The Chicago Bears started the season 7-1 and it looked like a return to the playoffs was well within their grasp. Since their red-hot start, the wheels have completely fallen off. Thanks to numerous injuries and some poor play, the Bears have gone just 1-5 in their last six games and they no longer control their own destiny. The final two games of the season against Arizona and Detroit are now must-wins for Chicago just to sneak into the playoffs and the pressure has amped up on a team that looked like a legitimate Super Bowl contender just over a month ago.
Jay Cutler joined ESPN Radio in Chicago with Waddle and Silvy to talk about where the team is with two games left to play, what the locker room was like after the recent loss against Green Bay, on the lack of production from other receivers besides Brandon Marshall, whether he expected Brandon Marshall to react in the press conference the way he did, how surprised he was with the comments that Brandon Marshall made following the loss against the Packers and whether he thinks about changes happening following the season.
On where the team is with two games left to play:
“Two games left to go. Obviously we lost a tough one, everyone is disappointed. I don’t think anyone is more disappointed than the 53 guys in that locker room so we just have to move on.”
What the locker room was like after a loss like that:
“After the game every one is down. It takes a couple of days to kind of get over it, especially after a game like that so we will be good by Wednesday.”
On the lack of production from other receivers besides Brandon Marshall:
“Yeah. I mean I went at Alshon (Jeffery) a lot and I think we all know what happened there. He had a couple of catches and those got called back. I think offensively we are kind of searching right now.”
Whether he expected Brandon Marshall to react in the press conference the way he did:
“Yeah. Brandon is an emotional player and sometimes it carries over after the game just like all of us. I know he was pretty disappointed so I was like ‘just calm down, it’s going to be alright’ and he said ‘I got it.’ Then he went up there and said his one line and left.”
How surprised he was with the comments that Brandon Marshall made following the loss against Green Bay:
“I’m not surprised by it all. I’ve played with B a number of games, a number of years and I know how important it is and I know what it means to him. You need 11 guys like that. You need guys that it matters to them. They take it personally and it’s something that they don’t like to do, they love to do and that’s what makes B so great and that’s why I love playing with him.”
If he thinks what Marshall said was a bad thing that could affect him the remainder of the season:
“I don’t view what we just heard as a bad thing by any means. I don’t see it that way, I don’t see it as a detriment to the team or his ability to play the rest of the season. He probably wishes he would’ve chose his words a little bit differently but other than that I agree with B. Everyone needs to be held accountable. I don’t think he meant too much with the jobs thing. I think he was talking more players and we need to figure out what we need to do these next two games to win.”
If he thinks about the possible changes following this season:
“Yeah I know it is out there. I can’t worry about it, no one on the team I think can worry about it. We have bigger problems, we have to win these next two games and see where everything falls out. None of those decisions are up to me or really any of the players.”
On his comments about the Packers rivalry being a domination by Green Bay:
“True. (Host: How does that change?) You are seriously asking me that? Is that a real question? (Host: Yeah I mean.) You have to win games. You have to beat them and it has to be back and forth. (Host: How do you get the upper hand in this rivalry?) We’ll figure that out in the offseason. We don’t have to worry about that right now. That’s done and over with and Arizona is coming up and that’s where our focus has to be.”
Listen to Jay Cutler on ESPN Chicago here
Read the original interview, here
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