Well, fans of Jay Cutler, you can’t blame the Bears for remaining stagnant this offseason.  As fun as it might be to blame Cutler’s shortcomings on the lack of talent around him, the only way to change that without any high draft picks is through new coaching and free agency.  This offseason, the Bears did as much as they could to address those issues.

Mike Martz gives Cutler the so-called “genius” offensive mind a star quarterback needs to get to the next level, or at least that’s the prevailing belief.  Julius Peppers and his 9-figure contract certainly can’t hurt on the defensive end and should help increase the chance at a “W” for Cutler.  Chicago fans better hope that Peppers’ deal doesn’t follow the same overpaid path of Alfonso Soriano on the Cubs.  One bad monster contract can hamstring a franchise for years.

On Cutler’s side of the ball, Martz got a big blocking tight end to fit his schemes better than Greg Olsen.  Lastly, Chester Taylor finally gives the Bears a solid second running back to complement Forte’s game and, more importantly, take a little pressure off Cutler and the passing game.

Did the offensive line get better?  No.  Did the options at wide receiver get better?  No.  Were those two of the most important needs this offseason?  Yes.  Still, you can only fill needs with what’s available, and last I checked, Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald weren’t free agents this year.

Things can always be better, but at some point, you just need to get on the field and win.  This season, Jay Cutler should have a better chance to do that than last year.  If he doesn’t get it done yet again, will you still consider him a franchise QB?  Sound off and let me know.  I’m curious as to how many years a player has to prove himself in a league where a career is usually less than a decade.

If you want to dive deep into the mind of Chicago’s starting quarterback, check out Jay Cutler’s tweets on Twitter @JayCutler6.  There have hardly been any updates since the season ended, but I’m assuming that’s because Jay has been hard at work getting himself into elite shape and working daily with his receivers in the offseason, flying them in to work with them personally.  Right?

While Jay continues his offseason doing whatever it is he does, we are only a half a year away from football and such intriguing tweets as “Good win last night. Lions on Sunday.”  Sigh.

Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote an article today about Ron Jaworski analyzing all 26 of Jay Cutler’s interceptions this past season.  Read the article, but pay more attention to the reader’s comments at the bottom – they really give it to Jensen for failing to actually read what Jaworski wrote about each interception.

Read the article here.

The Super Bowl is right around the corner, and prognosticators are coming out of the woodwork, most of them politely predicting the same thing: a close contest with plenty of scoring in which America’s hearts will be cheering for the underdog Saints, but Peyton Manning might make that dream come true scenario a little hard to come by.  Most like the Colts to win (although not necessarily to cover the spread) and most think a lot of points will be scored.

Magazines love to play the analysis game by breaking down the teams into laughable sectors.  For example, Sports Weekly claims that when the Saints are passing the ball, the Saints have the edge, and when the Colts are passing the ball, the Colts have the edge.  As Ace Ventura would say, “Rrrrrreeeealllllllyyyyyyyyyy?????”

Save your money and don’t waste your time reading all those ridiculous Super Bowl prediction articles because I will simply tell you exactly what’s going to happen Sunday evening.  Then you can announce the outcome before the game even starts and finally prove that you are smarter than your friends, just like you always thought.  I hope I’m wrong because I’d much prefer an exciting game like last year, but who am I kidding – I’m not going to be wrong!

New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts (-5 / 56.5o)

While most people think this is going to be a close game, I’m very worried about New Orleans’ chances if they don’t score first.  The one true advantage the Saints have is an underreported but strong rushing game, averaging over 50 yards/game MORE than Indianapolis.  However, after seeing Joseph Addai’s impressive cutback moves in the playoffs (and remembering what he did in his rookie year at the Super Bowl – 77 rushing yards and 143 total yards), expect to see a better than average rushing performance from the Colts.

If the Saints score first, they’ll have a chance because they can utilize the ground attack a little more.  They should attack Indy’s young corners and try to strike first.  Unfortunately, this won’t happen.  The first quarter will be uglier than fans were hoping, with both defensive lines getting to the quarterback enough to throw the timing off for both offenses.  Peyton Manning will recover faster, however, and lead the Colts on one of his 12-yards-at-a-time drives, eating some clock with the occasional run and capping it off with a TD pass in the end zone to a receiver who is someone wide open despite the fact that everyone knew it was a pass.

With the Colts up 7-0, it will hardly be time to panic, but New Orleans’ game plan will have to change slightly.  It’s not the offense that will fail them, however, but rather the ill advised strategy of ignoring tackling fundamentals while trying to cause a turnover.  Bears fans know this sinking feeling better than anyone, thanks to Lovie Smith’s insistence in making “forcing turnovers” a major part of the defense.  It’s great when it’s successful, but the other 95% of the time, the defense simply gives up unnecessary yards after the catch/run.  Needless to say, giving free yardage to Peyton Manning is a recipe for losing.

New Orleans is too talented to get shut out, though, so there will be points scored, just not as many as everyone thinks.  The Saints will put up a few scores, finishing with 17 points.  Manning is greedy about wins, not yards or stats, so while the Colts will control the game much of the way, don’t expect Indy to post a 42 on the board.  With a lead of two scores or more, the Colts will be content with running the ball more than normal, using as much of the game clock as possible, and scoring only if it’s a low risk situation.  In other words, Peyton Manning is not going to make the mistakes New Orleans desperately needs to win the game.

Final score? 28-17 in favor of the Colts.  Maybe 31-17 if things get a little out of hand.  Either way, you should feel safe taking the unorthodox combination of Indianapolis (-5) and the under (56.5). Your wallet will thank you.

As much as I think the Mike Martz signing might be a disaster in Chicago, I can’t blame the Bears for the hire.  I don’t like when people complain if they don’t have a solution in place, so it’s hard to fault Chicago for the Martz hire since the alternatives weren’t any better.  If you are choosing sides in a pickup basketball game and Rodney McCray, Pete Myers, and Kyle Macy are the only guys left, you can’t choose Michael Jordan.

Despite the debacle in the hiring process, the fact remains that a Jeremy Bates or similar hire would have received a lot more backlash (who is this guy? what experience does he have? etc etc) than hiring a guy who won a Super Bowl.

The question that makes me nervous is whether Jay Cutler can adapt to him or not.  Kurt Warner was on the radio yesterday, saying that it’s important to be willing to change, even one’s mechanics, for a guy like Martz if you really feel he can make you a better player and make the offense better.  Why do I get nervous?  Because Cutler needs to put his faith in a new coach and trust that the coach knows what’s best.  So far with the Bears, that hasn’t been Cutler’s strength.

Well, at least Jay Cutler can’t blame his next offensive coordinator for his failings.  The Bears appeared to bend over backwards for Cutler, attempting to get an interview with his former QB coach Jeremy Bates, even though he had no experience as an NFL coordinator.  Then, they tried everyone else and failed to receive any interest until Mike Martz finally fell into Chicago’s lap.

Thanks to Minnesota’s inability to squeeze the pigskin and Brett Favre’s untimely interception, the Saints are marching to the Super Bowl.  As predicted, the Colts just wore down the less talented Jets, even though New York fans have to be pleased with Sanchez’s performance overall.  I don’t know what the stats were, but it seemed that anytime the Jets were staring at 3^rd and long and a pass was inevitable, Sanchez managed to come through.  In the end, though, even a Rex Ryan defense couldn’t hold Manning and company below 30, so the Super Bowl will be a matchup of the two best teams in the league, and it should be a doozy. 

Stay tuned to TJC for my not-so-expert prediction on the big game later next week.

One thing is certain: I will throw as many touchdowns as Jay Cutler in tomorrow’s conference championship games.  After that, it’s all up for grabs.  Lucky for you, however, I will tell you exactly who will win and who will cover.  Let’s take a look:

AFC Championship

New York Jets @ Indianapolis Colts (-8)

Despite the 9-7 record, the Jets only lost by more than 8 points twice this year.  All of the numbers point to the Colts winning, but likely by less than a touchdown.  That’s not the way I see it though.  I see Peyton Manning punishing New York with a long tedious touchdown drive in the first quarter.  Playing from behind, Mark Sanchez will have to throw more and that will spell trouble for the Jets.  Besides the rookie Sanchez, the Jets don’t exactly boast the NFL’s best receivers.

New York might hang around, but look for the Colts to play mistake free while a costly turnover or two will make the game seem too long for New York fans.  In the end, Manning and the Colts will head to the Super Bowl with a double digit victory over the Jets.

TJC’s pick: Indianapolis (-8)

NFC Championship

Minnesota Vikings @ New Orleans  Saints (-3.5)

For some reason, I’ve heard nothing but love for the Vikings from most analysts on ESPN  Radio over the past week.  Once again, I don’t see it that way.

Yes, I think that Minnesota’s offensive attack is impressive, and the defense can be dominant at times, but with all of the weapons New Orleans’ head coach Sean Payton has at his disposal, I don’t think the Vikings can contain Drew Brees over the course of an entire football game.

In what could be a shootout, home field advantage will come into play.  Adrian Peterson hasn’t topped 100 yards rushing since mid-November, and his yards/carry has been on the decline, so either he’s nursing an injury or is just a little worn down.  Either way, it’s going to make Favre throw plenty.  That hasn’t been a problem most of the season, but this time around, I see the Saints winning the turnover battle and subsequently the game.

The all important question is will the Saints cover the 3.5 points.  Yes, yes they will.  Payton’s schemes will befuddle the Vikes and New Orleans will put up a handful of TDs as they advance toward a matchup with the Colts in a couple weeks.

TJC’s pick: New Orleans (-3.5)

According to several reports, Jay Cutler is being allowed to interview, or at least talk with, potential offensive coordinators for the Bears.  The argument is that a franchise quarterback should feel comfortable with the guy calling the plays.  I agree with the logic of the statement, but what needs to be examined is whether Jay Cutler is really a franchise quarterback.

While the term itself is subjective, it would suggest that the quarterback has the talent, and it’s the rest of team that is bringing the success of the franchise down.  Boost up the surrounding talent, and the quarterback will confidently lead the team in prolific winning history, right?

It’s too much to ask each “franchise” quarterback to win a Super Bowl every year when surrounded by a good team because it’s just not possible – the competition may boast similar talent, injuries or bad luck can play a role, etc.  However, leading a playoff-caliber team to the second week of the NFL Playoffs is certainly a simple request of a franchise quarterback and his talented team, so let’s see how Cutler fares against the 8 starting quarterbacks still in the hunt for the Super Bowl this year.  Remember, to be fair, we are not comparing Cutler and the Bears (admittedly less talented than the 8 remaining teams), but rather Cutler on each current playoff team vs. their current quarterback.

Let’s start in the AFC:

Indianapolis: No one in their right mind would take Cutler over Peyton Manning for this squad, and it’s been said to me by some readers that a comparison isn’t even fair (which only points to Cutler’s mediocrity).

Advantage: Peyton Manning

San Diego: The Chargers have plenty of weapons, and while Cutler would possibly succeed with receivers like Jackson, Gates, etc., Philip Rivers has been doing it as well as could be expected.

Advantage: Philip Rivers

Baltimore: Joe Flacco seems to have a knack to succeed when called upon.  On a team with a strong defense and an impressive running game, Flacco has been able to light it up when needed (first half of the season) or reign it in and play conservatively if that’s what the playbook calls for.  Basically, he has managed the games well this season, giving his team the best chance to win.  Even if you believe Cutler has more raw talent than Flacco (read: can throw farther), there’s no denying that Flacco is the better fit for this team which can’t afford numerous mistakes from the QB position.

Advantage: Joe Flacco

New York: A special season by corner Darrelle Revis and a dominating running game of late has given the Jets new life in the second half.  Unlike Flacco, when Mark Sanchez has been asked to do more, the results have often been disastrous.  Cutler would fare better with this crew.

Advantage: Jay Cutler

Now on to the NFC

New Orleans: Drew Brees has been keeping himself in unbelievable shape both mentally and physically, using every weapon available on the field.  Even Manning or Brady couldn’t do more with this talented group.

Advantage: Drew Brees

Minnesota: Brett Favre may be aging, but there’s no one on Earth that would choose Jay Cutler over Brett Favre to lead a playoff caliber team to victory.  Favre tends to get the most out of marginal talent with potential, while Cutler’s biggest weakness is propelling the average teammate into something valuable.

Advantage: Brett Favre

Dallas: The defense has been leading the charge lately, but Tony Romo has dismissed the naysayers but escaping trouble and winning big in December (and now January).  Cutler fans are still waiting for their shining moment.  Until then, no one would take Cutler’s arm over Romo’s whole package.

Advantage: Tony Romo

Arizona: With the Cardinals’ defense being hit or miss lately and a running game dependent on a guy named Beanie, Kurt Warner has been called on to throw up points as quickly as he did in the “Greatest Show on Turf.”  Warner hasn’t disappointed, and his accuracy when it matters most puts him far ahead of Cutler.

Advantage: Kurt Warner

This comparison isn’t totally fair to Jay Cutler because in many cases, these playoff teams have catered to their current QB’s strengths, making Cutler an odd replacement regardless of talent.  However, on a level playing field of any kind (poor team, average team, playoff team, etc.), it’s hard to argue taking Cutler over anyone other than Mark Sanchez (and possibly Flacco for you Cutler lovers out there).

In other words, even if the talent on the Bears ascends to the level of the current playoff teams, Chicago will still be the underdog with Cutler at the helm.  When that occurs under just about any playoff scenario, you can’t really call him a franchise quarterback, can you?