While I think you have been a tremendous addition to the Bears team this year, after yesterday's game, I feel I need to point something out. I'm not a football expert by any means, but even I knew better than.....when a team is in the chase for first place in their division, against the Lions none-the-less, and your QB is clearly hurt, and you have a great back-up QB waiting in the wings, YOU TAKE THE HURT QB OUT OF THE GAME!!! I love Cutler, but McCown definitely needed to be put in this game sooner!
signed,
a very frustrated football fan
The Bears lost 21-19 to the Lions at Soldier Field and missed their chance to take sole possession of first place in the NFC North. :O(
Then, from another perspective:
The trust between Bears coach Marc Trestman and quarterback Jay Cutler manifested in a new way during Sunday's 21-19 loss to the Lions.
With Cutler battling an injured left ankle in the second half, everyone involved wanted to be sure the most capable quarterback was in the game, whether it was Cutler or backup Josh McCown.
And so Cutler repeatedly checked with Trestman and McCown for feedback. Trestman, by sticking with Cutler until McCown's healthy legs were needed for a hurry-up situation in the final 2 minutes, 17 seconds, endeared himself to his starter.
"It meant a lot," Cutler said. Cutler's ankle stiffened as the second half progressed. His athleticism diminished, and he sensed increased limitations in a close game with first place in the NFC North at stake. Between series, Cutler sought evaluations from Trestman.
"I just asked him at one point, 'Do I look OK? And am I still getting it done?' Because I felt really restricted in the pocket with what I was able to do," Cutler said. "(The ball) wasn't getting out as quick. Some of my throws didn't have as much on them as I wanted. I knew Josh was ready to go, and I just didn't want to get to a point where I was hurting us more than I was helping us."
Trestman believed into the fourth quarter that Cutler was helping. McCown agreed. They were satisfied by the velocity of his throws and believed he needed only the right play calls and good protection to be productive.
"Jay's arm talent and what he can do, he's got that," McCown said. "That's where a lot of his game is anyway. The fact that he was a little nicked up, it still doesn't matter because that guy, even on one leg, he's probably as talented a passer as half the guys in the league."
Trestman balanced Cutler's input with evaluations by team trainers. When they expressed that Cutler was not in danger of doing more damage to his left leg, in which he suffered a torn groin Oct. 20, Trestman felt comfortable leaving Cutler in.
"I didn't want to take him out unless he felt he couldn't do the job," Trestman said. "He had, I thought, a very courageous performance throughout."
Cutler completed only 9 of 22 passes in the second half for 102 yards. That McCown immediately rallied the offense upon entering the game further supports the notion the Bears would have been best-served by replacing Cutler sooner.
However, McCown understood the dilemma Cutler faced in trying to evaluate his effectiveness.
"That right there is probably one of the toughest calls you have to make as a player because you're a competitor," McCown said. "Especially as a quarterback, you're a competitor and you want to be on the field. To take yourself off the field, that's a hard thing to do. Those are the things that we were talking about. He really struggled with it."
Okay Trestman....I forgive you......this time! :O)
With Cutler battling an injured left ankle in the second half, everyone involved wanted to be sure the most capable quarterback was in the game, whether it was Cutler or backup Josh McCown.
And so Cutler repeatedly checked with Trestman and McCown for feedback. Trestman, by sticking with Cutler until McCown's healthy legs were needed for a hurry-up situation in the final 2 minutes, 17 seconds, endeared himself to his starter.
"It meant a lot," Cutler said. Cutler's ankle stiffened as the second half progressed. His athleticism diminished, and he sensed increased limitations in a close game with first place in the NFC North at stake. Between series, Cutler sought evaluations from Trestman.
"I just asked him at one point, 'Do I look OK? And am I still getting it done?' Because I felt really restricted in the pocket with what I was able to do," Cutler said. "(The ball) wasn't getting out as quick. Some of my throws didn't have as much on them as I wanted. I knew Josh was ready to go, and I just didn't want to get to a point where I was hurting us more than I was helping us."
Trestman believed into the fourth quarter that Cutler was helping. McCown agreed. They were satisfied by the velocity of his throws and believed he needed only the right play calls and good protection to be productive.
"Jay's arm talent and what he can do, he's got that," McCown said. "That's where a lot of his game is anyway. The fact that he was a little nicked up, it still doesn't matter because that guy, even on one leg, he's probably as talented a passer as half the guys in the league."
Trestman balanced Cutler's input with evaluations by team trainers. When they expressed that Cutler was not in danger of doing more damage to his left leg, in which he suffered a torn groin Oct. 20, Trestman felt comfortable leaving Cutler in.
"I didn't want to take him out unless he felt he couldn't do the job," Trestman said. "He had, I thought, a very courageous performance throughout."
Cutler completed only 9 of 22 passes in the second half for 102 yards. That McCown immediately rallied the offense upon entering the game further supports the notion the Bears would have been best-served by replacing Cutler sooner.
However, McCown understood the dilemma Cutler faced in trying to evaluate his effectiveness.
"That right there is probably one of the toughest calls you have to make as a player because you're a competitor," McCown said. "Especially as a quarterback, you're a competitor and you want to be on the field. To take yourself off the field, that's a hard thing to do. Those are the things that we were talking about. He really struggled with it."
Okay Trestman....I forgive you......this time! :O)
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