NFL Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears Should be a Galvanized Team After Brandon Marshall’s Week 7 Rant

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By @MWCompton

Brandon Marshall

Mike Dinova-USA Today Sports

With a little help from his friends, Brandon Marshall, Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett, embattled Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has yet another chance to step up and chart the direction of the team he is paid handsomely to lead.

Following Marshall’s passionate locker room rant following last week’s embarrassing home loss to the Miami Dolphins, the Bears have an opportunity to return in Week 8 a galvanized unit. Judging by their surprising 0-3 record at Soldier Field this season, the Bears are better off playing on the road — where they are 3-1 — and even though facing a 5-2 New England Patriots squad that has its swagger back is no easy chore, the Bears have a bevy of experienced veterans capable of leaving last week’s disappointments behind. They will have to in facing the NFL’s top-ranked pass defense that allows just 208 passing yards per game.

While Marshall didn’t specifically call out Cutler’s play, the Bears are clearly a better team when Cutler is on point in the pocket and taking care of the football. His frustrating turnovers have cost the Bears momentum and games. At times, Cutler is the brave gunslinger threading a perfect needle to Marshall, Jeffery, Bennett or Forte out of the backfield. Other times, he looks like a confused rookie.

For all of the talent that he possesses and the large number of high-level players around him, Cutler hasn’t shown that he can win consistently. He is 59-52 as an NFL starter and is 8-10 under head coach Marc Trestman. Cutler’s win-loss record isn’t impressive, but it isn’t terrible either.

On the season, Cutler is 177-of-263 (67.3 percent) for 1,866 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has also thrown seven interceptions, has 10 turnovers overall and has struggled this year with the deep ball. Piling on this week was former teammate Brian Urlacher, who took a shot at Cutler on the radio, saying, “Financially, he is one of the elite guys in the NFL … He just hasn’t produced like an elite quarterback.”

Few would question that at least one elite quarterback will take to the field at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. Tom Brady, who had to silence some critics of his own after the Patriots were blasted by the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4, has the Patriots — winners of their last three — on a roll. That’s what elite quarterbacks do when they are challenged: they step up and find ways to win.

The only way for Cutler and the Bears to put last week’s ugly loss behind them is to execute cleanly and play together on Sunday. Cutler should come out firing with a sense of purpose and the Bears should play with a sense of urgency. If Cutler can avoid serving up interceptions – and that promises to be a challenge with New England’s experienced secondary — the Bears have a puncher’s chance if they can turn the game into a shootout.

Marshall’s outburst may have stirred some teammates enough to spark an improved performance on Sunday. Others, like Cutler, who rarely show emotion, are probably indifferent. Either way, the Bears must put the drama from last week’s subpar effort behind them, play as a united front against the Patriots and do all of their talking on the field.

Michael Compton is a Jacksonville Jaguars writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter at @MWCompton and connect with him on Google.

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