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Rozner: Bears might not find better option than Cutler

It could be argued that Jay Cutler has never been more consistent than he's been in 2015.

Of course, it can be argued that the other side of Jay Cutler is always lurking behind a wide receiver in the secondary and ready to jump a route and ruin a game.

It would be foolish to pretend it can't happen.

It's already occurred a couple of times this season, even in a couple of Cutler's better games.

Nevertheless, working with offensive coordinator Adam Gase has been a saving grace for Cutler, who has looked for most of this season like a quarterback the Bears can move forward with.

"Ever since I put on a Bears helmet, I've been a huge fan of Jay," said lineman Matt Slauson. "I've always believed in Jay and known that he's a stud. I think it's great that the rest of the world is getting to see it.

"I'm sick and tired of people dogging him. He's just an absolute beast and people are finally seeing it."

The cap hit moving forward remains significant. But so what? Starting NFL QBs are going to eat a significant portion of the cap, and even the bad ones carry a prohibitive price.

The alternative is rolling the dice and drafting a college quarterback. So far, the current class is uninspiring, and even if the Bears find the right one it will take some time to develop a pro player.

The current Bears regime explored the market and found little interest in Cutler last off-season, and while they could try again next year now that Cutler has had a better season, the return won't be great.

This seemed impossible not that long ago, but the Bears might just be moving forward with Cutler, and the shame of it is Gase probably won't be here to shepherd the enigmatic QB.

Gase is almost certainly headed for a head-coaching job after this season and that will mean yet another offensive coordinator for Cutler. If you're keeping score at home - and include his final season in Denver - that would be Cutler's seventh different coordinator in nine years and sixth in eight years in Chicago.

Hardly a recipe for success and at least a partial explanation for Cutler's inconsistency.

But Gase has done what no other coordinator would do with Cutler. He quickly recognized where and when Cutler is at his best, which is on the move and seeing half the field, and he's given Cutler the opportunity to work more in the no-huddle when he can read the defense and select an option.

"I think Adam does a really good job of managing play calls and trying to keep us in third and manageable," Cutler said. "We've just got to find ways to close it out in the fourth."

In four straight games, Cutler has led the team down the field in the fourth quarter to take the lead, but they've lost the last two because the defense simply lacks playmakers.

"Jay always gives you a (gutsy) effort and you know he's going to give us a chance to come back," said tackle Kyle Long. "He makes some exceptional throws under pressure and he's not affected by the time of game or the situation.

"It speaks to the kind of player he is."

Long has watched Cutler under Marc Trestman and now under Gase, and he likes what he sees.

"He's doing a great job, and as good as the coaches are it couldn't happen unless there's a quarterback back there doing what Jay can do," Long said. "You gotta give credit to the guys with the headsets and the receivers, too."

Cutler has done it this year without much of a receiving corps and with an offensive line in constant turmoil, and yet he looks more comfortable than he has at any time while with the Bears.

It doesn't mean Cutler still doesn't leave you scratching your head at times or that he has finally become all you could have ever hoped, but there's not many quarterbacks in the league who make all the plays.

The reality is there aren't 15 good starting quarterbacks in the NFL, and finding one better than Cutler at this point might be more difficult than turning Cutler into a player with whom you can win.

It's not to say that Bears management has reached that conclusion already as they continue to evaluate the position, but when they look around the league and the college game, they might be wondering if there's a better option.

The advantage for them now is they've got half a season to figure it out.

brozner@dailyherald.com

• Hear Barry Rozner on WSCR 670-AM and follow him @BarryRozner on Twitter.

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