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Except when his team is down 14 or more points
Dan Pompei
On the NFL
October 29, 2009
There is a feeling that no lead is insurmountable when Jay Cutler is your quarterback. This is borne of the swagger with which Cutler plays and the beauty with which he throws.
Cutler unquestionably has given the Bears a comeback capacity they did not previously have. In fact, in four of their six games this year, he has led them on a fourth-quarter drive to tie the score or take the lead.
But there is strong evidence to suggest it would be a smart move to turn off the TV and fire up the lawn mower if the Bears get down by 14 before the start of the fourth quarter as they were last Sunday in Cincinnati.
Cutler has been in 11 games in his career when his team was down by 14 by the end of the third quarter. Cutler's team has won none of them.
When Cutler's teams have been trailing by more than two touchdowns in his career, he has thrown 12 interceptions to six touchdowns and has a passer rating of 68.7, according to STATS.
But when the deficit is more manageable, Cutler has been more effective. In his three-plus seasons, he has six come-from-behind victories when his team has trailed in the fourth quarter, including the Seahawks game this season.
He also led the Bears back from a 13-0 first-quarter deficit in that victory over the Seahawks in Week 3, which was quite impressive. But he was nowhere near as impressive against the Bengals, throwing three interceptions after the Bears were down 28-0.
Part of this can be excused because it makes sense to take more risks when a team is losing. But part of it might be Cutler trying to do a little too much to get his team back in games.
Risk management can be a tricky thing for a quarterback, especially one with Cutler's transcendent confidence.
"When we're behind, he knows we have to make something happen, so he might take some risks," Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. "Most quarterbacks do. ... If you're down two, three, four touchdowns, you have to do something. As a play-caller, sometimes I try to force the issue too. It's human nature."
Of Cutler's three interceptions against the Bengals, only one was the result of him trying to force something. On the first, Bengals cornerback Leon Hall simply made a great break on a pass. On the third, Cutler and tight end Greg Olsen weren't thinking alike. But on the second, Cutler tried to force a pass to Earl Bennett when he had better options.
Cutler acknowledges he has taken chances in some situations that he probably should not have taken. His 10 interceptions -- second most in the league -- say that better than his words ever could.
How do things change for Cutler when his team is trying to come from behind?
"You want to get big chunks of yardage, but you have to try to stay a little balanced," Cutler said. "If it's running out of (shot)guns or catching them off guard at a certain point running the ball, but your mind is throw, throw, throw, throw, throw. I get in that mode as well. It's a tough situation because defenses are going to start playing really conservative. They're not going to give up the big play."
In Cutler's career, 59 percent of his interceptions have come when his team has trailed. This year, only one of his 10 interceptions has been thrown with the Bears ahead.
Then again, he has thrown the ball only 23 times when the Bears have been ahead. They have played from behind most of the season.
So it is reasonable to expect Cutler to lead the Bears on comebacks -- as long as they don't have to come back from too big a deficit.
So much for his annointing as a "Franchise QB" LMAO
So true.
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