How Jay Cutler has learned to embrace leadership role

A lot has changed for the Bears since then-general manager Jerry Angelo traded quarterback Kyle Orton, two first-round draft picks and a third-rounder to the Denver Broncos for Jay Cutler and a fifth-round pick April 2, 2009.

A lot has changed for Cutler, as well.

For the Bears, Angelo was fired after the 2011 season and head coach Lovie Smith was gone after the following season. GM Phil Emery and his hand-picked coach, Marc Trestman, came and went. Enter Ryan Pace and John Fox.

Cutler is the only player still around who has survived all three regimes, and "survived" was the operative word for those days.

There were the whopping 26 interceptions Cutler threw in his first season as a Bears quarterback and the punishing 52 sacks he endured the next season. Somehow, the Bears finished that season one game shy of the Super Bowl, although Cutler watched the 21-14 NFC title game loss to the Packers from the sideline with a sprained knee, the severity of which was debated - needlessly - for years.

Cutler has become a better quarterback, though still not in the upper echelon of Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger and Russell Wilson. Where he previously was blamed for seasons that went sideways, he's now seen more as the solution rather than the problem.

Cutler has made better and safer choices, cut his interception rate and posted the three highest passer ratings of his career in the past three seasons, including last year, when he had a career-best 92.3.

But it's not all about numbers. Cutler is a different player because he's embraced a leadership role, a skill he was criticized for lacking in his early years with the Bears.

"He's the leader of our offense," said Dowell Loggains, the sixth offensive coordinator Cutler has worked with in Chicago. "He's the leader of our team. He was voted the captain by his teammates for a reason, and we fully expect him to be the leader of the offense."

It's a role that is automatically bestowed upon quarterbacks because of the nature of the position, but Cutler has grown more comfortable in the role over time. At 33, he's the oldest player on the roster.

"The longer you're in the league and the more you're around the same team and the same guys, you're going to feel that urge to help some guys along and take steps in those leadership roles," Cutler said. "This team, this offense, they make it easy. Everyone is eager to learn. There aren't any egos. Everyone works hard. So, being able to push guys and demand more of guys comes easy."

Pushing guys and demanding more has almost always been something Cutler could do. Now he's more subtle, but not a lot more subtle.

"He's tough on everyone, including me, the O-line, the defense; that's just Jay," wide receiver Alshon Jeffery said. "He's still gonna be Jay. He's still going to have fun. Just work hard. As long as you're doing your job, he's not going to be too hard on you."

There aren't as many leaders in the Bears' locker room as in the past, with the departures of Matt Forte, Mat Slauson and Roberto Garza. New ones are emerging even now, but they don't yet have the wisdom that comes with experience.

"He coaches the whole offense," said Jeremy Langford, one of the team's three running backs, none of whom are older than 24. "He does a great job of controlling the whole offense and letting you know how he wants to run certain things or how to run routes. If you did a good job, he'll tell you 'good job.' If not, he'll tell you how he wants it."

Loggains was the Bears' quarterback coach last year, and he has developed a rapport with Cutler. Some of Loggains' predecessors either never developed a kinship with Cutler or saw the relationship dissolve. The audio of Cutler cursing out Mike Martz and the image of him walking away from Mike Tice on the sideline are indelible.

It's inevitable that Cutler, at times, will experience similar frustrations this season with a rebuilt and more youthful offense. Loggains believes he and a more mature Cutler can withstand the growing pains.

"The key to good quarterback play is to get the other 10 guys to do their jobs," Loggains said. "That's where, as a quarterback, you can get frustrated because things that are out of your hands, that you want go well, don't go well.

"We had the one incident in Kansas City (when Kevin White ran the wrong route) and you can get frustrated that way. But it's still the next-play mentality. The advantage I have is working with Jay last year and getting to know his personality a little bit, how to better understand him, handle him and help him."

The difference now is that Cutler more often provides help than requires it.

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