The pressure is on Jay Cutler, not just Marc Trestman.
The Chicago Bears decision to hire Trestman as their head coach Wednesday morning is a risky move designed to get the most out of Cutler?s potential as a quarterback. Risky because no matter who coaches Cutler, he may be a quarterback who never becomes as good as his talent suggests.
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That has been the case so far during Cutler's seven-year career. Cutler has only been to the playoffs once. He has never had a season in which his passer rating topped 88.1. That was in 2007 with the Broncos. His tenure in Chicago has been marked by too many interceptions, too many temper tantrums and not enough production.
You can blame Cutler's inconsistency on the Bears' offensive line. You can blame the different offensive coordinators Cutler has been forced to deal with. You can blame Lovie Smith, who was fired after a 10-win season, with the Bears citing Smith's shortcomings as an offensive coach.
Trestman has been labeled a quarterback guru, but the decision to fire Smith only pays off if Cutler gets better and the Bears improve. Rich Gannon won an MVP in 2002 under Trestman's guidance when he was the Oakland Raiders' offensive coordinator. Steve Young, a Hall of Fame quarterback, also sings Trestman's praises from their days working together when Trestman was the San Francisco 49ers' coordinator.
There is no reason to doubt Trestman's credentials with quarterbacks. If he's that good, we should see more consistency from Cutler.
If not, the Bears will regret firing Smith. His record over the past three seasons was 29-19 and Smith had the support of a locker room that never fractured under his leadership.
Offensive-minded coaches are being hired left and right this offseason, but defense still matters. Of the four coaches left in the playoffs, three of them have defensive backgrounds ? Bill Belichick, Mike Smith and John Harbaugh, who was a defensive back in college. He was a special teams and defensive backs coach with the Philadelphia Eagles before becoming the Baltimore Ravens' head coach.
Chicago missed the playoffs five of the last six seasons, which is the strongest case you can make to support Smith's firing. But Smith is one of the NFL's top defensive coaches. Smith went to a Super Bowl with Rex Grossman as his quarterback. Face it, that's pretty impressive.
The Bears traded for Cutler in 2009, believing he could lead them back to a Super Bowl. General manager Phil Emery has continued to make bold moves trying to help Cutler. Last offseason, Emery traded for wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who delivered an All-Pro season. Emery also signed running back Matt Forte to a long-term deal and took wide receiver Alshon Jeffery in the second round of last year's draft.
Now it's time for Cutler to raise his game. Other quarterbacks are passing him. Three rookie quarterbacks led their teams to the playoffs this season. Colin Kaepernick could be going to a Super Bowl in his first season as a starter.
Joe Flacco has taken plenty of heat during his tenure with the Ravens. So has Matt Ryan for his playoff failures before this season. But do you think the Ravens would trade Flacco for Cutler? How about the Falcons trading Ryan for Cutler? No way.
Emery conducted an extensive coaching search, reportedly interviewing at least 13 candidates before settling on Trestman. The Bears finally have a new head coach. Now, Trestman needs to create a new Cutler.
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