When Jay Cutler was traded to Chicago, there was an instant line drawn in the proverbial sand. Everyone from professional sports writers to the most casual of fans had opinions. Those who wanted to argue it was a bad move for the Bears had several points. Some of them were valid, but one of them in particular always drove me bonkers. "Who is he going to throw to?" "He's going to hate life without Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal." Etc.
We were treated to some derivative of this rendition at every turn from those in the anti-Jay camp. It's not that I believe a quarterback is the only reason receivers play well (see Calvin Johnson for evidence they can thrive without one), but I firmly believe quarterbacks make receivers more so than receivers make quarterbacks. You can't make Josh McCown into a superstar by providing him with Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson. On the other hand, you can make Brandon Stokley into a 1,000-yard, 10-touchdown receiver with Peyton Manning.
After two weeks, we're seeing the beginning stages of my vindication. It's admittedly a small sample, but the numbers are taking shape and it's not pretty for Royal and Marshall.
Royal had 91 catches for 980 yards and 5 touchdowns last season. He got two bombs (59 and 93 yards, respectively). This year, with new quarterback Kyle Orton, Royal has just 5 catches for 38 yards in two games. His longest catch has gone for 11 yards.
Marshall had 206 catches and over 2,500 yards the previous two seasons with Cutler. In 2009, he's caught just 7 balls for 61 yards. His yards per reception average is down almost four yards. His yards per game average is down more than 50 yards. Granted, he's been in the doghouse, but he hasn't exactly lit the world on fire when in the game.
Meanwhile, in Chicago, the Bears have seen Devin Hester, Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox post better stat-lines.
Entering the season, the Bears were maligned for having a "glorified punt returner" masquerading as their top receiver. Through two games, Hester has made 8 catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. He's drastically improved his route running and made some solid catches underneath -- meaning he's not just a deep threat.
Bennett, a third round draft pick in 2008 who didn't make a single catch as a rookie, has already amassed 9 catches for 88 yards.
Knox was a fifth round pick by the Bears this season -- 139 players were chosen before Knox. He's already accrued 8 catches for 152 yards and a touchdown (which tied the game in the fourth quarter against Pittsburgh). He caught a 68-yard bomb in Week 1 which would have been the longest completed pass of Orton's Chicago career.
Sure, two weeks is an incredibly small sample, but it's easy to see that Cutler had a big hand in making Royal and Marshall and he's already having a similar effect in Chicago. Meanwhile, "Captain Checkdown" is killing Royal and Marshall's value while hammering the underneath routes of Stokley, Jabar Gaffney and Daniel Graham. That may cut it against the Browns, but it sure won't against most of the rest of the league.
We heard similar "who's he gonna throw to?" arguments about the New York Giants with Eli Manning losing Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress. Yet he seemed to handle the passing attack just fine Sunday night with Mario Manningham and Steve Smith.
As for the wins and losses argument -- which was another that drove me nuts -- give it a few more weeks. The Bears just beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, the Broncos won one game on the flukiest play we've seen in years and another by taking down arguably the worst team in football at home. They are hardly world-beaters with Orton at the helm. After a trip to Oakland, where it won't be easy, the Broncos get the Cowboys, Patriots, Chargers, Ravens and Steelers. Thus, it would appear Denver should savor their early success while they still can. If the Broncos romp through those games with a winning record, I'll admit I was wrong about Orton. Until then, save it.
Meanwhile, Cutler and the Bears get the Seahawks (without Matt Hasselbeck) and Lions before heading to their bye. As long as they play the way they did Sunday and not how they did in Green Bay, the Cutler era will be off to a great start.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-22-2009 @ 5:03PM
CASPeR said...
Snyder, I am more desperate in FF than I have ever been. I'm 0-2. My top 5 draft picks scored less than 20pts combined in week2. I had McNabb, but luckily a friend in the league has loaned me Warner. Here is my team as of right now:
1st year my 4-keeper league has been in existence. Everything else is default flea flicker rules. 12-team. my team: QBs Warner, Hasselbeck.
RBs: Portis, Forte, cadillac, jamal lewis, w. parker.
WRs: Reggie Wayne, E. Royal, H. Ward, T. Ginn, S. Breaston.
TE/TM/K: Shiancoe, Packers, J. Carney.
Available on the waivers: L. Robinson, J. Edelman, c. buckhalter, k. kolb, Mike Sims-walker, johnny knox, Leftwich, Justin Gage, Ben Watson, D. Henderson, C. Stuckey, Mike Bell, Glenn Coffee. plz help me. anyone else on the waivers I should search for?
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9-22-2009 @ 6:49PM
Matt Snyder said...
Casper:
You'll start getting some points out of Forte in the next few weeks, so that should help.
None of those options upgrade you a great deal. I'd take a look at Buckhalter in place of Jamal Lewis, but Lewis is still going to get more carries.
Your best bet might be to try and trade Eddie Royal, Willie Parker and Clinton Portis for some better players. There are probably a bunch of owners ready to buy those guys "low," but I'd rather move them for better parts at this point -- after what we've seen from them thus far.
9-23-2009 @ 1:20PM
LA26 said...
I'd recommend Laurent Robinson from the Rams.
With Donnie Avery's continued trouble with coughing up the ball in important situations Bulger has been looking to Laurent more often.
9-22-2009 @ 9:27PM
Bears0492 said...
Nice article
Captain Checkdown is trash in Denver. I hate how all the Broncos fans are going to talk about how Kyle Orton is 2 - 0 while Cutler is 1 - 1, even though Orton has done little other than throw the ball to running backs and receivers. The Broncos defense led by Mike Nolan are the real heroes in Denver. Once they beat a team that didn't have a top 10 pick in the 2009 draft, I'll give Orton and the bronocs some credit.
Oh, and I agree with you/JA. The quarterback makes the receiver, not the other way around. Great examples, too.
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9-24-2009 @ 11:23AM
soulcitysigma1914 said...
It's been two games Snyder. Eventually, Cutler's diaper rash is going to resurface. And when defenses finally familiarize themselves with the Bears new style of offensive play and gameplan better, those stats are going to dry up a bit (remember when Derek Anderson looked like the second the coming of Dan Marino for a few weeks before defenses got a hang of his play, or how Tom Brady and the 2007 Patriots weren't blowing teams out as much in the second half of the season). Plus, as you said, Hester has improved his route running and is a more well-rounded receiver, that has nada to do Cutler, if Hester were in 2008 form, Cutler wouldn't be able to do much with that, we couldn't predict when we stated that Cutler didn't have receiving options that once of his options would have a ten-fold improvement in basic skills.
You oversimplify the "QB making WRs or WRs making QBs" argument. Tom Brady certainly wasn't able to make a star out of Reche Caldwell, and I'm sorry but Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce (and now Larry Fitz, Boldin and Breaston) made Kurt Warner, he looked horrible in New York while he was there. But actually, and here is where you are oversimplifying, a lot of it also has to do with the system. In a Mike Martz system, for instance, Jon Kitna looks really good at QB and Shaun McDonald is a nearly 1000-yard reciver. The Bears do not and will not employ a creative passing system, so once defenses get the hang of Cutler's new digs and break it down, they are going to shut that down. Normally it wouldn't matter as long as Forte keeps running and the Bears rack up those W's. But Cutler is going to get to crying again and cause additional headaches for the team once things aren't so happylandish, and that's why he shouldn't have been brought into an environment where he has suspect receivers.
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9-24-2009 @ 11:57AM
Matt Snyder said...
I didn't oversimplify anything. I never said it was a hard and fast rule. In fact, I had several disclaimer-type statements about it being a small sample size and that none of the QB:WR stuff was cut-and-dry. I just said the QBs have more to do with the WRs than the opposite effect...and it was a personal opinion.
You can bring up Caldwell for Brady, but how much better did Randy Moss and Wes Welker do with Brady than with bad QBs?
And on Kurt Warner ... what about how Matt Leinart struggled in Arizona before Warner showed up?
I can pick and choose examples to argue my side, too, you see.
It's all coming from a standpoint of bias. You obviously hate Cutler and think he's going to suck. I disagree. We can load up on examples to prove our point all we want.
I will say this: If you think Orton goes on to have a more successful career than Cutler before it's all said and done, you haven't watched enough of Orton.
9-24-2009 @ 11:54PM
soulcitysigma1914 said...
i didn't make my point well, which is why you made it back to me and offered it as a counterpoint. WR makes QB or QB makes WR is a chicken-or-egg-first argument, that is what i was trying to say. A good WR is worthless without a good QB (see Carolina's steve smith and david carr) but a good QB is also worthless without good receivers (see brady with caldwell as his no. 1).
you have to have both a good QB and good receiving options or it doesn't work, just as you have to have both light and CO2 for photosynthesis to take place; both are essential ingredients. So, back to my earlier comment, it doesn't matter if you have Orton or Cutler as the QB if the team is winning, playing good defense, and running the ball effectively. But if the Bears are losing and these things aren't happening and Orton is your QB, he's going to try to rebound with the team and still try to lead it. If those things aren't happening and Cutler is your QB, he's going to start crying about his receiving options and being a pain in the butt in the locker the room and and for the coaches, and he's going to get all diva-ish with it and he's going to take a struggling team into a further downward spiral. I'm a Carolina fan, I know. The reason Jake Delhomme is still there despite the fact that the panthers can't muster back to back winning seasons and he plays horribly and inconsistently is because he leads, he takes responsibility, and he doesn't cause headaches for coaches w/ his attitude, he actually helps them out in tough times. Cutler will not be that type of guy
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9-29-2009 @ 12:07AM
karrumbaa said...
So its better to have a 'leader' than actually win? Orton caused the Bears to lose three times last year simply by going three and out the entire second half til the Defense ran out of gas and got beat late in the game. Don't see Cutler doing that. If I ever see 2 yard pass after 2 yard pass again I may have to quit football. Its terribly painful. Bears QB's have been masters of getting 4 yards when six were needed.
The Bears are light years ahead with Cutler. Orton is a decent backup, but he is simply not the type you win championships with. I'll take my chances on Cutler.
9-25-2009 @ 12:09AM
jimimorrison187 said...
Here's to hoping Johnny Knox becomes a massive sleeper pick up this year. He already is for me since he got the kick return job and we give 1 for 20 kick return yards :D.
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