Cutler: Urlacher doesn't owe me an apology

Jay Cutler has been criticized as much as anyone for the Bears' problems this season, but he says that's OK because it comes with the territory.

"It's 100 percent fair," Cutler said. "That's how it goes."

Even if Cutler was playing well, which he's not, it's inevitable that the guy who touches the ball on every offensive snap will be judged by his team's won-loss record.

At 4-7, the judging is bound to be harsh.

"Head coaches and quarterbacks, it's (the) record," Cutler said. "You can go out there and throw 4 picks, but if you get the win, you get the win at the end of the day.

"It's definitely the record, and I'm not doing very well."

Cutler says he isn't even offended by what some others considered a slight from the Bears' injured defensive captain/middle linebacker/face of the franchise Brian Urlacher, who in an Internet story lamented the team's change in identity this season, from a running team to a passing team.

"He doesn't have to apologize to me," Cutler said. "I talked to him. I understand what he's talking about. It's frustrating. It's frustrating for everybody in that locker room. So I know where he's coming from."

Cutler said he understands how some people might consider Urlacher's comments a slight toward him, but he isn't offended.

"You can't take anything personal in this game, especially whenever we're losing," he said. "I'm going to get a lot of blame, and I'm aware of that, and a lot of it should come my way.

"I'm understanding (of) that. I know Brian's frustrated. I'm frustrated. There's not much we can do."

Cutler is No. 23 in the NFL with a 74.4 passer rating, easily the worst of his career and nearly 13 points lower than his three-year average of 87.1 entering the season.

He has thrown a career-high 20 interceptions with five games still to play.

Coaches and teammates have gone out of their way to point out the many factors other than Cutler's performance that have contributed to the Bears' demise.

"It's a team game," offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. "It's not one guy. One guy, one quarterback, no matter who it is, can't go out there and do it by himself and win the game. You win as a team, you lose as a team.

"Obviously the quarterback's the leader of that group, and he has a huge impact on it, but it takes a whole team."

The Bears have suffered breakdowns and inconsistencies on both sides of the ball.

Offensively they're 28th in red-zone scoring with touchdowns on just 41.2 percent of their opportunities.

They're also 23rd in total yards, 32nd in rushing yards and 29th in interception percentage.

They're 30th in red-zone defense, allowing touchdowns on 69.2 of their opponents' opportunities. The defense is 18th in total yards, 24th in rushing yards, 30th in third-down efficiency.

Cutler has his own opinions on why a 3-1 team has become a 4-7 unit.

"It's a bunch of different things," he said. "You can't put your finger on just one thing.

"When it comes down to it, we're not making the plays, we're not executing, we're not doing what we have to do to win.

"We're struggling on third down, struggling in the red zone, (making) a lot of turnovers, and all those things are not going to add up to wins."

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=341366">Forte miffed at Urlacher's jabs <span class="date">[12/02/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>