This year may tell a lot about Jay Cutler

Jay Cutler may have been the biggest benefactor of the Mike Mayock hype machine coming out of college. Cutler was perceived as a good quarterback coming out of Vanderbilt, but was flying under the radar. But once Mayock started hyping him, he wound up getting drafted 11th overall by the Broncos.

Cutler has definitely been the most successful of the 3 quarterbacks drafted in the first round. The other two, Young and Leinart, have yet to show the same kind of potential as Cutler. But has Cutler already peaked as a player? This year may tell a lot about what the future has in store for him.

The Bears were wise to bring in Mike Martz this offseason. What he was able to do offensively in St. Louis with Kurt Warner was nothing short of amazing. And the Bears are hoping that Martz can bring some of that magic to Chicago, with Cutler being the biggest benefactor. Warner and Cutler are two very different quarterbacks though, and not just talent wise.

Warner took to the teachings of Martz as good as any player could have. He fit into the system perfectly, his timing and accuracy were impeccable. The fact that Warner came out of the arena league supports the notion even more that he was very coachable. That’s probably why he was so successful with the Rams.

Cutler has been perceived by many, and at times has almost made it obvious, that he doesn’t take to coaching well. His body language on the sidelines and after plays tells a big story. He looks like he always has an excuse for mistakes he’s made, shaking his head as if he always knows what’s going on and giving the look that “Yea I know what I did wrong.”. This is an even bigger red flag because if he does always know what’s going and he keeps making the same mistakes he may not be able to fix them.

Cutler, up until this point, has been an improv gunslinger. His style doesn’t fit into a Mike Martz system that’s based on the two major strengths Warner had, timing and accuracy. In order to fit into the system Cutler has to change his game a little, he’s got to become coachable.

This is the biggest and best opportunity Cutler may get in his career and what he does with it will say a lot about him. If he has success with the Bears this year it will be because he took to the teachings of Mike Martz. If he comes out looking the way he has for the past 3 and a bit seasons he won’t have taken to the teachings of one of the best offensive minds the game has seen in a while. And if he doesn’t take to coaching this year, he may never take to it.

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