Cut it out

Written by Jason Brubaker | 23 September 2009

In college, this guy was 11-34 as a starting quarterback.  He threw for 59 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. He never went to a bowl game, He never beat a ranked team, and finished his career 5-27 against the rest of his conference.

In the NFL, this same QB has compiled a 17-20 record as a starter. He has thrown 54 TDs and 37 INTs.  His team has never posted a winning record, and has never advanced to the playoffs.

To make matters worse, he has a reputation for being aloof with teammates, often coming off as arrogant, condescending, and quite frankly, a jerk.

So please tell me this...why is Jay Cutler considered an elite quarterback?

I realize the guy has a strong arm. But beyond that, I fail to see why Cutler is constantly mentioned with the NFL's best QBs. Everytime I hear his name thrown in a sentence with Peyton Manning or Tom Brady or even Ben Roethlisberger, I cringe. I mean, we might as well just compare Gerald Green to LeBron James. They both jump high, right?

See, there are two big things I look at when assessing quarterbacks - whether he wins and whether he's a leader. To me, those are the two biggest traits a QB can have, even bigger than a really strong arm, or really quick feet. I want a guy who knows how to win, and a guy whose teammates look to him with respect and trust in big moments. And Cutler fails miserably on both of those fronts.

Of course, the pro-Cutler people love to point out that the losing isn't his fault. That he never had a strong team around him at Vandy. That the Broncos defense wasn't good. I'm sure those 4 INTs he tossed in Week 1 this season weren't his fault either. This guy could go his entire career as a "franchise quarterback" who never wins a playoff game. But of course, it won't be his fault. Why would the supposed leader of a team be responsible for his teams constantly losing?

Secondly, Cutler's attitude problem is...well...puzzling. What is he so arrogant about? You would think a guy who hasn't won a big game since high school would be a little more humble. But his actions this summer, when he demanded a trade after hearing rumors that his coach was looking for another quarterback, were almost laughable. Did he honestly think he was untradeable? I guess it was all those big-game performances that made him feel untouchable in Denver. After all, 8-8 records don't just grow on trees. Or maybe he felt his overwhelming positive infuence on the team wasn't being valued enough.

Look, if Tom Brady got word of his coach looking for a quarterback, I can see him being offended. After all, the guy has won three Super Bowls and become the face of one of the most successful franchises in the league. But Cutler? He's won as many playoff games as I have. And I'm not very good.

And two weeks in, the savior of the Bears has put up the following, astonishing, mind-boggling stats: 44-74 for 513 yards with 3 TDs and 4 INTs. The team is 1-1 (in a totally unrelated stat, the Broncos are 2-0, obviously still reeling from losing their star QB). Clearly, Cutler's impact is beyond description at this point. There's even been talk of cancelling the rest of the season and just handing the Lombardi Trophy to the Bears right now. Rumor has it that Cutler's name is being engraved on the MVP trophy even as I write this.

Granted, the Bears will likely finish with a better record than the Broncos (although it's worth pointing out that Denver has beaten Cincinnati, who has beaten Green Bay, who has beaten - you guessed it - Chicago) But still, this guy is so overrated, it's ridiculous. Get back to me when he wins something worthwhile. Until then, the words "Jay Cutler" and "franchise quarterback" should never appear together again.