Boomer Esiason is best known for his role on CBS Sports, primarily on The NFL Today, as well as morning co-host on New York radio station WFAN. Last year, he made national headlines when rated Jay Cutler in among the top half of QBs, just barely. And he described the Chicago Bears as a second rung team.
This year Boomer articulated all the pressure that’s on Jay right now, indicating just how much of a difference maker Cutler needs to be.
Here’s what Norman Julius Esiason had to say during our exclusive conversation at NFL on CBS/NFL Network Media Day:
“I think Jay Cutler, physically, is as gifted as any quarterback out there. He can throw the ball as well as anybody. And now has an offense that should allow him to show that, and be a 5,000 yard passer instead of hanging around 3,500 and throwing 18 interceptions or whatever it is. The fact is he’s got to be a difference maker now, and I don’t think there are any more excuses, because I saw that offense up close and personal with Josh McCown. And that offense is pretty damn impressive. McCown was really impressive.
So now you would like to think that Jay Cutler would be physically more gifted, and a better player, so if he’s a top ten quarterback, or a top five quarterback that means Chicago is going to be in the mix for the Super Bowl and that’s what it’s going to take for the Bears to make it there. Because in this NFL, in the NFC it’s by far harder to get to the Super Bowl than in the AFC. Because there are at least ten teams, and the Bears are in that mix, that if they have things go right this year, the quarterbacks have great years, they can get there.
And that’s why I said what I said about Jay Cutler, I don’t try to insult anyone, I’m just trying to give my opinion.”
Here’s the podcast, Jay Cutler talk begins right from the start:
Flashing back to 2013,
“Jay Cutler has been one of the more frustrating players over the last four years,” Boomer Esiason said on media conference call one year ago today.
“Yet again another offensive coordinator, a coach has been fired, a new coach hired, a GM change- there hasn’t been a lot of consistency in his career path in Chicago, so I kind of get the struggles that he has had,” Boomer continued.
“He’s I guess, maybe in the top 15, I guess I would put him, but Chicago is a mid tier team in the NFC and the NFC is loaded. If things go right for them, they need to stay healthy and somehow beat Green Bay which is not something they’ve been able to do with consistency since Jay got there,” Boomer Esiason said.
Boomer may not be one of them, but there are some people who truly think Jay is elite; and a whole other camp (of which Esiason is probably a Camp Counselor) who believe that Jay Cutler is mediocre. Why the disconnect? How did this happen?
Well, it’s a local thing. People in Chicago think Jay is elite because when you compare him to………
….Caleb Hanie, Jason Campbell, Josh McCown, Todd Collins, Rex Grossman, Craig Krenzel, Chad Hutchinson, Jonathan Quinn, Kordell Stewart, Chris Chandler, Jim Miller, Henry Burris, Shane Matthews, Cade McNown, Steve Stenstrom, Moses Moreno, Rick Mirer, Steve Walsh, Peter Tom Willis…..well, he looks pretty darn elite compared to that list.
Paul M. Banks owns and operates The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports, Yahoo! and the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He’s been a guest on news talk shows all across the world and been featured in hundreds of media outlets including NFL Network, Fox Sports 1 and ESPN2. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)