Why you can't call Cutler an elite quarterback

The Bears won their game Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, it was a carnival atmosphere on Monday as everyone - including me - was impressed and couldn't stop talking about the victory.

Shouldn't we just have said it was only one great game?

Instead, everyone went overboard, touting Jay Cutler as fantastic - an elite quarterback with great leadership.

After the dust has settled going into Week 3 of the NFL season, however, the Bears are just 1-1.

While I'm excited about the victory, I want to caution everyone not to overreact. We do it as much with a loss as with a win, but it's not good to do on either end of the spectrum.

I read many different accounts and publications on Monday and the usual cast of characters was tweeting or writing about how Cutler proved Sunday he was an elite quarterback. The accolades being bandied about were over the top, such as comparing his leadership with the all-time greats.

Some of those same people wrote the Chicago Bulls were doing the right thing by sitting Derrick Rose the first time he was hurt, and then last year said that once Cutler had recovered from his injuries he should replace Josh McCown, who had performed so well.

Neither situation worked out, but nary a word was said.

Now they are saying Cutler is an elite QB, and I'm here to say he isn't.

That doesn't mean he can't lead the Bears to a Super Bowl. Heck, Rex Grossman did that with help from a lot of friends.

I think Cutler is the weak link of the skill positions on the team. Some people might disagree, but that's how I see it.

If Jay Cutler is an elite quarterback, what should Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers be considered? Super elite or superstar quarterbacks?

I know it's fun to speculate, but I we can't put Cutler in that category. He's very capable but his inconsistencies don't spell elite to me. Just when you think he has everything down pat, he plays a poor game. We never seem to know which Jay Cutler will show up on Sunday.

Defensively, the Bears played a physical game, forcing Colin Kaepernick into committing 4 turnovers and changing the game in the fourth quarter.

We know the Bears defense isn't an elite one, but if they can put together more games like they did against the 49ers, then the Bears have a shot.

Hey I was wrong; I picked the Bears to lose 31-23 but so did almost everybody else. The team's play is unpredictable. Against Buffalo they looked horrible and the next week they looked good enough to go to the playoffs.

Expectations are high this week as they play the New York Jets on Monday night on the road. I'm expecting a Bears' win, 24- 20.

Program notes

Make sure to watch me and Dan Jiggetts - a monsters reunion - on WCIU at 6:30 p.m. Monday night for the Bears pre game show. Follow me on Twitter@ north2north, and listen to Fox Sports Daybreak with Andy Furman and myself from 5-8 a.m. Monday through Friday on Fox Sports radio, and check me out on iHeart radio or Foxsportsradio.com.

• Mike North's column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.