I am not one to echo the idea that some players or teams want to win more or play harder. I think the Bears this past Sunday tried to play hard and wanted a win, but it appeared they just could not get their motors going. Although it is difficult to stay enthralled when being browbeat by a team who is dominating you physically in all phases of the game. Even when the game started the Bengals seemed to relish the challenge of a big game, while the Bears did not seem very thrilled about getting their hands dirty.
Now blaming one player is unfair, because so many different dynamics are happening in a locker room, and I truly believe any player can be in a winning organization if put in right position (A-Rod this season). Looking at Jay Cutler this Sunday however gave me the impression of a completely lethargic presence. He was giving off Terrell Owens like vibes, while his team was being completely thrashed by a team that has had the attitude of an underdog each week. It is understandable that a player might become forlorn after throwing three picks and having to watch three quarters without any real hope of winning. What really bothers me about his presence is the clips of after each interception him not being upset with himself, but throwing his arms in the air giving the impression that the receiver or his line or something else is really to blame. Which could be completely true but it appears he is separating himself from the struggles his team is having.
My thinking on the subject of a player coming to a franchise as the “savior” much like Jay Cutler has been labeled in Chicago, is that once the initial excitement of getting a major upgrade to your team wears off the downsides, which where glossed over during the honeymoon period, seem to be magnified. Not only by the fans, but by teammates and perhaps even the player itself who could have bought the hype as much as anyone. So suddenly the player being human becomes a flaw that is resented by both the player and his teammates.
Cedric Benson on the other hand came out with a do anything to win approach, and although he might have had a little extra motivation because he was playing his old team, the Bengals have been doing this almost every week so far this season. This is a team that did not bring in any big names, and actually lost one of their biggest stars, this season but have already won more games than last year and are tied for the division lead.
A perfect example of the hero verses the non-hero expectations and their effects on a team, was given in Brett Favre with the Jets compared to Brett Favre with the Vikings. When the Jets signed Farve he automatically made them a Super Bowl contender even though they were coming off a four win season….o yeah and look what happened in Miami with Chad Pennington. In Minnesota however, the pieces were in place and he was going to be a steady hand that assisted Adrian Peterson in dismantling opponents. In this role he has really flourished compared to in New York where his shortcomings translated into resentment by many teammates.
There are only a handful of teams that seem to be able to come out with an air of confidence and play almost mechanically and still win on a regular basis; two most notable teams are the Patriots and Colts. They keep their responses even keel for the most part and are good enough that this works even better for them. Unfortunately, the Bears are, as we are learning, nowhere near good enough to adopt this approach.
I know that it is still early in both the season and his career as a Bear to make any kind of rash judgments about what his time in Chicago will entail. His talent is undeniably impressive and he has given the town hope for a sparkling future in football. Still the team, which has completely forged a path away from a running team to a pass happy offense, has not scored more than 17 points except verses Seattle and Detroit. So do not be surprised if Cutler comes out fired up against the Browns next week and throws to the tune of 300 plus yards, but unless things go well early do not expect him to do much of anything that is impressive against solid defenses. This inability or unwillingness to overcome challenges that are not easy will hamper his time with the Bears, but his talent will keep everyone from turning to much of a critical eye upon his play.
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