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QB Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears

HT: 6-4, WT: 225, Born: 4-29-1983, College: Vanderbilt, Drafted: Round 1, Pick 11

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2009 Projections

	CMP	ATT	PYD	Y/A	PTD	INT	RSH	YD	Y/R	TD	FPT
David Dodds	327	530	3535	6.7	23	16	47	162	3.5	1	282
Bob Henry	325	520	3630	7.0	23	19	50	182	3.6	2	289
Jason Wood	325	520	3525	6.8	23	15	50	205	4.1	1	288
Maurile Tremblay	301	491	3459	7.0	21	15	25	94	3.8	1	263

Average draft position

Current as of September 7th. [Full ADP list]

Overall: R Rice (68), H Ward (69), Jay Cutler (70), B Berrian (71), C Wells (72)
Position: M Ryan (62-QB9), M Schaub (67-QB10), Jay Cutler (70 - QB11), C Palmer (79-QB12), B Roethlisberger (86-QB13)
Click here for a comparison of these players.

PPR Average draft position

Current as of September 7th. [Full PPR ADP list]

Overall: W Parker (64), D Ward (65), Jay Cutler (66), A Bryant (67), L Moore (68)
Position: T Romo (46-QB7), D McNabb (49-QB8), Jay Cutler (66 - QB9), M Ryan (71-QB10), M Schaub (72-QB11)
Click here for a comparison of these players.

Click here to go to the Jay Cutler spotlight, our staff's most detailed analysis.

Click here to go to the Jay Cutler faceoff, our staff's look at the pros and cons.

Best Case

Jay Cutler hopes to step into the Bears offense and help to morph the attack from a conservative ground-and-pound approach to an aggressive bombs-away mentality. He definitely has the swagger and ability to throw the ball down the field, but he needs to have people catch the ball. With luck, he will find nice chemistry with TE Greg Olsen while receivers Devin Hester and Rashied Davis continue to improve their craft.

Worst Case

It's possible that Cutler discovers that it is not as easy to have success passing the ball without legitimate receiver options. If receivers Devin Hester and Rashied Davis flat line in their development, then Cutler will struggle to find consistency in the passing game. This could cause the Bears forego the opening the offense up and continue to gameplan conservatively around the running game, not allowing Cutler to toss the ball as often as he did in Denver.

Outlook

Without question, the Bears weapons on offense are not as skilled as what Cutler enjoyed in Denver. The receiving position is still a huge question mark with Devin Hester not a legitimate top receiver and Rashied Davis still unproven. Even the backup receivers have huge question marks as players such as Earl Bennett and rookie Joaquin Iglesias are unproven at this level (although Bennett has looked great so far in minicamp). However, Cutler is cut from the same cloth as QB Brett Favre. He has a certain swagger about him, and it is very probable he will make the players better around him with his ability to get the ball down the field. He is a huge upgrade to the position in Chicago.

Relevant Articles

Why he is overvalued

according to two of our writers (based on an ADP of 66, QB 10 on June 7 --- go here for the complete article)

Marc Levin - Sure, Cutler finished as the #11 QB in 2007 and the #5 QB in 2008, but that was with WR Brandon Marshall grabbing 100+ catches, 1200+ yards and a handful of TDs. Devin Hester, as Chicago's #1 receiver, will be a poor substitute. Expecting QB10 numbers from a QB in this offense is grossly overestimating Cutler's ability to make those around him better.

David Yudkin - Cutler fared well in Denver, but that was with a top flight corps of receivers and a coaching staff looking to push the envelope with a vertical passing attack. Cutler put the ball in the air 616 times last season. Kyle Orton, the man Cutler is replacing, only had 465 attempts in Chicago last season. The Bears only had one receiver with 40 or more receptions as well. Chicago will have to reinvent their offensive philosophy and have their receivers improve dramatically for Cutler to rank in the Top 10.

Latest News

Bears | Cutler fined (Fri Nov 13, 01:30 PM) - ESPN.com reports Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler was fined $20,000 Friday, Nov. 13, for abusive conduct toward an official during the team's game against the Arizona Cardinals Nov. 8.

link to story

Bears | Cutler throws five INTs Week 10 (Fri Nov 13, 12:43 AM) - The Associated Press reports Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler was 29-for-52 for 307 yards with a career-high five interceptions Week 10 against the San Francisco 49ers. Cutler has thrown four or more interceptions in a game twice this season, and he currently leads the league with 17 interceptions this year. He is the first Bears quarterback since QB Billy Wade in 1962 to have two games with four or more interceptions.

Our View: Cutler threw two red zone picks, including one in the end zone to end the game. Cutler also threw a pick that happened because Devin Hester feel in his route, and another one when the umpire got in Hester's way, so it wasn't quite as bad as it looks.
link to story

Bears | Cutler plays well in Week 9 (Sun Nov 8, 05:26 PM) - The Associated Press reports Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler went 29-for-47 for 369 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in Week 9.

Our View: Cutler was effective and got the Bears back to within 34-21 with momentum, but threw an untimely interception to end the Bears hopes.
link to story

2009 Schedule

Week	Opponent
1	at Green Bay Packers
2	Pittsburgh Steelers
3	at Seattle Seahawks
4	Detroit Lions
Bye week
6	at Atlanta Falcons
7	at Cincinnati Bengals
8	Cleveland Browns
9	Arizona Cardinals
10	at San Francisco 49ers
11	Philadelphia Eagles
12	at Minnesota Vikings
13	St. Louis Rams
14	Green Bay Packers
15	at Baltimore Ravens
16	Minnesota Vikings
17	at Detroit Lions

2008 Game Summaries

Week 1 - Cutler had a great night passing the ball. He managed the offense efficiently and had an aura of confidence doing so. There was virtually zero pressure on him all night, although he did take a big hit while trying to run for a first down at the end of the first half. He was not phased though, coming out just as hot in the second half and closing the game out with ease.

Week 2 - Cutler is the hero of the game after throwing for 350 yards and four touchdown passes, including the game-winning two point conversion with just :24 left in the game. But he could have just as easily been remembered as the goat, if not for a costly turnover and an official's mistaken call that saved him from a second one. Throughout the contest, Cutler essentially had his way with the San Diego secondary. He connected with WR Brandon Marshall a whopping 18 times as Marshall shattered the Denver record for receptions in a single game. Cutler also rediscovered his TE Tony Scheffler, tossing two touchdowns his way in the first half. He showed great awareness at all times, particularly on a third quarter pass. He fumbled the ball in the backfield, but had the wherewithal to calmly pick it up and actually complete a pass despite the oncoming rush. About the only blemish anyone could have pointed to on his ledger was a shot that the CBS cameras caught of him on the sideline. After the Denver defense had allowed a key third down conversion, Cutler looked visibly ticked off. It may be reading too much into it, but it could be perceived as showing up his defense if Cutler is going to be so outward with his frustrations when they don't do their jobs. Aside from that possibly benign instance, he had a nearly flawless afternoon. Until the fourth quarter, that is. He threw an interception in the San Diego end zone on a pass intended for Eddie Royal. It was a bad read by Cutler and a very poor decision. The Chargers quickly turned that turnover into a touchdown, and the lead. Cutler then led Denver on a late drive in the fourth quarter with Denver trailing 38-31. Facing a second down at the doorstep of the San Diego end zone, Cutler rolled out and attempted to throw a pass to Michael Pittman in the flat. Cutler wound up, but the ball slipped out of his hands. San Diego recovered the ball, seemingly ending the game. Referee Ed Hochuli, however, had blown his whistle to signify an incomplete pass. Despite the fact that the ball was very clearly fumbled (or at the very least a backward lateral, essentially the same as a fumble), it was ruled incomplete -- admittedly a mistake according to Hochuli. With new life, Cutler found WR Eddie Royal in the end zone for the score and Royal again on the next play for the eventual game-winning two pointer.

Week 3 - Cutler was a little less accurate with his passes than last week, but still managed to connect with his favorite target, Brandon Marshall, for big yardage and a TD. His other scoring toss went to TE Nate Jackson. He had one sail high on WR Brandon Stokley in the end zone, and Marshall dropped a catch at the one yard line. It's apparent that Cutler knows this offense well and isn't afraid to use all its (and his) tools. It's also apparent that until the Denver defense can plug some holes, he'll have to keep throwing the ball.

Week 4 - He had his worst game of the young season. Despite a ton of yardage Cutler threw for only one TD, though he just missed two others with passes that sailed high and out of reach of the receivers. Cutler also had two interceptions in the span of 60 seconds...KC picked him midway through the third quarter. On the next play Larry Johnson fumbled the ball back to the Broncos. Two plays later Cutler was intercepted again. He was sacked only once.

Week 5 - Jay Cutler was able to take what the Buccaneers defense gave him, but he was not happy about it. Cutler showed some frustration early in the game when he could not find many openings in the Tampa Bay secondary, and their pressure was forcing him to hit his check downs and not take too many chances down field. He was able to get his poise back and hit some receivers on short routes and finished with 227 yards on 23 of 34 passing. Cutler connected with WR Brandon Stokley from ten yards out in the fourth quarter for his only score of the game, and he chipped in 16 yards rushing on five attempts.

Week 6 - Cutler had ups and downs in this contest, opening the game with a touchdown drive but turning the ball over the next two possessions. Cutler lost his fumble on a play where he was running for the first down, but didn't secure the ball and dropped it when he took a hit on the arm. The next drive, on a third down, Cutler threw an interception on a deep attempt to Brandon Marshall, not very costly since it basically worked as a punt. Cutler finished the afternoon with 192 yards, two touchdowns, and two turnovers, certainly not his best day.

Week 7 - On the Broncos' first pass play of the game, Cutler hit his hand on a defender's helmet and appeared to hurt the index finger on his throwing hand. Despite the injury, the quarterback stayed in the game for much of the first half, but had a tough time move the offense as his throws sailed and wobbled on their way to the intended receiver. After throwing an interception on an under thrown deep ball in the second quarter, Cutler was shown on the sidelines with ice on his hand and was replaced on Denver's final series of the first half by Patrick Ramsey. Cutler returned to the field for the second half, but his second interception ended a drive with Denver operating from the New England 37 yard line. His ten yard touchdown pass to TE Daniel Graham was his 13th scoring toss of the season.

Week 9 - Cutler's day began as inauspiciously as possible when his very first pass attempt was intercepted by Jason Allen. His sixth pass of the game was then also intercepted, this time by Will Allen. And this time, it was run back for a touchdown. At that point, Cutler was 1-6 for five yards and two interceptions, and looked headed for a career-worst day. But he regrouped after the interceptions and really settled down to turn in a solid fantasy performance, if not for real life. His finger didn't seem to be bothering him any. He made a very strong throw off his back foot for a completion to TE Daniel Graham in the third quarter, and his fastball didn't seem to be lacking any zip on an earlier touchdown pass to Eddie Royal. If anything, Cutler was done in more by emotions than anything else. Late in the third quarter, he appeared to have thrown a 77 yard touchdown pass to WR Brandon Marshall down the sideline. Marshall was whistled for offensive pass interference on the play, and the call was negated. Opposing LB Joey Porter, one of the all-time trash talkers of the NFL, got in Cutler's ear following the play and Cutler was later seen angrily flinging his towel onto the ground. Perhaps as a result of his frustration, Cutler tried forcing his first pass of the fourth quarter into heavy coverage, and the ball was picked off. Cutler just missed a touchdown on two separate occasions on Denver's final possession. The first one was a deep ball intended for Brandon Stokley. Stokley had broken free of his defender, but the ball was badly overthrown. Later, Brandon Marshall had a deep ball go right through his hands for what could've been a 41 yard touchdown grab.

Week 10 - Cutler played a great game as threw for 447 yards passing and three touchdowns, and 203 of those yards and all three touchdowns came in the fourth quarter. He got good protection all game and did a pretty good job of protecting the ball. He did have one interception but that appeared to be the receiver's fault when he ran the wrong route. Cutler did have a few passes that came close to being picked off and he seemed willing to try and throw the ball in tight spaces. His biggest play came early in the fourth quarter when he hit WR Eddie Royal for 93 yard touchdown pass. He came back on the next drive and found TE Daniel Graham for 28 yard score and scored with less then two minutes left when he threw an 11 yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall.

Week 11 - QB Jay Cutler played well and led his team to victory on the road despite a depleted offensive line-up. Cutler did not turn the ball over and found TE Daniel Graham in the end zone in the fourth quarter to give the team the lead and the win. He hit WR Brandon Marshall for a big 47 yard gain in the fourth quarter that helped set up that game wining score but otherwise did not go deep very often.

Week 12 - Cutler could not get into a consistent rhythm during the game. At times he played well, showing good mobility to escape the pass rush and make plays on the run, as well as making strong accurate throws from the pocket. However, that was not the norm, and he missed open receivers at times and had several other passes deflected by Oakland's defenders. After Denver fell behind by two touchdowns, they were forced to rely more on the passing game and Cutler was unable to shoulder the offensive load in this game.

Week 13 - Cutler had a strong game, gashing the Jets' pass defense for 357 yards and two touchdowns. Cutler's lone blemish came when he threw an interception in the red zone in the third quarter, making an ill advised throw that kept the Bronco's from being able to attempt a field goal to make it a three possession game. His two touchdowns were on longer passes, as he found Eddie Royal down the sideline, and Royal broke a tackle to make the touchdown possible. Later, Cutler hit a wide open Brandon Stokley for his second touchdown.

Week 14 - Cutler rebounded from an early interception to complete 80 percent of his passes for an average gain of 7.2 yards per attempt on his way to an 86.0 passer rating. Cutler put the game on his shoulders and looked for Brandon Marshall in key situations to lead the Broncos to their division leading eighth win of the season.

Week 15 - Cutler had a lackluster game. He completed nearly two thirds of his passes, but averaged only 5.2 yards per attempt with a long completion of 19 yards. Cutler, who was given plenty of time to throw early in the game, still struggled to find open receivers downfield. As the game progressed, he received more pressure than he has been accustomed to. Cutler has a tendency to be overly confident in his arm strength and sometimes forces the ball into tight coverage. He threw one interception and nearly threw four others.

Cutler threw a swing pass and hit P.J. Pope perfectly in stride for an easy seven yard touchdown on Denver's opening drive, but was unable to lead his team to the end zone for the remainder of the game.

Cutler scrambled twice for nine yards.

Week 16 - Early in the fourth quarter Cutler broke the franchise record for most passing yardage in a single season. Obviously, the original record was set by the legendary Broncos' quarterback Jake Plummer. Even though Cutler probably helped a few fantasy owners nail down a championship, he didn't do Denver any favors. The problems seemed to start when his helmet receiver began acting up and he couldn't get the calls. He had to jog over to the sideline after every whistle to get the next play. Unfortunately, he was not mature enough to keep his focus. He kept wasting time arguing with officials and he was eventually flagged twice for delay of game. The first penalty was especially costly and came with about two minutes left in the half. It meant Prater had to attempt a FG from 54 yards away instead of 49 and the ball sailed just under the crossbar. Buffalo took over at their own 44, marched down to score a touchdown just before the half, and put the Bills right back into the game. Cutler also overthrew a wide open Eddie Royal down the sidelines and again in the end zone.

On the positive side Cutler ran for both Denver touchdowns on QB sweeps around left end, one from the six yard line and the other from the two. He threw for 359 yards and there were times when he seemed unstoppable. When Buffalo tried to blitz Cutler took advantage of their man coverage. When they played zone and only rushed four he had time to find the open receiver. Down near the goal line, however he was only able to score two touchdowns on six trips inside the red zone.

Week 17 - Cutler had to throw the ball often against the Chargers. He threw the ball well on most of the passes, but could not protect the ball as he tried to force the ball into traffic a couple of times. His arm was impressive as always, and he showed good pocket awareness -- often extending plays by avoiding sacks. He did suffer from some bad drops by his receivers.