Would a Jay Cutler and Mike Shanahan Reunion Be Good Fit for Jets?
The ceiling is caving in on both the New York Jets and Chicago Bears organizations. Interestingly, a high-profile coaching hire and one of the falling pieces in Chicago can be used to prop up the Jets' future.
Jay Cutler is often described as prickly nonchalant character with a bit of arrogance. Don't allow personal perceptions cloud your judgment on Cutler the player. He’s actually a decent NFL quarterback with talent.
No, he’s not Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Eli Manning or Ben Roethlisberger. All of whom have established themselves as winners in the league, but prolific quarterbacks aren’t entering the league at a rapid rate. Signing a good quarterback is a more realistic goal.
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The young crop of potentially great quarterbacks consists of Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson. Yet high draft picks are used to roll the dice on exceptional college QB talents every year.
Even at the top of the draft, it’s a hit-or-miss situation. Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill, EJ Manuel, Brandon Weeden, Christian Ponder, Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert, and the list goes on. All of the aforementioned first-round picks have a total of zero playoff wins.
For New York, it’s time for a different approach. The Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers currently hold the first two draft picks in 2015.
Both teams are in need of a potential franchise quarterback. Unless the Jets are able to hoodwink either franchise into trading the pick away, assume current Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota and former Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston are off the board when the Jets are on the clock.
The significant talent drop-off between the top two QB prospects and the rest of the signal-callers should lead the Jets to entertain the thought of bringing in a free-agent quarterback.
Enter Jay Cutler, assuming he’s done in Chicago, and the organization deals him in a fair exchange.
Yes, his contract is costly, but general manager John Idzik refused to spend a dime in the previous offseason. New York’s cap space can absorb the expense.
Bringing in the often criticized QB comes off as a head-scratcher as he's engulfed by the media firestorm in Chicago. However, if you examine Cutler’s production aside from his aloof nature and critics, he has the aptitude to contribute to a championship team.
Cutler is a former Pro Bowler with one playoff run that ended in an injury. In his first and only complete playoff game, he accounted for four of five touchdowns scored by the Bears. He has a career 61.7 completion percentage and has led 20 game-winning drives in nine seasons.
On average, he can lead a team to two or three wins per season in the clutch. The Jets have three wins total in 2014.
The nine-year veteran is perceived as a turnover machine, but he has only thrown more interceptions than touchdowns once this season. By the way, Manning in New York led the league in interceptions in three seasons, but it hasn’t prevented the QB from winning Super Bowls in his career.
Would you prefer an Alex Smith-type of QB, who plays not to make mistakes, or Cutler who at least plays to win in aggressive fashion in an offense-driven league?
The biggest objective to installing Cutler into the lineup is limiting his mistakes so he doesn’t throw the game away, literally.
The Jets would need a solid defense that isn’t giving up the most points in the league; a description that currently fits the Bears' 32nd-ranked defense, allowing 28.6 points per game.
The 2010 Bears team that went to the playoffs with Cutler was the fourth-ranked defense that year, allowing 17.6 points per game. Gang Green is one or two cornerbacks away from becoming a top-five defense in the league behind a stifling defensive line.
Secondly, Cutler needs a solid rushing attack. Gang Green has the third-ranked rushing attack in the league, led by Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson.
Finally, the front office must hire an offensive-minded coach, who garners Cutler's respect.
Enter Mike Shanahan, assuming he wants to get back into coaching on the professional level.
Shanahan and Cutler are familiar with each other dating back to the 2006-08 Denver Broncos. Under Shanahan, Cutler threw 54 TDs and 37 interceptions in his first three seasons. Shanahan was fired, and Cutler was traded to Chicago before the relationship fully blossomed.
Last week, during a Sunday Morning Countdown segment, Shanahan voiced his unwavering belief in Cutler despite his struggles, via ESPN reporter John Keim:
"I'm surprised. Anytime you're not with an organization it's hard to say what Jay Cutler has done. I just know being with him in Denver that he's got all the intangibles. Now, can you get that out of him? I really believe in Jay but he has to make a commitment that he's going to get better and better. It's going to be a group decision to get him over the top, but he is a franchise-type quarterback.
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Shanahan is the best candidate to optimize Cutler's strengths and minimize his weaknesses on the field.
In addition to his coaching effect on the QB, Shanahan’s offensive schemes in Denver featured productive rushing attacks behind strong offensive lines. In Cutler’s final season in Denver, his only Pro Bowl year, he was only sacked 11 times.
Shanahan isn’t the media-friendly light-hearted coach Rex Ryan has been during his tenure in New York.
A Cutler-Shanahan pact could be viewed as the most cantankerous pair when addressing the frenzy that the New York media creates when the Jets are struggling. An underachieving Jets team, a nonchalant Cutler and a cherry-red-faced Shanahan could become a combustible situation, but what choices are the Jets faced with this offseason?
Are the Jets willing to endure another season with Geno Smith at the helm? Jets fans can thank Michael Vick for a short spark this season, but Gang Green needs legitimate quarterbacks vying to lead the franchise into the future. At 34, Vick is nothing more than an occasional highlight player, who will dink and dunk down the field in four to five games before he’s too hurt to play.
According to ESPN.com reporter Rich Cimini, Ryan expects to be fired, which means Smith would have to learn the nuances of a new system and coaching staff. The learning curve with a third-year quarterback sets the Jets offense back to square one.
In the NFL, continuity is a major factor in contending for a Super Bowl. A Shanahan-Cutler reunion establishes a ready-made familiarity between coach and quarterback with a strong rushing attack already in place. Shanahan would likely strengthen the offensive line and lobby to bring in free-agent cornerbacks.
Fortunately, the Jets won’t have to forfeit an absurd amount of future prospects to obtain the Bears QB.
In efforts to help Cutler flourish, the front office should draft wide receiver Amari Cooper (Alabama) in the first round.
Depending on Cutler’s price tag in a trade, it's unlikely New York surrenders anything more than a second- or third-round draft pick to relieve Chicago of his hefty contract. That still leaves the possibility of drafting Brett Hundley (UCLA) or Bryce Petty (Baylor) in the second or third round as developing backups. The middle of the draft can be used to address offensive line needs.
The Jets have enough youth at the cornerback position. Dee Milliner, Dexter McDougle and Marcus Williams are in need of an established veteran to aid their development. Gang Green must be aggressive with free-agent signings to solidify the pass defense in 2015.
The inconsistencies at quarterback and a foreseeable vacancy at the head coach position are the two major voids standing in the way of a Jets' playoff run.
Though unpopular, Cutler and Shanahan are the two components that give the Jets the best chance of returning to playoff contention in an expedited time span. Specifically for the Jets' current situation, it’s best to move forward with proven talent rather than unproven potential.
Advanced statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com
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