When former staffers from one deposed NFL regime blast a player, you take notice, but don't go too far overboard in your attempts to glean real, honest, hard truth from it.
When two separate sets of former staffers of deposed NFL regimes from the same organization blast the same player, you sit up and take notice.
Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler - he of the paunchy face and sad, doe eyes - has now come under fire from anonymous sources connected to both the Lovie Smith and Marc Trestman regimes in the Windy City.
"At least 10 former Chicago Bears staffers from the Lovie Smith and Marc Trestman regimes said recently they believe the team can't consistently compete for championships as long as it fields a lineup with Jay Cutler under center," writes Michael C. Wright of ESPN.
New Bears head coach John Fox and GM Ryan Pace have not publicly stated their allegiance to Cutler for next season or beyond. $10 million of his 2016 salary becomes guaranteed if he is on the roster March 12.
"We're going to take our time on this," Pace said, per Wright. "We really have until mid-March. We're going to maximize that time and make thorough decisions through this whole process."
Based on Wright's report though, the Bears would be doing the team and their fans a disservice to move ahead with Cutler as "the guy."
"Two teammates, who also asked to remain anonymous for this story, characterized Cutler as a divisive figure with whom they'd rather not continue to play," while one former staffer told Wright that the Bears could, in fact, win with Cutler, but only so long as they "handcuff him to the system."
According to Wright, in speaking to these formers Bears employees, the words "rogue" and "renegade" often surfaced in connection with his ability to play within a specific offensive scheme.
Other staffers believed that the team too-often has chosen to cater to Cutler's needs and has lost many games because of it.
"One staffer said that while Cutler was injured and Josh McCown was flourishing as the replacement in 2013, there was a significant faction in the locker room that believed the latter should've remained the starter. Another coach said that fairly early in the 2014 season, it was apparent the team had made two mistakes: (1) not re-signing McCown, and (2) continuing to stand behind Cutler after it was clear he was not going to consistently operate within the confines of Trestman's offense," Wright reveals.
It seems, based on the hiring of Adam Gase as offensive coordinator and Dowell Loggains as quarterback's coach - two men with whom Cutler reportedly has close, personal ties - Fox and Pace are prepared to give him the keys to the offense for at least one more season.
With the continuous questioning of his leadership and overall quarterbacking abilities though, it may be Cutler's final chance to prove his worth to the Chicago Bears organization.
