Cutler is more than a good story
I knew early this offseason that Jay Cutler was going to be one of my favorite value picks at any position this year. That was before his diabetes diagnosis, and all the great recent stories about his return to health.
Most of the articles mention Cutler's drastic weight loss last season, and how it affected his fastball and overall play down the stretch. I decided to check the numbers, and his decline wasn't as dramatic as I expected. It simply didn't occur until the final three weeks of the season.
Before Week 15, Cutler was averaging 235 yards-per-start, not counting one start he left early in the first quarter. He was averaging 7.92 yards-per-attempt (top-five in NFL), with 17 touchdowns and 13 picks.
In the final three weeks, Cutler averaged 218 yards-per-start. His YPA fell drastically to 6.06, and he threw three touchdowns and two interceptions. This stretch included an embarrassing national television loss to the Chargers.
The disease no doubt affected Cutler, but it really didn't make a huge dent into his final numbers. He actually played very well in Week 17. Until mid-December, his play was excellent. Being able to treat Diabetes will aid Cutler's life, but that's very very low on the reasons why I think he'll break out. He's one of the best young quarterbacks in football playing on the perfect offense for his skills.
Comments
i couldnt agree more. i think cutler will be better than any qb drafted in the last 5years. yes even better than ben, eli and rivers. hell hes already better than the 2 qbs drafted ahead of him. he could end up being, dare i say, an elway clone. hes got the wheels, the gun, and the accuracy. the scary thing is, hes gonna get better. i dont think hes scratched the surface of what he will be a few years from now.
Posted by: mark | May 30, 2008 01:02 AM
Cutler is just fantastic. I have met him and just a great guy!
Posted by: David | June 4, 2008 04:52 PM