Jay Cutler tells Inside the NFL he lavishes linemen with gifts

Cris Collinsworth and Phil Simms of Showtime’s Inside the NFL show had a terrific interview with Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.

Simms told Cutler that he used to “bribe” his linemen and asked the Bears quarterback what he did for his unit.

“I’ve got them everything from suits to watches, first-class airline tickets. I take care of them,” Cutler said. “The group I have right now, they’re working hard. It’s a good group. Each and every day, they’re trying to get better.”

But the Bears, once again, got off to a rough start against the Tennessee Titans, and Cutler expressed his displeasure to his offensive linemen.

“Last week, I think I was too nice to ’em. I told them halfway through the game, ‘Guys, I can’t be nice to you if we’re going to play like this. I’m going to have being mean to you,” he recalled. “And [Roberto] Garza was like, ‘You know, just yell at us, we play better that way.’

“They’re trying hard.”

Click here for the interview.

Here are some other highlights from the appearance:

* On his dressy post-game attire: “I’m getting killed on the field with all my other demeanor so I thought I’d try to lighten it up and go a different direction off the field. Kristin [Cavallari], my fianc, is probably going to take credit for most of it. You bring a woman into your life and a lot of things change.”

* On Brandon Marshall: “We’re struggling a little bit in the first half, in first down, but whenever we get later in games and get a good feel for what they are doing, [I am] just finding a way to get the ball to “B”. He is such a special player. He makes my life easy and anytime I can go at him I try.”

* On his sideline exchange with Mike Tice: “I think there is just more scrutiny. There are more cameras. There are more media outlets now, so there are more eyes on you. But that’s how it goes sometimes. You’re going to get in arguments. It’s a passionate game. There are a lot of emotions flying out there and we’re not always going to agree. But at the end of the day this team and this offense, we’re all in it together. We’re all trying to achieve the same goal so if we get into it a little bit, five seconds, 10 seconds later we are back working together and trying to find a common goal here.”