When looking at the prototypical quarterback you can look at Jay Cutler and say that he has all of the physical attributes to be one of the greats at the position. From a throwing stand point Cutler can make every throw. He has great mobility and arguably the strongest arm in the league. Football fans saw this in another player many years ago, and his name was Jeff George. George passed the eye test and he had all the physical gifts a quarterback could have minus not having the best leadership abilities. The same could be said for Cutler. Cutler can throw a 60 yard touchdown on the rope, but like George his leadership and lack of accountability takes over what he could become on the field.
George went on to have a productive career in the NFL, but not to the magnitude that many people expected him to be being the No.1 overall draft pick in the 1990 NFL Draft. George was never nominated to any pro bowls nor was he ever regarded as a winning quarterback. The quarterback position is the toughest to play in all of sports, and when things don’t go well they shoulder all of the blame. Quarterbacks are always the face of the franchise, and most of the time they are the team’s “rah-rah” guy to get things going when things aren’t going as smooth. This coincides with Cutler and George had/have personalities that doesn’t mesh well with being a quarterback.
We see how Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Peyton Manning lead their teams, and though it may not all be the same method, it works. Yelling at players doesn’t necessarily mean that you are a great leader, but body language and how players respond to you and around says something about the type of leader you are. For some reason this is something that Cutler hasn’t mastered in his 8th year in the NFL.
Whether it has been with the Chicago Bears or the Denver Broncos it seemed as if Cutler can’t put it all together. Since being in Chicago, Cutler has a full arsenal of talent with Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Matt Forte, and Martellus Bennett. In Cutler’s defense the Bears defense is one of the worst in the NFL, and when they were a top-ten defense the Bears were one game from playing in the Super Bowl. It is easy to gush over the talent of Cutler, but something isn’t adding up. In 1990’s Jeff George played with great talent, but he could never take the team to the next level. When looking at the two quarterbacks it’s quite eerie how similar they are.
Jeff George’s Career Numbers
TD-INT: 154-113
Passing Yards: 27,601
QB Rating: 80.4
Jay Cutler’s Career Numbers
TD-INT: 183-130
Passing Yards: 27,557
QB Rating: 85.3
George turned out to be a journeyman in the NFL instead of being a franchise quarterback which was expected to happen drafting him out of college. In 1994 June Jones was appointed to be the head coach for Jeff George to take his game to the next level. Jones ran a run and shoot offense that suited George’s skill set, but it never reached any major success. At the time it seemed as if George would be a member of the Atlanta Falcons until he retired, but it didn’t go that way. Like George, Cutler was assigned the quarterback whisperer in Marc Trestman who’s had a documented track record with helping develop quarterbacks. This seemed like the ideal hire, but it appears that he could be on his way out-of-town after the end of the season. Teams attempted to put the proper people around George and Cutler whether if it was players or coaches, but for some reason nothing clicked.
All in all it isn’t bad to be Jeff George, but it isn’t a good thing either. George was expected be the next great quarterback, but things didn’t go as planned. Jay Cutler didn’t have the expectations that George did, but his raw talent made people think how great he could have been. There is time for Cutler to become the quarterback that many adored him to be, but until then he can be called the second coming of Jeff George.
Man, Jay is Jeff… just more mobile.. same guy different era..