Rozner: Bears still searching for locker room leaders

When a season has gone this wrong, the players are always last to understand that it's over and least likely to admit it's hopeless.

But the Bears were keenly aware Thursday afternoon in Detroit that the 2014 season is history, and those who weren't got the message through media inquiries.

Asked how they will play out the season, quarterback Jay Cutler said, "I think with the guys we have, and character and integrity of the guys, I don't think anybody's going to quit. I think the coaches won't let us. They're not going to quit on us."

And then Cutler made an admission, almost certainly unaware, when he added, "I think the leaders of the team will make sure that we finish this right."

Frankly, it's exhausting to have to criticize Cutler every week. This season is not entirely on him, but he has contributed more than anyone this side of Marc Trestman.

Still, it is odd to hear him to discuss "the leaders of the team" as though he is not one of them, referring to others in the locker room.

But the truth is he isn't one of the leaders of the team, and something that's been a big problem in the past has grown exponentially this season.

Like it or not, the quarterback is the most important player on the team. He has the ball in his hands on every offensive play, and in an offensive league the QB - more than any other player - determines a team's success or failure.

Like it or not, his demeanor when his team is behind or struggling sends a message to the rest of the squad. Similarly, in the rare moments that Cutler seems to have a pulse, it makes a difference.

"Jay being excited and fired up is always awesome to see," said second-year guard Kyle Long. "It's contagious."

Like it or not, teams are made up of mostly followers and a few leaders, and when the guy who is supposed to be your best player is a follower, the rest of the bunch doesn't know from whom to take their cues.

Like it or not, the best players in the NFL are also tremendous leaders of men, like Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, with younger players like Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck growing quickly into those roles.

Teams of great character can survive without that direction from the QB position if they have a particularly strong coach or a locker room filled with great men, but when they don't there's a void and the followers have no one to follow.

So where did they turn in the Bears' locker room this season as it spiraled out of control?

Generally, you look to the highest-paid and older players, but on the Bears that is a big pile of nothing.

Brandon Marshall is the second-highest-paid player on the Bears, but when he speaks it's usually more distraction than inspiration.

Next is Matt Forte, who makes his statements with his play and has earned every dollar this year, but he's on the quiet side.

Lance Briggs is high up on the list, but he's been both bad and injured, and he openly admitted that when he was hurt early in the season he wasn't even paying attention in meetings. Not the kind of leadership one would expect from a player of his tenure and stature.

Jared Allen's illness and lack of performance for most of the season made him something of a mystery, so it's not like he would get anyone's attention if he stood up in the middle of the room and tried to criticize effort or fire up teammates.

Martellus Bennett has attempted to play the part at times, but he's so often goofy and sometimes selfish that it probably has a minimal effect.

The emerging presence in the room belongs to Kyle Long, who had tried to be respectful of his elders but during the latter part of this season has taken on a much louder voice, filling the void that should have been occupied by much older and wealthier teammates.

Look for Long to move to tackle this year or next - it should have happened already - and become even more vocal as this season trudges to an end.

"It's been really frustrating," Forte said after Thursday's defeat. "It's just frustrating because (of) the talent we have on our team. We are definitely underachieving.

"A few guys have to do some soul searching for the rest of the season and plan how they want to play the rest of these games."

With all due respect to a player who deserves no criticism, it's a little late for that.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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