Another day, another hot take regarding Jay Cutler. What else is new?
Yesterday, it was Brandon Marshall proclaiming his old quarterback as possibly being this season’s NFL MVP on First Take, drawing the ire of Max Kellerman and known-Cutler-hater Stephen A. Smith.
Then, the oft-outspoken duo of Martellus—who played with the Bears last season—and Michael Bennett offered their opinions on him in a story posted by ESPN’s Mina Kimes this morning. And no, they were not kind words.
Full story here, screen grab of the comments here:
Martellus and Michael Bennett on Cutty, via @minakimes: pic.twitter.com/kclzMyDNiB
— jon greenberg (@jon_greenberg) August 3, 2016
Michael Bennett is well-known for his incendiary comments about…well, just about everything. So listening to him call Cutler “the worst quarterback in the NFL” is not surprising, even if it is untrue.
Martellus’ claim of Cutler throwing into double coverage rather than feeding him the ball, while less hostile, is ultimately more interesting.
For one, it certainly indicates a level of unhappiness with his former quarterback that may have contributed to his unpleasant attitude with the Bears last season. It also brings up the same nagging criticisms that have plagued Cutler for years: the idea that he trusts his arm too much and forces balls into windows that he shouldn’t.
These comments come on the heels of the younger Bennett referring to the veteran gunslinger as being like “the ex-girlfriend” that he didn’t want to talk about too much—coincidentally on First Take back in June—though he also said he appreciated Cutler and “caught so many balls…was able to make a lot of plays with him.”
That last part is what the stats tell us at least. Aside from last season when he battled injuries/started ceding snaps to Zach Miller, Bennett equaled or eclipsed his numbers from any previous season prior to joining the Bears with Cutler as his quarterback.
This includes 2014, by far the best statistical season of his career (90 catches, 916 yards, 6 touchdowns), with his previous high water marks coming in—you guessed it—2013 with the Bears (65 catches, 759 yards, 5 touchdowns).
So, which is it, Martellus? Did you actually appreciate him or not? Because it certainly seems to me like you did just fine with Cutler calling the shots, and now you’re biting the hand that helped you sign your new contract.
Then again, Jay Cutler just tends to bring out those kinds of feelings in people. What else is new?
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2 Comments
Just an observation. Martellus’s current contract is one the Bears signed before he ever played with Cutler. So he’s not really biting the hand that fed him.
Yes, that’s true, because this was a trade, not a free agent signing (though his years with the Bears are going to be a big part of whatever he gets later).
“Fed him,” though, for me, also means literally throwing him the ball and making him one of the most desirable TEs in the league. Bennett likely wouldn’t have gotten such a soft landing in New England without Cutler targeting him as much as he did. Literally feeding him the ball.
So yes, the contract part doesn’t fit that description, completely valid point obviously, but Cutler gave him his best two statistical seasons including by far his best year (2014). Dissing him after that is kinda disrespectful.