2007 Outlook

Cutler finally got the nod in week 13 last year and his performance was genuinely impressive. He threw for two scores in each of his first four games and ended with nine passing scores in five games – with only five interceptions. In his brief stint last year, he only twice managed more than 200 passing yards but that touchdown to interception ratio from a rookie is almost unbelievable. Before expecting Cutler to generate 30+ touchdowns in 2007, take into account that his five game body work came in games against SEA, @SD, @ARZ, CIN and SF. That’s against defenses that ranked 17th, 14th, 30th, 31st and 27th against passing yards. Not the toughest of foes but just as pertinent – this was a rookie quarterback thrown in as the starter without a single pass thrown prior to starting.

When Cutler played, instead of honing in on Javon Walker, he connected mostly with fellow rookie tight end Tony Scheffler who had only six catches for 67 yards in the first 11 games. In just five starts with Cutler, he totaled 12 catches for 219 yards and four touchdowns. Javon Walker only scored twice with Cutler and averaged just 46 yards per game. Walker was turning in 78 yards per game with Jake Plummer. This is not to say that Cutler is not developing well, just that he still has learning to do after only five starts. He was surprising with a 71 yard score to Brandon Marshall and was inconsistent with his wideouts who never had more than 84 yards in any game with him. Look for Cutler to continue to improve, but realize his impressive nine scores in five games were against softer secondaries and he’s not a finished product yet. But he’s undeniably on the right track. An even bigger obstacle will be one of the toughest passing schedules of any NFL team this year as well.

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