Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler won’t avoid Darrelle Revis
The stakes aren’t as high anymore as they could have been. The Chicago Bears have already clinched the division title and the New York Jets have a virtually secured wild card entry into the playoffs. The Jets have almost no chance of taking the division
title at this point.
The Playoffs aren’t on the line anymore and it’s a relief for the Bears. “That's always good to get rid of that,” Cutler said on Wednesday. “Getting to the playoffs and know that you're in and not have to worry about it ... now just go out and play and have
some fun these last two games.”
With the pressure off the quarterbacks’ shoulders he can now play high risk football. There is no more need to play it safe and Cutler is going to take that same attitude into Sunday’s game against the New York Jets. When the Bears face the Jets, Cutler
won’t let the presence of cornerback Darrelle Revis stop him from throwing to his side of the field.
Revis has an enormous presence on the field but his statistics are quite ordinary. He has zero interceptions or forced fumbles. This season he has made only 28 tackles not because he isn’t as good a cornerback as the legend of Darrelle Revis, but because
he is so good that New York’s opponents avoid throwing to his side of the field altogether. The Bears won’t do that.
“No, you can't assume (the Bears will stay away from Revis' side),” Cutler said. Adding that the Bears have some good receivers and he trusts their abilities. “I tell those guys: 'You're gonna have to get open.' Whatever it takes, we're gonna have to find
a way to complete balls (on Revis' side) because you can't eliminate one side of the field.”
Sometimes it is a good idea to avoid someone who is making plays. Keeping the ball away is the most effective way to contain a player and Cutler should know this as well as anyone. Earlier this season when the Bears faced the Washington Redskins Cutler threw
4 interceptions in one game to cornerback DeAngelo Hall. In 14 games Hall has acquired a total of 6 interceptions. On that Sunday Cutler should have just avoided Hall’s side of the field after the first, the second or even third interception but he didn’t
and the Bears lost the game with 14 points against 17. Hall’s 4 interceptions are now tied for the NFL record.
Offensive coordinator Mike Martz said that Cutler didn’t have to completely avoid Revis but he has to tread carefully around him. “(Revis is) very consistent, very, very, very confident in his skill, and does not overreact,” Martz said adding that the Jets
cornerback was one of the best he had seen in many years. “It's a terrific challenge for our guys, there's no question.”
Cutler is a brilliant quarterback but not always. His record stand 20-0 in games that he has had a passer rating of a 100 or above. Cutler has been the target for critics this season but he as unfazed by it as he is oblivious to it. Although he wins games
for his teams when he can find his targets but consistency is somewhat of an issue for the quarterback.
His passer ratings have been all over the board. In week his passer ratings were 64, in week 12 they rose to 146. In week 13 his ratings was a 117 a week later that number fell to just 32.9. In his entire career he has not played 4 back to back games with
passer ratings of 100 or above. He has had a passer ratings of 100 in three consecutive games only once in his career.
Martz though has seen progress in the quarterback’s performance. “I think the consistency around him has improved. We're better in all areas,” he said. The offense has done a better job of protecting Cutler lately and it shows. In the first 8 games of the
season, Cutler was sacked 28 times and had to sit out a game after being severely punished by the New York Giants’ defence in week 4. Cutler was sacked 9 times in that game and the Bears lost that game. They also lost the next one, in which Cutler was sacked
6 times, and one after that, in which Cutler was sacked 4 times.
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