http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...tler-analysis-chicago-marc-trestman/13974439/
Bears QB Jay Cutler has everything he needs for breakout season
Dennis Wierzbicki, USA TODAY Sports
QB Jay Cutler is beginning his sixth year with the Bears. less
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. — Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman is complimentary of everything quarterback Jay Cutler has put into the job since signing his lucrative contract extension in January.
But there is a difference between doing the work and seeing the results when it comes to turning one of the NFL's most talented — but often most maddening — signal-callers into what outsiders would call a franchise quarterback.
"He's not going to anoint himself, and we're not going to anoint him," Trestman told USA TODAY Sports after a recent practice at the team's training camp. "He's got to do it. Jay knows what he's got to do."
When it comes to Cutler, it always starts with taking care of the football and taking care of himself. He has 137 career turnovers and untimely injuries have come to define him, along with a cavalier persona that often has magnified his shortcomings.
Cutler probably played the best football of his eight-year NFL career last season, his first in Trestman's system, posting a career-best 89.2 passer rating. But he still had 15 turnovers in 11 games (he missed one with a groin injury and four more with an ankle sprain).
The Bears' decision to re-sign him to what amounts to a three-year, $54 million contract was as much a reflection of position scarcity as anything. But they also have to believe his arm talent and mobility give him a chance to hit new highs at age 31, even if Trestman isn't going there.
"He's done everything that we've asked him to do and a lot that we haven't — invested himself in this football team from inside out, not only at his position, but in all aspects of what a team leader and a quarterback does in an organization," Trestman said.
"I'm hopeful for him. I'm encouraged by what we see. But I know he's not going to stand on a table and start predicting anything, and we're not going to do that. We're going to work at it here, one day at a time, try to get better. If he does, we do."
This much is certain: It's all out there for Cutler.
He has perhaps the best receiving tandem in the game with Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. He has another big target with tight end Martellus Bennett. He has a two-dimensional backfield threat in Matt Forte. Even the long-maligned offensive line has improved.
And Cutler has the benefit of working with Trestman, an old college quarterback who came up coaching the position. Chicago's offensive coordinator, Aaron Kromer, is a rising star. Cutler has a positive relationship with both of them and position coach Matt Cavanaugh.
Will Cutler ever be an elite decision-maker? Probably not. He'll get loose with the football on occasion. He'll take more risks than Trestman probably would like.
But Cutler has a chance to redefine himself over these next three years. And Trestman's right: He's the one who's got to do it.
Bears QB Jay Cutler has everything he needs for breakout season
Dennis Wierzbicki, USA TODAY Sports
QB Jay Cutler is beginning his sixth year with the Bears. less
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. — Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman is complimentary of everything quarterback Jay Cutler has put into the job since signing his lucrative contract extension in January.
But there is a difference between doing the work and seeing the results when it comes to turning one of the NFL's most talented — but often most maddening — signal-callers into what outsiders would call a franchise quarterback.
"He's not going to anoint himself, and we're not going to anoint him," Trestman told USA TODAY Sports after a recent practice at the team's training camp. "He's got to do it. Jay knows what he's got to do."
When it comes to Cutler, it always starts with taking care of the football and taking care of himself. He has 137 career turnovers and untimely injuries have come to define him, along with a cavalier persona that often has magnified his shortcomings.
Cutler probably played the best football of his eight-year NFL career last season, his first in Trestman's system, posting a career-best 89.2 passer rating. But he still had 15 turnovers in 11 games (he missed one with a groin injury and four more with an ankle sprain).
The Bears' decision to re-sign him to what amounts to a three-year, $54 million contract was as much a reflection of position scarcity as anything. But they also have to believe his arm talent and mobility give him a chance to hit new highs at age 31, even if Trestman isn't going there.
"He's done everything that we've asked him to do and a lot that we haven't — invested himself in this football team from inside out, not only at his position, but in all aspects of what a team leader and a quarterback does in an organization," Trestman said.
"I'm hopeful for him. I'm encouraged by what we see. But I know he's not going to stand on a table and start predicting anything, and we're not going to do that. We're going to work at it here, one day at a time, try to get better. If he does, we do."
This much is certain: It's all out there for Cutler.
He has perhaps the best receiving tandem in the game with Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. He has another big target with tight end Martellus Bennett. He has a two-dimensional backfield threat in Matt Forte. Even the long-maligned offensive line has improved.
And Cutler has the benefit of working with Trestman, an old college quarterback who came up coaching the position. Chicago's offensive coordinator, Aaron Kromer, is a rising star. Cutler has a positive relationship with both of them and position coach Matt Cavanaugh.
Will Cutler ever be an elite decision-maker? Probably not. He'll get loose with the football on occasion. He'll take more risks than Trestman probably would like.
But Cutler has a chance to redefine himself over these next three years. And Trestman's right: He's the one who's got to do it.
