Fans in Chicago want to know what the hell is going on with Jay Cutler.
More from Minnesota Vikings News
- Former Vikings first-round pick could reportedly return to NFC North
- Bears analyst has extremely embarrassing Kirk Cousins take
- 6 Vikings who (maybe) won’t make the 53-man roster in 2023
- Predicting what the Vikings will do in the 2023 NFL Draft based on 2022
- Vikings have reportedly begun extension talks with T.J. Hockenson
This was supposed to be the year Cutler finally harnessed that great talent and put together a consistent, non-maddening, non-Cutler-like season. Instead Cutler seems to have regressed, falling back into old habits the QB guru Marc Trestman was supposed to have helped him break forever.
Instead of acting more poised in the pocket, Cutler seems as skittish as ever. Instead of curbing his turnover tendencies, he’s throwing picks and coughing up fumbles at an even-more-frightening rate than before.
Instead of cleaning up his famously erratic footwork, Cutler seems more messed up than usual.
Marc Trestman was supposed to climb on back of the wild stallion Cutler and finally break him, transforming the bucking bronco into a reliable and even-tempered workhorse. What has gone wrong? Why is Jay Cutler still the same old Jay Cutler?
It has to be something between Cutler’s ears. Some essential Cutler-ness that he just can’t escape.
How much does Cutler’s legendarily prickly personality play into all his troubles? His surliness isn’t winning him any points with the media or fans, but does his temperament actually affect his on-field performance?
Cutler certainly seems like a stubborn guy, a guy who doesn’t adjust well, a guy who is way too prideful for his own good. A little more humbleness, a little more pliability might be exactly what it takes for Cutler to overcome his many issues and live up to all the hype that comes with his talent.
If Cutler is seeking a role model to help him be a better quarterback, one who doesn’t doom himself to an endless cycle of frustration, he need look no further than the man lining up behind center for the opposing team this afternoon.
Yes, though Teddy Bridgewater is only a rookie, I think he could teach Jay Cutler a lot about being a quarterback.
Teddy Bridgewater seems to be the diametric opposite of Jay Cutler when it comes to both temperament and playing style, and it is showing up on the field.
Where Cutler is a pouting diva who thinks it’s all on him, Bridgewater is a soft-spoken student who understands the power of teamwork. Where Cutler believes in a let-it-fly approach based entirely upon unswerving faith in his own physical gifts, Bridgewater is a guy who seems to understand that the key to being a good quarterback is understanding weaknesses and learning to compensate for them.
Above all, Bridgewater is coachable. We saw a great example two weeks ago against the Redskins. After struggling throughout the first half, Bridgewater received a dressing down from his head coach Mike Zimmer. The rookie responded by acknowledging what he was doing wrong, adjusting his play accordingly and having a very strong second half in leading the Vikings to victory.
What did we learn about Teddy Bridgewater from his successful mid-stream adjustment? That Teddy doesn’t put his faith in his physical skills. Teddy doesn’t go out there thinking he’s going to make the play just because he’s that good.
Though Bridgewater is confident, he is not cocky. He understands that to win the game he must execute the game plan efficiently and correctly. He must avoid big mistakes. He must react to what he sees and not force it.
[related tag tag=”teddy bridgewater”]
It seems to me that Jay Cutler would do well to heed the example of Bridgewater and stop thinking that his arm will always be able to bail him out. He should put a little more faith in his teammates and coaches and not think that he needs to be the hero. He should learn a little of that Bridgewater poise.
The Vikings have won the last two weeks not because they’ve been explosive offensively, but because their offense has performed well enough in clutch situations to win games late. You don’t come through in those situations unless your QB is very poised and very calm.
Teddy Bridgewater has certainly been harassed in the pocket, but his ability to handle that pressure and deliver the correct pass has seldom faltered in big situations. Teddy has shown an admirable willingness to hang in and get the pass off, even if it means getting blasted, rather than run around trying to “make plays” in a way that results in turnovers.
Though Teddy has shown some elusiveness and ability to make plays while scrambling, his obvious preference is to hang in and execute the correct pass. Bridgewater is not a gunslinger by nature but a stick-with-the-plan guy who has faith in the play call and believes in the power of efficient execution.
Jay Cutler on the other hand is a man who thinks it’s always all about him, his ability to make the big play, be the hero by virtue of his rocket arm. What if Cutler learned to dial back his gunslinger tendencies and stay within the gameplan? What if Cutler understood what Teddy Bridgewater understands: that it’s not all about him?
I submit that the pressure Cutler feels, the situational pressure he is obviously reacting to on the field, is largely self-imposed. His image of himself as Big Hero Superstar has forced him into a mindset where if he doesn’t make it happen, it’s not going to happen.
More often than not, Cutler has failed this year in the face of that self-generated pressure. Stubbornness continues to be Cutler’s downfall. Though many want to downplay Cutler’s temperament, arguing that the media blows that stuff out of proportion, I think personality absolutely plays into Cutler’s struggles.
How does a man like Cutler alter his fundamental nature this late in the game and come to be more of a true teammate and leader like Bridgewater? I don’t see how he can do it. Not without radical brain surgery.
It seems likely that whatever loose material is rattling around between Cutler’s ears will always be his downfall. It seems he will always be his own worst enemy. It’s too bad for him that the example of Bridgewater will have no chance of rubbing off.
If he would only pay attention to the way the rookie on the other side of the field goes about his business, maybe Jay Cutler would stop being a big part of the problem for the Bears and begin being a big part of the solution they are desperately seeking amid a season of disaster.
Maybe he would finally become more than just a million dollar arm attached to a ten cent brain.