Bears quarterback Jay Cutler’s final exchange with media members after practice Wednesday at Halas Hall went as followed.
Reporter: “Have you ever seen that basement in [Martellus Bennett’s] house?”
Cutler: “Marty’s house? I haven’t seen his basement. Have you?”
Reporter: “No, I just read about it.”
Cutler: “Oh, I didn’t read that part.”
(Laughter from all)
The article in question was a Chicago Magazine profile on the Bears’ verbose tight end. Bennett’s basement was featured, but it was his comments about Cutler and his leadership skills (or lack thereof) that went viral in the football world.
“Why does everyone always assume the quarterback is the leader?” Bennett asked in the Chicago Magazine story. “Leading the offense and leading the team are two different things. Sometimes I like Cutty, and sometimes I don’t.”
There was more, too.
Cutler, though, handled Bennett’s comments in a mature way. He took the high road — again. It was similar to how he’s handled other recent headline-grabbing situations involving himself, which include his benching by former coach Marc Trestman last season and former offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer’s remarks to the NFL Network.
“Marty, he’s going to be an opinionated guy,” Cutler said. “It’s just kind of who he is. That’s not going to change any time soon. Some of us agree with some of the stuff Marty says, some of us don’t agree with some of the stuff Marty says. But Marty is going to say it either way.”
“Marty came down to Nashville [for some training]. We’ve worked really closely these last couple three or four weeks just because he’d been gone [during the majority of the offseason program]. I talked to Marty today. I mean, I’ve got a good rapport with Marty, no matter what he says.
“I think he was trying to say there’s different leaders in every company, and the Bears, we’re not excluded from that group. Coach Fox is going to lead differently than I am, and Adam Gase is going to lead differently than I am, and Marty is going to lead a different way from the way that I do. It is what it is. I know he’s doing everything possible to help us out. I’m excited for him.”
