When it comes to following NFL football, we are all drama queens. Whether you sit in the Black Hole in the Oakland Coliseum dressed in a ridiculous and frightening costume cheering on the raiders or you have a Mike Greenberg-type physical appearance and watch football from your couch with your computer tracking your fantasy team, fans who follow NFL football go through ups and downs unlike any other sport. After all, with only one game played in an entire week, there's not much to do in the time between games except to think about your team's last game. The difference between winning and losing that game can result in polarizing highs and lows. Start the season 4 - 0 and fans are thinking super bowl. Drop two games in a row, and they are calling for the back up QB and the immediate firing of everyone having anything to do with the organization. Therefore, with the Chicago Bears' play in their last two games (and particularly the play of quarterback Jay Cutler), it's no surprise at all that some in the Chicago media as well as a good number of faithful fans have already determined that Jay Cutler is a bust.
Looking over the last two weeks, it's understandable why bears fans are down on Cutler. In two losses against the 49ers and eagles, Cutler has been wretched: 5 interceptions against San Francisco, 3 over thrown passes that appeared to be sure touchdowns against the eagles, and a troubling pattern of either failing or neglecting to read defenses accurately. Some prominent media outlets in Chicago have reported that Cutler is broken, lost all confidence himself, and is now a "ruined" quarterback as a result of coming to the bears.
It's fascinating how recency effects (a term used in psychology to describe "what have you done for me lately?") can make even the most knowledgeable fans and members of the media forget that it was just last year when Cutler was playing in the pro bowl as a member of the Denver Broncos. And it's comical how some in the media have judged Cutler almost as much on his facial grimaces coming off the field after a series or in his post game interviews than they do for his actual play on the field.
Even more ridiculous is how some bear fans and media have eased off their bashing of Cutler this week in response to Brett Favre's recent comments about the bears' mercurial quarterback. When asked this past week to compare the development of Jay Cutler to himself at the same age, Favre commented,
"I think he's better. I do...I think at this stage (Cutler) is way more advanced. Physically he's got all the tools. But mentally he's way more advanced and able to see defenses and read things. I don't think it's a bad thing to want to put it all on your shoulders. And I know that's what he's thinking."
It's not surprising that some bear fans may all of sudden feel better about the future of Jay Cutler given Favre's recent analysis. However, it wasn't that long ago that Favre made similar statements of praise toward another bears quarterback - Rex Grossman. Anything Brett Favre says out in public to media members holding microphones in front of his face needs to be seriously questioned, as Favre's credibility for saying what he means is shaky at best. Favre's history over the last two years of going back and forth in the media on retiring and playing can be described as anything ranging from wishy-washy to manipulative, from dramatic (remember - we are all drama queens) to outright deceitful.
Instead of judging Cutler based on what Favre says about him, bears fans should think about Cutler more on what Favre has done on the field throughout his career. Consider Favre's dramatic turn-around in play over the last year, coming from the New York Jets to the Minnesota Vikings. A year older, Favre is a vastly improved quarterback with the vikings, leading the NFL in QB rating through last week. Last year with the jets he finished 21st in the league in QB rating. While a healing shoulder injury is one reason that Favre has played better this year, he has certainly benefited from playing on a superior overall offensive team (in comparison to the jets of a year ago). An opposite trend in production for Cutler (coming from the broncos last year as a pro bowler to the bears this year) could be at least partially explained by a significant down grade in offensive talent for the bears - particularly at the offensive line and wide receiver positions. Additionally, when thinking about Cutler, bear fans may also want to check out Brett Favre's statistics in his early years in the NFL. In his first three years in the league, Favre threw for 37 touchdowns and 39 interceptions. Cutler, during his first three years with the broncos, threw 54 touchdown passes with 37 interceptions.
So in summary, what does all this mean?
-When it comes to following NFL football, we are all drama queens
-Don't judge a player in the NFL, particularly a young quarterback, based on only a couple of games in his first season with a new team
-Don't listen to anything Brett Favre says, but do pay attention to what he does and has done on the field throughout his career
The following source contributed to this post:
http://ucla.scout.com/a.z?s=12&p=2&c=923711
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