advertisement

Time to clean house at Halas Hall

When the Bears acquired Jay Cutler from Denver, I was very worried because if the Broncos didn't want Cutler in his prime, then why did the Chicago Bears?

The Cutler apologists have to be embarrassed today. And not only because of his play, because I think most people now know Cutler is a tier B quarterback with an ordinary game. No, it's because they were convinced he was a team guy with a new attitude and deserved a big-money contract.

Please, most fans knew it was all part of an act. But in fairness, Cutler is not the main culprit for this mess.

No, that honor falls to the team's esteemed general manager, Phil Emery, who actually had a great set of skill position players except at quarterback.

He knew Cutler, with a record of 1-8 going into this season, couldn't beat the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers, so what did he decide to do? He gave Cutler a $54 million contract!

Like a lot of you, I've been watching the Bears brass operate for many years, but this one takes the cake.

Emery signed a B quarterback, and then hired a D+ head coach. Most everyone will agree that Marc Trestman is a very nice man, who started off well, but when he made the choice along with management to make the underperforming Cutler filthy rich, he sealed his own fate.

Cutler, Emery and Trestman should be sent packing, along with 10 to 12 players who gave up Sunday night. I'd rather start from scratch and build a team, but the Bears always seem to make the wrong decisions.

Don't forget, Emery chose Trestman over Bruce Arians, who is coaching the Arizona Cardinals (8-1).

Al Michaels, now at NBC, reminded us all that Cutler was involved in the process of choosing the head coach. His knowledge of who should be the Bears coach strikes at the heart of the problem.

I'm sure Ben Roethlisberger wasn't always the biggest fan of Todd Haley, the offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Guess what? Big Ben had to live with the hire and they are "in a groove right now," as Big Ben said last Thursday.

Cutler favored Trestman, and that decision has left this team with a 3-6 record.

Here's the bad part as I see it. Bears fans aren't Cutler fans no matter which Jay we get - bad Jay or good Jay. Bears fans are used to surly QB's. Jim McMahon was a bigger tool than Cutler, except McMahon was better and smarter and wanted to win.

Sometimes I get the impression Cutler could care less. The field general mopes and yawns and sits by himself, while other quarterbacks sit with their teams and show passion.

One more parting thought - why were the Bears still playing Cutler when it was 35-0? Why not play another QB, such as backup Jimmy Clausen? He may be better, and I know he's cheaper.

Program notes:

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.

• 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.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.