Pack penalized 17 times!

Like Week 1, Week  3 wasn’t pretty but it got the job done.  Cutler and the rest of the offense seemed nonexistent at times, but that’s because they literally weren’t on the field for many portions of the second half.   The defense used a “bend but don’t break” strategy, and it worked when Rodgers and the Packers milked half of the 3rd quarter and came away with nothing more than a blocked field goal.  17 penalties on Green Bay didn’t hurt either.

Cutler was tough as nails again, but he did make some questionable decisions including airing out a woefully underthrown ball in the 4th quarter which was intercepted but got bailed out thanks to pass interference.

In the end, the offensive line still looked weak, Lovie still made some questionable decisions, and the Bears won thanks to a punt return and a timely turnover.  I’m not sure how long this “secret formula” can last, but it just feels like fool’s gold.  At least it’s 3-0 fool’s gold.

Free Shipping On Orders Over $75 at ChampionsOnDisplay.com

The Chicago Tribune has a poll asking readers to vote on the better quarterback, Jay Cutler or Aaron Rodgers. Before you let your Chicago bias affect your decision, think about if this poll was given to the 32 NFL GMs.  It might be a clean sweep for Mr. Rodgers.

Wherefore art thou, Aromashodu?

Jay Cutler had an almost perfect game on Sunday and the Bears find themselves in the surprising position of being undefeated with Green Bay coming to town for what will hopefully be a Monday night classic.

Cutler’s performance is the exact reason for why I started this website, though.  While Cutler had his best day as a Bear, he was still running for his life for much of the first half until some offensive line adjustments were made.  The point: trading away high draft picks and using the remaining ones on bad players has left a shell of an offense around Cutler, making him an all or nothing option.  As you know, Jay has as many bad games as he does good games, so depending on Cutler to shoulder the entire load is a bad proposition.

Giving credit where credit is due, Cutler is a very durable quarterback, playing in 16 games for three consecutive seasons before 2010.  That quality is a must for this year’s Bears, but don’t be fooled by Week 2’s win and think that all is rosy for the offense.  Cutler is competent, the running backs have talent, but beyond that, it gets scary.  Mike Martz’s schemes seem to have opened up some scoring opportunities, but it’s no surprise that the leading receiver will vary from week to week.  The in-house reason will be that Cutler has so many options that he simply picks the ones with the best matchup in a given week and exploits it for success.  The real reason is that there is no standout receiver, so a player who looks good one week can get lost in the shuffle the next (ex. Aromashodu).

So far so good, and I’m staying optimistic, but I still worry that the probability of Cutler finishing the season on the active roster decreases every time he turns his back only to find another lineman ready to pancake him to the ground.  Stay tuned…

Will Romo be sulking after facing Chicago Sunday?

I always think of Tony Romo as younger, maybe because he is one of the few quarterbacks left in this generation who took the “old school” approach of being forced to sit on the bench for a few years and learn the game first.  It’s hard to believe, but Romo is already 30, but only has four full seasons behind center.  Meanwhile, Jay Cutler has almost 3 1/2 NFL seasons of experience as a starter (playing in  5 games in ’06) but is only 27.

The age advantage would seem to favor Cutler, but the underlying stats suggest that riding the pine did some good for the Dallas quarterback who went undrafted in 2003.

Romo has a career quarterback rating of 95.4 and a TD/INT ratio of almost 2 to 1 (108 to 55). Meanwhile, Cutler’s numbers are similar but a little more erratic, sporting a qb rating of 84.3 thanks to 64 INTs to go with his 83 TDs.

Here’s hoping Cutler will help even out those career numbers come Sunday.

Daily Herald – Cutler, Romo both have success creating plays outside the pocket

Don’t worry, TJC fans – the Cutler/Orton tracker for 2010 will be unveiled in a week or so.  I’m making some tweaks so it will be easier to automate, and I’ll still keep the ’09 tracker to remind everyone how the Bears wouldn’t have missed out on anything last year had they kept Orton AND all those draft picks. 

In the meantime, if Jay Cutler throws the ball like he did against Detroit and Forte and Olsen can manage to hang onto the ball, the Bears might be able to capitalize on a slow starting Cowboys team.

Buy a Jay Cutler (or a Kyle Orton) jersey here!

Don’t kid yourself, folks: the Bears lost to the Lions.  Thanks to the refs, however, they are awarded a “W” in the standings.  Courtesy of the dumbest rule in sports, the Bears were victorious because Calvin Johnson refused to take the ball home with him and tuck it under his pillow.

The past is the past though, and the beauty of the NFL is that, unlike college football, an ugly win is no different than a pretty one.  There are no rankings, just standings, and as it stands, the Bears are in first place.

Jay Cutler threw for a ton of yards and actually looked nimble as he often had to scamper away from a lack of protection.  He only made one really bad decision which led to an interception. I can live with that. Coming up next: a Dallas team that looked hapless in Week 1.

Buy Team Jerseys Here!

Well… at least you can’t blame Jay Cutler for the Bears’ financial ineptness, but Forbes does an insightful job of revealing how much more profitable the Chicago franchise should be given the situation.  Check it out now!