and scored 375 with Josh Beekman starting at left guard and John St. Clair at left tackle.
Weapons are nice. Great quarterbacks make everyone a weapon.
Salty Peppers?
NFL
Probably not. But Bears defensive end Julius Peppers, generally regarded as a gentleman and class act on the field, was micd up during the Green Bay game and you can catch him on NFL Networks Sound FX at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Peppers had some conversations with officials as well as players so it should be good listening.
Looking a little deeper...
A lack of investment in the offensive line is cited as the primary source of problems for Cutler, based on the assumption that the bombardment hes been too often under has made him a scared quarterback with declining skills. That doesnt work, for reasons beyond the fact that the Bears invested a first-round draft choice in a tackle, tried to re-sign an aging veteran center for one year at 4 million and then arguably overpaid for a former start as the potential answer.
The bigger reason is that Cutler is without question one of the NFLs toughest quarterbacks. But he is being given something of a pass in part because of the 52 sacks he took last season. Never a good thing, and Cutlers passer ratings in fact improved after mid-season when the offensive line stabilized and playcallinggame-planning changed for the better.
But just for sake of comparison, Aaron Rodgers was sacked 50 times in 2009 and posted a passer rating of 103.2 for the year, best for any of his three full seasons. Cutlers mark last season was 86.3, right about in line with his career level around 84.
When Cutler was sacked 35 times in 2009, he threw 26 interceptions in a forgettable year under Ron Turner, and he had the lowest passer rating (76.8) of his career.
The point is not to serve as an apologist for either the offensive line or the organization. But to simply cite protection issues and a receiver group of modest abilities is to look at a snapshot and miss the overall.
On the plus side...
Cutler is off to a start unlike just about any other in Bears quarterback franchise history, at least for yardage. Through three games Cutler is averaging 286 passing yards per game, vs. the next-highest Bears total for a season, 240 by Erik Kramer in 1995.
On the fence...
The 1-2 start has given Cutler a .500 record (34-34 regular season, 1-1 playoffs) as a starting NFL quarterback...
On the run...
The Green Bay Packers held running back Matt Forte to 82 total yards on Sunday, notable perhaps because for his career, Forte is averaging 100.7 yards through 51 games. Only Walter Payton (111.9) averaged more yards per Bears game for his career... Since coming into the league in 2008, only Chris JohnsonTennessee, Adrian PetersonMinnesota and Maurice Jones-DrewJacksonville have netted more yards, and only Baltimore running back Ray Rice (1,709) has more receiving yards than Fortes 1,727.
John "Moon" Mullin is CSNChicago.com's Bears Insider and appears regularly on Bears Postgame Live and Chicago Tribune Live. Follow Moon on Twitter for up-to-the-minute Bears information.