Jay Cutler is Drew Brees? Who knew? Well, that one guy

As far as I know, there is not a standard clause in the contracts of Bears coaches that requires them to gush about Jay Cutler. Something just happens to these guys when they hit Halas Hall.

One moment they’re soberly going about their business, the next they’re describing Cutler as John Elway and George Washington rolled into one hard-throwing, teammate-inspiring leader. We heard it from Mike Martz. We heard it from Marc Trestman.

The Bears have a new quarterbacks coach and a new receivers coach. Now we’re hearing it from them too.

“Not to slight anyone else in this league, but in terms of athletic ability, I rate him near the top, if not the top,” QB coach Dave Ragone said. “He’s an unreal athlete to me, the way he’s able to move in the pocket, extend plays, create on his own, still be a passer when he does it. It’s one of the most special talents.’’

“He reminds me of Drew (Brees) with his knowledge of the offense and what he does and how he handles himself with the players,” wide receivers coach Curtis Johnson said.

There are few people on the fence in the still-raging Cutler debate. Lots of people think he’s mediocre or worse, and lots of people thinks he’s terribly underappreciated. But how many people recognize the Jay Cutler described in the quotes from Ragone and Johnson?

Rather than start another pro-Cutler vs. anti-Cutler war, let’s agree on this: It’s not a good thing that we’re still arguing about him as he heads into his eighth year in Chicago and 11^th in the league.

Or, to put it another way, nobody was arguing about Brees’ legacy in New Orleans as he headed into his 11^th NFL season. He had already won an AP Offensive Player of the Year award and a Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award.

You can quote me on that.