Chicago Bears: Jay Cutler or John Fox the One Auditioning?

Every year Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is involved in some type of controversy. But this time, John Fox may have stirred the pot.

Jay Cutler seems to have more labels, rumors, and drama than any other rostered NFL quarterback. Many readers will throw the Tom Brady into the mix, calling him a cheater (though there has never been and admission to that fact). However, Brady is beloved by all New England Patriots fans, teammates and coaches. Moreover, Brady has had only one coach in his entire NFL career. But no one can say either of those things for Cutler.

He has been labeled a coach-killer, worthless, uncaring, a selfish bully, leaderless, unemotional, a choke artist and so on; you’ve heard them before. Some fans couldn’t wait for him to get hurt in hopes that the Bears would be forced to find a replacement.

How gullible fans were to believe that there was validity in that. After Cutler injured his thumb in Week 3, Brian Hoyer stepped in to save the day—sort of. He showed great poise in the pocket with no interceptions. However, his fear of forcing a play made him scared to throw it in crunch time. That fear turned out to be the catalyst to a touchdown-less series of games. Hoyer trusts receivers he has had chemistry with, which limited him in the pocket. He was uncomfortable moving to the outside to find an open Alshon Jeffery or Zach Miller.

Now Hoyer is hurt and Cutler is set to return. With no choice in the matter for the Bears, Cutler will be under center against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8. Jeffery has to be excited about the return, surely, Moreover, if the offensive line continues to play the way they did with Hoyer, Cutler will have success. But rumors of this being Cutler’s last season with the Bears continue to swirl.

To stir the pot, the Chicago Tribune printed an article citing two independent sources claiming that Fox was “done with Cutler” at the end of the season. Fox has denied this stating, “There is absolutely no truth to that,” per the Chicago Sun-Times. Some have even said that the remainder of the season is an “on-field audition” for other teams looking for a quarterback next year. But the same thing could be said of Fox. He needs the wins just as much as Cutler does.

Fox was hired based on his ability to turn teams around by the second year. In his first season with the Carolina Panthers, he took a 1-15 team to a 7-9 record. The following year he led the Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII, only to lose to the New England Patriots. In his next head coaching job, he went to Denver and led the Broncos to an 8-8 season, followed by posting a record of 13-3 in back-to-back seasons and earning another Super Bowl appearance.

Fox came into Halas Hall in 2015 to help rebuild a team and led them to a 6-10 season. In his second year as head coach, the Bears are 1-6, second to last in the league above the winless Cleveland Browns. Granted the Bears have been riddled with injuries in all phases. However, for a man who preaches a next man up mentality, his plan has not been very successful.

If the Bears finish the season below last season’s record, it would not be surprising if they look for another head coach or quarterback.

Must Read: Jay Cutler Not Done Yet

Chicago’s schedule after the bye week holds games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans and Washington Redskins, in addition to their remaining divisional games. Could the Bears win all the remaining games this season? It’s possible, but not realistic—unless you expect Cutler to reel off the run of his life. If that’s the case, you can be sure the team will rally behind him for one heck of a season to finish strong.

At that point maybe both Fox and Cutler keep their job. But let’s see if the Bears can beat the elite defense of the Minnesota Vikings first. One game at a time.

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