The Countdown to Kickoff series continues on with a look at Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.
We are officially less than a week away! There are exactly six days until the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers open up the 2016 NFL regular season with a Super Bowl rematch. As we continue to countdown to kickoff, today we are taking a look at Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler.
The Countdown to Kickoff series began with a look at San Diego Chargers’ No. 99 Joey Bosa, and has continued on everyday since (check out all of the posts here).
I am going to be honest here. The options of players to who wear number six in the NFL are less than stellar. It is mostly a combination of back-up quarterbacks, kickers and punters.
It would be tough to make anything interesting about those kind of players, making Chicago Bears starting quarterback Jay Cutler the obvious choice.
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After spending the first three years of his career with the Denver Broncos, Cutler has been the Bears’ starting quarterback for the past seven seasons. The 33-year-old gunslinger has certainly had an up-and-down career, but he has always shown the physical tools to be an enticing player.
Cutler kind of is what he is at this point in his career. He can make any throw on the field with his top-notch arm strength, but accuracy is always going to be a concern.
Cutler has never reached his full potential in the NFL. He is an erratic player who is typically tough to count on in important situations. Will this be the year that he turns it around?
Under the guidance of offensive coordinator Adam Gase, Cutler had arguably the best season of his career in 2015. He completed 64 percent of his passes for 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 15 games.
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Cutler was not a flashy playmaker for the Bears, but he was much more solid and dependable than ever before. His 11 interceptions thrown last season were the fewest he has ever thrown in a season where he played at least 15 games.
Did Cutler suddenly become a reliable option overnight? I doubt it, but him cutting down on his turnovers is a major step in the right direction.
Gase is one of the best offensive minds in the NFL today and was clearly a great coach to have for Cutler. Unfortunately for Cutler, he moved on to be the head coach of the Miami Dolphins this offseason.
New Bears’ offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains coached Cutler as the Bears’ quarterbacks coach last season. He will undoubtedly try to make the signal caller as comfortable as possible in this transition.
Led by Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White, the Bears have the makings of a relatively explosive offensive passing game. That being said, the success of said passing game is going to depend on how Cutler performs.
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Cutler having the familiarity with Loggains is great, but I cannot help but think that losing Gase will hurt him. Will the changes Gase made stick with Cutler in 2016? Or will he revert back to the guy who led the league with 18 interceptions in 2014? Only time will tell.