NFL Draft: The Myth of the Sure Thing QB
Dec 28, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) answers questions from the media after the game with the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 13-9. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
The mercurial Jay Cutler could be on his way to his third team next year since being drafted in the 2006. His attitude has been a big concern in the NFL as has his tendency to turn the ball over. With a decent offensive line and great weapons around him in Chicago he has still struggled.
Coming out of college CBS Sports had a number of concerns about him:
"Negatives: Might be a little gun-shy from all the punishment he has taken over the years … Needs to do a better job of securing the ball before running, as he has fumbled 25 times the last two years … Must do a better job at the pre-snap recognizing defensive schemes, as he does not always scan the field well … Seems to lack confidence with his receivers, failing to anticipate when his targets will be breaking, resulting in a high amount of deflected passes … Spends too much time eyeballing his primary target, rarely looking off to locate his secondary receivers (this causes a lot of interceptions (27) and pass deflections (149) over the last three years, including 74 pass break-ups in 2005) … Must learn how to step into his throws to generate better accuracy (steps back on too many of his tosses) … Uses poor judgment at times when flushed out of the pocket, either holding on to the ball too long resulting in a sack, or throwing the ball up for grabs causing costly interceptions … Has good touch in the short area, but because he carries the ball so low, he does not get ideal trajectory to feather the ball over the head of the defender … Lacks accuracy throwing on the run, especially when unleashing from the left hash … Rotates his hips too much through his release and needs to throw off the front foot more."
Cutler was drafted #11 overall and was drafted after Vince Young and Matt Leinart. Not exactly the “sure thing” sign we would be looking for. Cutler hasn’t been as bad as many believe but he has been far from a Franchise carrier.
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