Cutler's Attitude Still Takes Center Stage After Bears Win

By Chuck Sudo in News on Oct 2, 2012 8:40PM

Watching Jay Cutler on the sidelines during Bears games is going to be a recurring theme for sportswriters this season; we may as well sit back and enjoy the ride.

The latest collective evaluation of Cutler’s mindset took place during the second quarter of last night’s win against Dallas. Cutler, upset he didn’t receive a play from offensive coordinator Mike Tice in a timely fashion, walked to the sideline and took a seat on the bench with Tice glued to him closer than his own shadow. When Tice tried to talk with Cutler, the quarterback got up and walked away while Tice was in mid-gruntsentence. ESPN’s cameras caught the incident in full. (Video is below.)

Pundits, analysts and drunks calling into postgame shows had their red meat, tore into it with gusto and blasted Cutler for his attitude and his lack of respect toward Tice. (Our radio dial has been locked in on WSCR-AM all day and the braying hadn’t died down yet.) Sun-Times columnist Rick Morrissey wrote that Bears fans would forgive Cutler his fits of petulance “if he delivered (wins) with more frequency.” NBC Chicago’s Maggie Hendricks wrote, “Even if we did know what both men were saying, it would still look bad. Getting up and walking away from someone who is trying to talk to you is not usually a sign of respect,” before noting that Cutler and Tice were BFFs as the clock wound down to seal the win.

Cutler played dumb to media after the game.

“It wasn’t about anything," Cutler said. "I don’t have to sit by him the whole game do I?

"No (I wasn’t upset). What are we looking for here? I know we’ve got to sell papers, but ... I mean, we can’t read into everything. You guys have got to sell papers and it’s hard out there. But we can’t blow up every headline. Things happen in football games. Just because I walk off and go get water, that doesn’t mean much."

Tice won’t be able to speak about the incident until Wednesday, when Bears coaches meet with the press but one can be certain he isn’t going to rock the boat and risk seeing Angry Cutler Derp Face. Maybe Morrissey is right and more wins and 140 passer ratings will make the Malort that is Cutler’s attitude go down smoother. Three years into the Cutler Era, however, it looks like nothing short of a Super Bowl win will keep Bears fans from writing off Cutler as a Jeff George for the early 21st century.