Chicago Bears head coach John Fox labeled his team's quarterback situation "all an open competition" Wednesday at the NFL owners meetings when asked if there was a chance that Jay Cutler would have to compete for the starting job.
"I would say logically if you are looking at the depth chart and you are asking me for it two weeks before we can really get anything going, I'd say he'd be first on the depth chart, yeah," Fox said. "Obviously you've got to start somewhere and my experience in football and really anything is that it's not where you start the race, it's where you finish it. We have to start the race with some kind of lineup, and we have not discussed that in depth. We have not presented it to our players in depth. I think it's important for them to see it maybe more than you guys. I've had guys who were third on the depth chart that by the time we started the opener were first. I can't tell you what's happening. If I could I'd be at some racetrack somewhere."
Regardless of how Fox phrases it, it's obvious that Cutler will be first up for the Bears. The talented yet embattled QB set Chicago's single-season record last year for completions (370) and posted career highs in completion percentage (66.0) and passing touchdowns (28). However, Cutler also led the league in turnovers and the Bears ranked 21st in yards per game (327.1) and 23rd in scoring offense (19.9). That's far too low for a team with such impressive skill position players.
Cutler is entering the second-season of a seven-year contract that will pay him a total of $126.7 million when all is said in done. With a contract like that, it's no wonder that his benching last year and the current uncertainty at quarterback in Chicago is such a big deal. But Fox identified one area in which he thinks he can help Cutler.
"I think maybe he got to a point [last season] where he lacked confidence. He has to build that back up, and it's going to take time," Fox said. But the coaching staff can help with that.
"Football-wise, there are things you can do in coaching; playing defense, playing complementary football is going to be something that helps," he said. "I liken it a little bit, and not being critical to Tony Romo. I know he's a tremendous competitor. I thought he had one of his better seasons a year ago, and with success comes confidence. I'm not going to be critical of last year. I wasn't here last year. I had my own problems. I know this: Unless something good happens, it's hard to have confidence. Our job is going to be building that confidence. I've seen him have success; maybe not super recently, but in spurts, in sections of his career. Now, like anybody, it's becoming more consistent with that success."
Cutler's primary competition will likely come from veteran backup Jimmy Clausen. Fox was the head coach in Carolina when the Panthers drafted Clausen in the second round. The rookie QB at the time started ten games for the Panthers and the team finished 2-14, leading to Fox's firing.
Fox did not rule out adding another quarterback in the upcoming draft, in which the Bears hold the No. 7 overall pick, but new general manager Ryan Pace prefers to take the best player available regardless of position.
"Ryan has the approach, which I'm on board with, of taking the best available player," Fox said. "We're sitting there at No. 7. I'm not sure what could happen with that, but we'll look at the best available player. I think quarterback is a unique position. I've been places where we took one just about every year, whether it was a college free agent or late in the draft, early in the draft or middle of the draft."
