Smith comes to Cutler’s defense

Thursday it was head coach Lovie Smith vouching for Jay Cutler’s character after teammates Greg Olsen and Matt Forte had done so a day earlier.

Asked if he wished his quarterback were more fan friendly, Smith demurred.

“Fan friendly?” Smith said. “He is fan-friendly. When people have opinions about somebody based on some expressions or something like that ... but fan friendly, I wouldn’t use that at all. I don’t think you could find many people who would say that Jay isn’t fan friendly.

“He’s a great teammate. That has to be coming from people who don’t really know, who assume. I don’t know what you guys talk about.”

A day earlier, Smith had addressed questions about Cutler’s mediocre won-lost record as a starter.

It’s been nine years since Cutler played in a postseason game or on a winning team, and that was at Heritage Hills High School in Lincoln City, Ind. He’s heard about it ever since the Bears won their ninth game on Dec.5, clinching a winning record.

“It didn’t bother me,” Cutler said. “I’m probably not the first quarterback who hasn’t been to the playoffs in the first (four) years, and I probably won’t be the last. We’re in a good situation now. We’ve just got to take advantage of it.”

Cutler’s record as a starter in the NFL is 34-34, but that’s not a poor reflection on him according to Smith. Cutler is 17-14 as a Bear.

“He’s been a winner since Day One,” Smith said. “Sometimes getting into the playoffs, that doesn’t work for whatever reason. I can’t go back and really know everything that’s gone on with him. But he’s been a winner for us.”

And now, according to Smith, Cutler is right where he belongs.

“We’ve lost some games, and you’d like to have some things back,” the coach said. “But Jay should be leading a playoff team because he does everything you want a quarterback to do. He can make every throw you want him to make, and he’s a tough guy. He’s run at the perfect time this year and we don’t have any complaints.”