What Jay Cutler Needs To Work On To Become Elite

Jay Cutler has been on the cusp of becoming an elite quarterback for years, but he has to improve in several areas if he wants to truly be considered elite.

The class of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers is crowded at the top, but there is always room for more. Cutler has all the physical traits needed to be a premier NFL quarterback, but he is missing a few parts of his game that will take him to the top.

The Bears have never had a truly elite quarterback, but Jay Cutler is the closest they have ever had. Cutler has shown glimpses of greatness, and also glimpses of absolute terror at times. Here are a few aspects of Cutler's game that he must improve if he wants to become elite.

Get Rid of the Ball Quicker

While Cutler's offensive line may not be the best, there have been numerous occasions when it has been Cutler's fault for sacks. Cutler needs to get rid of the ball and get rid of the ball quickly.

Jay loves to sit in the pocket, back peddle and wait until the last second to throw the ball. This is not what good quarterbacks do. When quarterbacks sense pressure and see the blitz coming, if there is nowhere to throw the ball, they get rid of it right away.

It's no secret that the Bears are blitzed a lot, which makes it Cutler's responsibility to get the ball out of his hands.

Make Adjustments at the Line of Scrimmage

It must be tough to have a stubborn offensive coordinator like Mike Martz, but Jay Cutler needs to gain the responsibility of calling audibles at the line of scrimmage.

There is no one better in the NFL at changing the play at the offensive line then Peyton Manning. Manning is an expert at reading opposing defenses and calling audibles to counteract the defense.

Cutler rarely calls audibles at the line, and if the Bears want to have an offense that is feared around the league, he needs to start. The Bears receivers are incredibly quick and if Cutler worked on various quick hitters that can counter opposing defenses, the Bears offense could be dominant.

Limit the Risks

Jay Cutler is a born gun-slinger, but this has to change if he wants to get to the top. Cutler loves to take risks and force the ball into tight areas, which sometimes leads to big plays, but more times than not leads to turnovers.

Although he has lowered his interception rate dramatically over the past two seasons, Cutler still makes horrible decisions at times and puts his defense in a position to make tough stops in short-field situations.

What makes quarterbacks like Tom Brady so great isn't necessarily the great plays that they make on the field, but more so it is the respect and care that they have for the football.

Brady had a four-interception performance last week, which is something that is not often seen by him. As a matter of fact the four interceptions equal the total number of picks that he threw all of last season.

Find an Offensive Line

Let's be honest, as good as Jay Cutler can become, he's going nowhere if his offensive line does not improve. All preseason long Mike Tice and Lovie Smith told Bears fans that the offensive line will get the job done, but after back to back dominating performances by the Saints and Packers, that may not be true.

Through two games, Jay Cutler was on pace to get sacked 88 times, which is well above the NFL record since the merger. Not only is Cutler getting sacked for bad field position, it can't help your quarterback's performance to be lying on the ground for half the game.

What goes unnoticed by many football fans, is how often Cutler is indeed on the ground. Cutler is blitzed almost every play, and the blitz is rarely picked up by his sub-par offensive line. If Cutler wants to become an elite quarterback as a Chicago Bear, he is going to need some help from his offensive line.