Much of that is on Cutler himself. The team didn't do well enough to keep Shannahans job and then he basically forced a trade out of Denver. He didn't get along with Turner and obviously won that battle. He didn't get along with Martz and rightfully won that battle. Tice will likely be fired too at some point.

Yes, Cutler can throw the ball far. So could Jamarcus Russell. That doesn't mean that Cutler is elite. It's not even up for debate that he's one of the top 5 QB's right now. To even put him in the top ten, you have to discount the play of QB's who have put up much better numbers(Ryan, Romo) by saying they fail in the playoffs while ignoring the fact that Cutler has really not done much in the playoffs either(besides beating Seattle which was a pretty poor team for a playoff team).
By choice though. The elite QB's have stayed in the same spot, besides Brees who was sent away from San Diego not by his choice. Let me put it this way. Every other elite QB doesn't need these excuses. That's how the NFL works now. Get an elite QB and everything else on offense takes care of itself.
I wouldn't care if Cutler had Randy Moss, Jerry Rice, and Devin Hester in their primes. Put up 5,000 yards in a season and you are elite.

Sorry Frank.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I wouldn't say Cutler's ever been elite, but he's a damn good quarterback, and if he's got the perfect supporting cast around him then he is a top 5 or 6 QB in the NFL. But that's precisely what doesn't make him elite - he's shown that unless he has those pieces in place he's above average, which is still good. Just not elite.

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What concerns me about Cutler is that he is seemingly being passed by younger QB's too. I understood when the trade was made that he wasn't yet elite but we knew that players like Warner and Favre weren't going to be around for very much longer and then Cutler could step up. We've seen Stafford jump Cutler. It was only one season, but Cam Newton may have too. Andrew Luck is coming too, though who knows how good he'll actually be. Also, Rodgers, Eli, and Brees aren't going away for a while. Not to mention that Ryan and Rivers are lurking too, with better statistics already.

I know it just comes off as me being a Cutler hater, but he really needs to at least be equal to many of the QB's who are putting up huge numbers. Yes, he's doing well for a Bears QB, but this era of the NFL is filled with video game numbers being put up by about 10 QB's a year. To put it another way, Cutler was throwing for 20 yards a game less than Cam Newton and no one is going to be on here saying that Cam Newton had a better supporting cast than Cutler.

Oh, but Cutler has a stronger arm than many of them.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I don't understand the reverence for throwing a ball hard. I think Cutler's got 3 primary tools that make him among some of the best:

1. He's proven to be durable.
2. He can make plays with his feet.
3. He's got a great deep ball.

When it comes to spotting bombs downfield accurately, I'd venture (limited to my own personal interpretations, not any stats, so I very well could be wrong as hell) that he's among the top 6 or 7 in the league. I think his ability to maintain his composure while being flustered is up there too. Not Favre like by any means, but highly respectable.

The bullshit that Cutler gets ragged on him is the trite horseshit about his attitude, demeanor, and "unlikeable personality."

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Does anyone outside of Chicago think Cutler is a top 5 QB?

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Fire Phil Emery

Does anyone inside Chicago think he is a Top 5 QB?

Top 5: In No Particular Order:

-Rogers
-Brees
-Brady
-Matt Ryan
-Eli Manning

The bottom 2 spots are arguable...I think Cutler, at this point, is a solid Tier 2 QB with a good shot to make it to the Tier 1.

No way he's top 5. I'd argue for him at like...11 or 12.

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Yeah not sure anyone has him top 5.

He's somewhere between 9-12

If Jay Cutler is 11th, and he probably is somewhere around there, then holy crap, the Bears gave up two first round draft picks for a QB in the 65th percentile amongst NFL starting qbs.

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Fire Phil Emery

And Kyle Orton, don't forget Kyle Orton.

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

Which is still good and definitely better than any QB the Bears have had, well, ever.

With Marshall and a more open offense + a decent running game and hopefully a marginally better O-Line performance I believe he can vault to the upper rankings.

2 first round picks and Kyle Orton for a chance to win every Sunday is a trade I make every day of the week.

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

I said it from the start of the trade "being better than Kyle Orton" isn't really the way to judge the trade or to judge Jay Cutler.

The Bears are screwed if Cutler continues to be passed by younger QB's too. We all can accept him being worse than Brady, Brees, and Peyton because those guys have an expected decline coming. The problem is that Newton, Stafford and Ryan jumped Cutler, and Luck may too if the hype is to be believed. Also, there are many QB's of similar ages who have begun to distance themselves like Rodgers, Rivers, Eli, and Schaub.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

What did you expect him to devolop into? Top 5?

Run your own race.  I need Cutler to be a good quarterback for the Bears.  How his numbers compare to other qb's means nothing to me.  I want my qb to have the ability to make every play that a qb should make.  With Cutler you have that.  If he gets surpassed by young quarterbacks, then good for the NFL, there are a lot of bad quarterbacks out there.  Them being better doesn't diminish Cutler's skills.

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

Matt Ryan had not jumped Cutler.

SomeGuy puts Ryan in the top 5 and you don't say anything. I say Matt Ryan jumped Cutler(statistically, it's not even a debate) and you say I'm wrong?

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Wow and I quoted him. My mistake. I saw Brady Rodgers and figured it was the usual suspects.

Ryan isnt top 10, much less top 5.

SomeGuy, what are you thinking?



And its absolutely a debate when you add in Ryan's historically terrible playoff performances

Sure he is. He has serious flaws but they all have flaws below the top few.

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Fire Phil Emery

I dont get the Matt Ryan love at all.

I also find it funny that Brick is already putting Luck above Cutler. Nothing if not consistent.

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Rodgers
Brees
Manning
Manning
Brady

Roethlisberger
Romo
Rivers
Stafford


Ok, he's probably 10th.

Cutler is right with him considering the whole Roddy White vs. Devin hester thing

Bears fans, and me included, would be jumping for joy if Cutler had a season as good as either of the ones Ryan has had the past two years.
I didn't put Luck above Cutler. I said he may given the hype around him.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I'd like to see an IB or Boilermaker Rick's top 30 NFL QB's ala Jaws...

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

Wow you put a lot of stock in 4 pts of QB rating and seemingly none at all in the post season

Cutler led the bears to the NFC title game 2 years ago and was on the way to the playoffs last year before the injury. I dont care if Ryan has more yds.

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I wonder which organizations would trade their starting QB for two first round picks


and Kyle Orton

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

Is Joe Flacco better than Ryan too?

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

So, let's do a list of each argument.

Jay Cutler is better than Matt Ryan:
He beat the Seahawks in the playoffs once.

Matt Ryan is better than Jay Cutler:
Everything else.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

How did Flacco come into this? You said that Bears fans would be jumping for joy if Cutler did what Ryan did the last 2 years. I was just pointing out that Cutler did pretty well for himself the last two years, before the injuries.

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Do you think Ryan and Cutler have similar offensive weapons? O-lines? O-Coordinator?

Ryan has better stats. That's great, I dont think he is a better QB.

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