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Cutler should have grabbed some bench

The question never came up after the Bears' 17-14 loss to the Redskins.

Not to Bears head coach Lovie Smith. Not to quarterback Jay Cutler. Not to anyone that I heard.

So maybe it's just me but, my goodness, didn't the Bears' coaching staff at least have to consider replacing Cutler in the fourth quarter Sunday?

Actually, didn't the Bears have to send in backup Caleb Hanie, he of little experience, to try to win a game that Cutler clearly wasn't going to win?

All the reasons not to are evident starting with Smith no doubt repeating to himself on the sideline, “Jay is our quarterback … Jay is our quarterback …”

Also, substituting Cutler with Hanie isn't exactly pulling Joe Montana for Steve Young.

Still, sorry, while Jay indeed is the Bears' quarterback, he isn't Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. As for Hanie, not even a youth-league quarterback could have come in and played worse than Cutler was playing.

Believe it or not, this is coming from a Cutler supporter. But on this day, and on too many like it since the Bears acquired him, he wasn't good enough to win a game that looked like the other team didn't want.

Almost every play by either team during a long stretch of the second half resulted in a fumble, interception, missed field goal, penalty or Cutler completion off cornerback LeRon Landry's head into offensive tackle Chris Williams' hands.

Discombobulating opponents seems to be the Redskins' strategy. They scored 13, 17 and 16 points in their previous 3 victories over Dallas, Philadelphia and Green Bay.

The Bears plunged right into the muddle by turning the ball over on five straight possessions and six of seven.

It was clear that if the Bears could score, say, a mere 20 points they would beat Washington. However, their quarterback seemed to be operating a prevent offense.

All of Cutler's 4 interceptions came in the second half, as did his lost fumble on a quarterback sneak from the Redskins' 1-yard line.

Maybe not all of the interceptions were Cutler's fault. Everybody the quarterback, wide receivers, offensive line, offensive coordinator and head coach all are under suspicion.

However, the ball is in Cutler's hands. If a hitter hits a home run, there's no doubt the pitcher threw the pitch.

“I'll take them all,” Cutler said when asked how many of the interceptions were his fault. “We blew the game offensively. Most of that falls on my shoulders.”

Certainly it does. Cutler wasn't destined to prevail in this game. Not the way he was playing, he wasn't, so why not try even a Caleb Hanie?

The Bears are quick to defend Cutler because a quarterback's psyche does have to be handled with care. So Smith said, “I know Jay was trying to win the football game as much as anyone out there.”

Trying and doing are different. Soldier Field fans recognized the difference and booed as the gaffes mounted.

Remember, Cutler threw 26 interceptions last season and was on his way to 5 turnovers against the Redskins. If it was ever going to happen, this would have been a good time to spank him and send him to his room.

It's all right to give a quarterback an unlimited budget of turnovers but not all right for him to exceed it.