LastWhiteSoxFanStanding
04-02-2009, 11:03 AM
Much like a train wreck, I am mesmerized by absolutely dumb, terribly thought out, looking for any kind of angle at the expense of the actual truth sports writing.
To get things started here is an article from the Chicago Sun-Times that compares Jay Cutler to Ryan Leaf. And yes, he is trying to be taken seriously.
Bears should stay away from erratic Cutler :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Dan McNeil (http://www.suntimes.com/sports/mcneil/1507690,CST-SPT-mac02.article)
Bears should stay away from erratic Cutler
Jay Cutler is this decade's Ryan Leaf. Big body. Big arm. Big dope.
Put me down for a big ''no.''
Cutler's erratic play is reason enough for Bears general manager Jerry Angelo to pass on cutting a deal for the disgruntled Denver Broncos quarterback. If you need more, Cutler's immature attitude, coupled with the Bears' inability to reach players with those issues, are reasons to steer clear.
And why Cutler advocates are tacking ''franchise quarterback'' and ''star'' to his business card is a mystery. Cutler has been in the league three years, and his next playoff appearance will be his first.
Blame fantasy football. Big numbers have distorted reality so much, we can't decipher what's good anymore. Cutler threw for more than 4,500 yards last season and made the Pro Bowl, but when the Broncos needed him to be ''the man'' and take them to the playoffs, he spit the bit.
Denver lost to Carolina, Buffalo and San Diego in its final three games. Cutler, who earlier in the year said he had a stronger arm than Hall of Famer John Elway, threw two touchdown passes and was intercepted four times in that stretch. His passer rating was lower than 50 in two of the losses.
Sounds more like Rex Grossman than Elway.
Too much inconsistency
Cutler threw 25 touchdown passes with 18 interceptions and posted an above-average 86 rating in 2008. He also contributed largely to bad losses to Kansas City -- after a 3-0 start -- and to Oakland in Week 12 at home.
You want to endure another few seasons of ''Good Rex, Bad Rex''?
With Cutler, the roller-coaster ride would be much more disruptive. At least we didn't have to suffer Grossman comparing himself to Sid Luckman or Jim McMahon.
Maybe Cutler's cockiness can be passed off on youthful exuberance. In fairness, he didn't say he was better than Elway. He suggested he has a stronger arm than Elway did.
And he could be right, but there's more to winning a Super Bowl -- and Elway won two of them -- than a rifle arm. A quarterback also needs a strong will and brains. I've not seen enough of that from Cutler.
Minnesota also is interested, but several members of the coaching staff have seen enough red flags from Cutler that they reportedly are attempting to dissuade coach Brad Childress from pressing the issue. And the Vikings have Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels scheduled to duel for the No. 1 job in training camp.
The New York Jets also are in the Cutler sweepstakes as they seek Brett Favre's successor. Veteran safety Kerry Rhodes has stated publicly he won't welcome the self-assured Cutler on board.
Cutler's latest transgression is his worst. The unkempt quarterback refused to reply to messages left by new Broncos coach Josh McDaniels. It seems Cutler's feelings were hurt when word spilled of the Broncos' interest in New England's Matt Cassel.
Perhaps Cutler would feel secure only if Denver invited Uncle Rico to camp to compete with him.
If the Bears had a track record of making good soldiers out of questionable characters, it would be easier to have an open mind. I struggle, however, to imagine coach Lovie Smith and his wingmen helping Cutler see the light.
They didn't do it with Tank Johnson. Or Cedric Benson. Last year, Tommie Harris became a sideshow.
The more I've thought about it, the more I'm willing to bet against Smith and his staff in an endeavor like this.
Even if the Bears were able to tame Cutler, there is no evidence they're able to unlock his potential. The Bears never have developed quarterbacks.
Quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton hasn't made me think, ''Oh, yeah! A young Mike Holmgren.'' Offensive coordinator Ron Turner had one great season with the Bears. In 1995.
It's true the Bears have more questions than answers about Kyle Orton, but Orton shares more with Cutler than people know. With their teams fighting for a wild-card berth, both posted sub-50 ratings in two of their final three games last season.
Both will be 26 when the season begins. Both have shown flashes, then performed like clueless rookies, long after their first seasons. Both have a fondness for scruffy facial hair.
I don't see Orton petulantly not replying to a text from his head coach, however, when Smith praises the play of Brett Basanez in a preseason game this August. Orton likely won't be baited into a war of words with another quarterback in his division, the way Cutler was last year with San Diego's Philip Rivers.
Dare I suggest that Orton -- the kid made infamous for an Internet photo of him slurping sour mash in an Iowa bar during his first season -- has a leg up on Cutler when it comes to maturity and leadership?
A good leader must be willing to be unpopular. So far, that's the only part of the job Cutler has down.
________________
The opening line to it could perhaps be the dumbest line in the history of sports journalism. And it basically goes downhill from there.
Based on his logic, had the Broncos listened to him, they never would have won with John Elway because he would have been traded long before given the chance to win those two Super Bowls at the end of his career.
Also to even remotely suggest that Kyle Orton and Cutler are similar in any sort of way is just ridiculous. By pointing out they are the same age shows how much further along Cutler is than Orton.
To get things started here is an article from the Chicago Sun-Times that compares Jay Cutler to Ryan Leaf. And yes, he is trying to be taken seriously.
Bears should stay away from erratic Cutler :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Dan McNeil (http://www.suntimes.com/sports/mcneil/1507690,CST-SPT-mac02.article)
Bears should stay away from erratic Cutler
Jay Cutler is this decade's Ryan Leaf. Big body. Big arm. Big dope.
Put me down for a big ''no.''
Cutler's erratic play is reason enough for Bears general manager Jerry Angelo to pass on cutting a deal for the disgruntled Denver Broncos quarterback. If you need more, Cutler's immature attitude, coupled with the Bears' inability to reach players with those issues, are reasons to steer clear.
And why Cutler advocates are tacking ''franchise quarterback'' and ''star'' to his business card is a mystery. Cutler has been in the league three years, and his next playoff appearance will be his first.
Blame fantasy football. Big numbers have distorted reality so much, we can't decipher what's good anymore. Cutler threw for more than 4,500 yards last season and made the Pro Bowl, but when the Broncos needed him to be ''the man'' and take them to the playoffs, he spit the bit.
Denver lost to Carolina, Buffalo and San Diego in its final three games. Cutler, who earlier in the year said he had a stronger arm than Hall of Famer John Elway, threw two touchdown passes and was intercepted four times in that stretch. His passer rating was lower than 50 in two of the losses.
Sounds more like Rex Grossman than Elway.
Too much inconsistency
Cutler threw 25 touchdown passes with 18 interceptions and posted an above-average 86 rating in 2008. He also contributed largely to bad losses to Kansas City -- after a 3-0 start -- and to Oakland in Week 12 at home.
You want to endure another few seasons of ''Good Rex, Bad Rex''?
With Cutler, the roller-coaster ride would be much more disruptive. At least we didn't have to suffer Grossman comparing himself to Sid Luckman or Jim McMahon.
Maybe Cutler's cockiness can be passed off on youthful exuberance. In fairness, he didn't say he was better than Elway. He suggested he has a stronger arm than Elway did.
And he could be right, but there's more to winning a Super Bowl -- and Elway won two of them -- than a rifle arm. A quarterback also needs a strong will and brains. I've not seen enough of that from Cutler.
Minnesota also is interested, but several members of the coaching staff have seen enough red flags from Cutler that they reportedly are attempting to dissuade coach Brad Childress from pressing the issue. And the Vikings have Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels scheduled to duel for the No. 1 job in training camp.
The New York Jets also are in the Cutler sweepstakes as they seek Brett Favre's successor. Veteran safety Kerry Rhodes has stated publicly he won't welcome the self-assured Cutler on board.
Cutler's latest transgression is his worst. The unkempt quarterback refused to reply to messages left by new Broncos coach Josh McDaniels. It seems Cutler's feelings were hurt when word spilled of the Broncos' interest in New England's Matt Cassel.
Perhaps Cutler would feel secure only if Denver invited Uncle Rico to camp to compete with him.
If the Bears had a track record of making good soldiers out of questionable characters, it would be easier to have an open mind. I struggle, however, to imagine coach Lovie Smith and his wingmen helping Cutler see the light.
They didn't do it with Tank Johnson. Or Cedric Benson. Last year, Tommie Harris became a sideshow.
The more I've thought about it, the more I'm willing to bet against Smith and his staff in an endeavor like this.
Even if the Bears were able to tame Cutler, there is no evidence they're able to unlock his potential. The Bears never have developed quarterbacks.
Quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton hasn't made me think, ''Oh, yeah! A young Mike Holmgren.'' Offensive coordinator Ron Turner had one great season with the Bears. In 1995.
It's true the Bears have more questions than answers about Kyle Orton, but Orton shares more with Cutler than people know. With their teams fighting for a wild-card berth, both posted sub-50 ratings in two of their final three games last season.
Both will be 26 when the season begins. Both have shown flashes, then performed like clueless rookies, long after their first seasons. Both have a fondness for scruffy facial hair.
I don't see Orton petulantly not replying to a text from his head coach, however, when Smith praises the play of Brett Basanez in a preseason game this August. Orton likely won't be baited into a war of words with another quarterback in his division, the way Cutler was last year with San Diego's Philip Rivers.
Dare I suggest that Orton -- the kid made infamous for an Internet photo of him slurping sour mash in an Iowa bar during his first season -- has a leg up on Cutler when it comes to maturity and leadership?
A good leader must be willing to be unpopular. So far, that's the only part of the job Cutler has down.
________________
The opening line to it could perhaps be the dumbest line in the history of sports journalism. And it basically goes downhill from there.
Based on his logic, had the Broncos listened to him, they never would have won with John Elway because he would have been traded long before given the chance to win those two Super Bowls at the end of his career.
Also to even remotely suggest that Kyle Orton and Cutler are similar in any sort of way is just ridiculous. By pointing out they are the same age shows how much further along Cutler is than Orton.