I thought John Fox called Jay Cutler “Jake” during his introductory press conference. I paused the TV, rewound and watched it again. Yep. Jake. Jake Cutler. Maybe Fox was channeling his Carolina Panthers days and remembering with nostalgic glee the days of Delhomme. Maybe he’s a fanboy for the work of actor Joe Penny. In any case, the symbolism of the moment could not be missed. With his non-committals on the future of Cutler in front of the Chicago media, the new Bears head coach made it clear that the much-maligned quarterback is no longer the franchise priority.

Does that mean Cutler will not be the quarterback in 2015? No. Does it mean Cutler will not be the quarterback in 2016? No. But it does mean that unlike the hiring two years earlier the Bears hierarchy is no longer making decisions with Cutler in mind.

_____________________

Editorial Note: There will be some advertising emerging on the site in the coming weeks. DBB is entering into an exclusive advertising agreement with a not-profit organization I’ve worked with a great deal over the last two years. The goal was to make them a partner on the site and create a role for them that does not, in any way, take away from the reader experience. I think we’ve done that. You’ll start seeing their presence after the Super Bowl.