how many superbowls would the 85 bears won with cutler?

[Rusty Trombagent]

dan hampton says four:
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... per-bowls/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
“If my team had Jay Cutler at quarterback we would have won four Super Bowls,” Hampton said at an event at the Pro Football Hall of Fame."

i think though, that if you were to photoshop ditka's head over mike tice here, you'd probably have a good summation of their potential working relationship:

[Atkins&Rebel]

Mike Ditka wasn't the smartest coach ever to fill the position, yet I would take him 100/100 times over Mike Tice.

Cutler's talent and struggles are well documented, but with a solid defense, a strong running game and versatile WR's, he is more than competent. McMahon simply couldn't stay on the field, Cutler didn't have too many health issues until he went through the Martz QB mill.

[UOK]

This is such a difficult thing to contemplate. The years between Cutler's career and the 85 Bears era featured innumerable changes to the NFL's style of football, level of talent, rules of the game, and trends in strategy that make formulating something like this with any accuracy virtually impossible.

[docc]

1,112 w the Ditka !!

[Moriarty]

Winning solves most problems, including most personality clashes (see Ditka and Ryan, see Hampton and McMahon).

The Finks Bears would have gladly absorbed Cutler's iffy personality and won numerous Super Bowls, powered by the best defense ever and one of the best RBs ever.

[Otis Day]

On its face, I think Hamps theory holds true. Just looking at the health aspect of it, Cutler had taken a beaten and but remained on the field for the most part. The OL was much better in the mid and late 80s, Cutler would not have taken the abuse he did with the shitty OLs he has had. I think Cutler would have been a perfect fit for that team.

[wab]

Well the only QB during that era with the arm talent and athletic ability of Cutler in his prime was probably Cunningham.

If you dropped Cutler in his prime onto the 85 Bears, they would have won a literal shit ton of games.

[DaSuperfan]

Yeah, but honestly - the key to the demise of the 85 team was two fold. Losing Buddy Ryan after the 85 Super Bowl and also Jim Finks as the GM a few years earlier.

However, if they had Cutler he probably would have been able to stay healthy enough to not have Doug Flutie, Mike Tomczak, Peter Tom Willis, etc. see the field. We would have had a fairly conservative game plan around him, not allowing him to pass 40-50 times a game and rely on that defense and running game to win. Not to mention he'd have the best OL he'd ever have in his career protecting him. I don't have any doubt the Bears could have won multiple rings with Cutler at the helm, specifically the 86 and 87 seasons. Don't know that we would have taken out the 49ers in the 1988 NFCCG.

[Wounded Bear]

This is a tough one since I believe that although McMahon didn't nearly have the physical prowess that Cutler had, he could read a defense so much better than Cutler ever could......and I don't think that is something that should be overlooked. It is a huge variable in the equation.

And although McMahon was generally an asshole, his team loved him! The linemen loved him, the defense loved him, etc. So I believe a QB that promotes the teamwork ethos should also not be underestimated. This is the antithesis of Cutler's behavior throughout his career in the NFL (in my personal estimation, anyway).

If the OC could have severely reined Cutler in and perhaps gave him a ton of roll-outs allowing him to read only half of the field, then I could see Cutler being very successful with the '85 crew, but that is a big IF.

[wab]

And although McMahon was generally an asshole, his team loved him! The linemen loved him, the defense loved him,

etc. So I believe a QB that promotes the teamwork ethos should also not be underestimated. This is the antithesis of Cutler's behavior throughout his career in the NFL (in my personal estimation, anyway).

Cutler was a lot of things, but to say he didn't promote teamwork is just patently false.

He felt like the fans turned on him early on in his career (and they certainly, and unfairly did). After that he gave exactly zero shits about what kind of persona he put out to the public. At worst he was generally an aloof person that didn't care what people outside of Halas Hall thought of him. In fact it basically became a bit.

[Wounded Bear]

And although McMahon was generally an asshole, his team loved him! The linemen loved him, the defense loved him,

etc. So I believe a QB that promotes the teamwork ethos should also not be underestimated. This is the antithesis of Cutler's behavior throughout his career in the NFL (in my personal estimation, anyway).

Cutler was a lot of things, but to say he didn't promote teamwork is just patently false.

He felt like the fans turned on him early on in his career (and they certainly, and unfairly did). After that he gave exactly zero shits about what kind of persona he put out to the public. At worst he was generally an aloof person that didn't care what people outside of Halas Hall thought of him. In fact it basically became a bit.

Yeah, I really don't care about his attitude off the field or his attitude during press conferences or his flipping off photographers, etc., I'm talking about his inability to get along with his teammates from Brian Urlacher all the way to Brandon Marshall and Martellus Bennett. I didn't see him pow wowing with the QB coach or his receivers after interceptions, he simply stood alone on the sidelines. That, to me, doesn't appear to be a guy who is a big "teamwork" type of guy.

So when it comes time to interpreting his facial expressions, his comments, his body language, etc. that doesn't mean a hill of beans to me. I'm looking at whether, after an interception (which very well could be the receivers fault), he, Cutler, was willing to meet with the responsible parties involved to avoid such a mistake later on in the game. This is behavior you see with many of the successful QB's in the NFL.

Furthermore, we've seen Tom Brady berating his linemen and/or receivers after such blunders on the field, which could easily be interpreted as very much as asshole type behavior, but at least he's communicating with the responsible parties involved. He's trying to prevent the mistake from happening in the future. I didn't see that very often with Jay.

To drive my point home even further, I loved it when Jay hit J'Marcus Webb in the back of the head as they were walking off the field after a third down sack from the blind side. I would have loved to see him care that much more often.

So I disagree with your assessment, but I see that you disagree with mine as well. I just needed to clarify my position since I know there are a lot of folks who hate Cutler for reasons that have nothing to do with his play on the field. I am not one of those guys.

[staleystarch]

If we are to imagine Cutler going back in time and quarterbacking the 80s Bears why not just imagine Jim McMahon without the injuries?

[marlin]

As another poster already mentioned, with that D, we really only needed a decent QB who could stay on the field. With Cutler healthy, we'd have won 2 super bowls, minimum. Of course, same thing with a healthy McMahon. But if the '85 Bears get a healthy Jay Cutler, do the '85 Patriots get a healthy Tom Brady?

[Boris13c]

If we are to imagine Cutler going back in time and quarterbacking the 80s Bears why not just imagine Jim McMahon without the injuries?

yeah - that

a healthy McMahon would have had the Bears in the Super Bowl a year earlier in '84 ... then a repeat in '85, '86. '87 (maybe not losing to the Foreskins 2 years in a row in the playoffs) ... first 4 time in a row champs

and he wouldn't have been traded to San Diego

a fully healthy McMahon would have had a 15 year Bears career and at least 4 rings to his credit

[Funkster]

These questions are always fun to spit ball. The game was so different back then it's almost comparing apples to watermelons. But let's play, Cutler's demise wasn't his leadership, attitude or his loaner demeanor, it was and always will be his ability to turn the ball over at an alarming rate. For instance, McMahon threw 34 interceptions from 85-88. From 09-12', Cutler threw 63 interceptions and that's not counting his 9 fumbles. I don't believe even the world famous 85' bears defense could overcome those costly turnovers. I love me some Cutler but the guy just couldn't protect the football...period.

[Otis Day]

Funk, I don't think the mid 80s Bears would rely on Cutty to throw like he has in his current career. 2ndly, the mid 80s Bears OL was far superior to anything Cutty has seen or saw during his tenure in Chicago.

[Rusty Trombagent]

Funk, I don't think the mid 80s Bears would rely on Cutty to throw like he has in his current career. 2ndly, the mid 80s Bears OL was far superior to anything Cutty has seen or saw during his tenure in Chicago.

i think too, to make this question more complicated: what cutler are you getting? are you getting young cutler freshly traded from denver, who needs to further develop? or current day cutler who we kind of failed to develop, warts and all? and if it's the former, would hughes be able to develop him?

[Atkins&Rebel]

Funk, I don't think the mid 80s Bears would rely on Cutty to throw like he has in his current career. 2ndly, the mid 80s Bears OL was far superior to anything Cutty has seen or saw during his tenure in Chicago.

i think too, to make this question more complicated: what cutler are you getting? are you getting young cutler freshly traded from denver, who needs to further develop? or current day cutler who we kind of failed to develop, warts and all? and if it's the former, would hughes be able to develop him?

Even the Jay Cutler with Warts was pretty decent under when we ran the ball effectively. Cutty liked to audible to the pass when given freedom to do so.

[o-pus #40 in B major]

I saw Jimmie Mac on the Tonight Show in December 1986 - Johnny Carson asked him a question about what accounted for his success as a pro quarterback. Without missing a beat McMahan said it really helped to be able to hand the ball off to Walter Payton - I don't recall what else was said.

I think maybe the 85 offense would have made any good QB look damn good, if not great.

[staleystarch]

Point of order. Does Cutler get body slammed by Charles Martin too?

[alexwilkins]

All the Super Bowls held in 1985, that much I'm certain.

[Umbali]

fun thread but in response to the question of Do the 85 Patriots get Tom Brady....I say it wouldnt have mattered. Brady would have been fodder just like everyone else.

[Bigwill]

I can't imagine any team winning more than 1 SB in a single season.

Plus, how old was Cutler in 1985? Two? I don't see him contributing much.

[wab]

I can't imagine any team winning more than 1 SB in a single season.

Plus, how old was Cutler in 1985? Two? I don't see him contributing much.

Try harder.

[Otis Day]

Well, speaking of Cutler, I just heard he will be doing the Bears opener on Fox. Reported on the SCORE.

[Boris13c]

Well, speaking of Cutler, I just heard he will be doing the Bears opener on Fox. Reported on the SCORE.

that could be interesting listening ... and could be pretty insightful