What Quarterback Controversy?

The problem with listening to sports talk radio is that there is a finite amount of interesting information at any given time. Even when sports overlap, there's only so much to discuss. So, I'm not sure if there really is a strong cry from fans to keep Jay Cutler benched, or if it's just bluster created by the media.

It's fantastic to watch Josh McCown succeed. He seems like a genuinely good guy. He was the only guy Cutler seemed to communicate with on the sidelines regularly in the past, and this year, he's prepared himself as though he were starting. So, when he got the call, he looked like he had been the starter all along. He's a good quarterback in a very QB-friendly system.

People forget, though, that the system is here because Jay Cutler is here. The Bears went out and got the tools for Jay Cutler, not McCown. And this is not to diminish McCown's contribution or skills, because I think they surprised lots of people this year, but even Josh is happy as the backup quarterback if you take him at his word.

I think part of the difficulty is how efficient he's been, but more importantly, how much he fits the mold of a Chicago sports hero. He's humble, but then he puts up big numbers. He congratulates guys when they score or do something big. I saw him yelling encouragement to defensive play makers this past week. He's in the mix, not brooding on the bench.

And that's not an indictment of Cutler. I don't care about his methods as long as he's the great QB he's shown himself to be. I don't have warm, cuddly feelings about Jim McMahon, but he's the only QB who brought home a Super Bowl win in my life time. And really, when you look back at all of Jay's "transgressions", he's had plenty of reasons to be crabby.

Cutler needed some refinement when he got here, and instead, he got pummeled and passed from offensive coordinator to offensive coordinator, learning a new system every year, it seemed. The list of OCs is ridiculous when you consider that at least one of them had less experience at the job than Jay himself.

Suboptimal coaches with terrible talent to work with (besides Cutler and Forte) made this a hostile work environment, and it was impossible for Jay to progress as a QB. So, under all new management, the coaching staff was cleared out and people with winning pedigrees were added to help Jay get to the next level. It was a little slow going at the beginning of the year, and then he was plagued with back-to-back injuries.

So back to the so-called controversy. Unless there are teams beating down the door for Josh McCown, everyone on the team should be happy with him as the most trustworthy backup QB that I can remember. And by their own words, they are. Especially after a win with Cutler back at the helm. He's been able to take a breath this season and watch some excellent QB play, which might be what he needed more than anything else. He's got all the tools in place, and now he's had a chance to watch them work.

To me, Jay Cutler, Josh McCown, Marc Trestman, Brandon Marshall, and probably lots of others, there is no controversy. Jay is the starting QB and Josh McCown is probably the best backup the Bears have ever had.