Jay Cutler, quarterback of your Chicago Bears, has been subject to much criticism, and even ridicule, in his first season in Chicago.

Yes, even I have called him "impetuous" and have noted that media analysts and coaches have said he is a whiner, and lacks the maturity needed to be a winner in the NFL.

And, more pointedly, many have referred to his occasional lapses in judgment, lack of success in the red zone, and tendency to throw off his back foot as evidence that the young man will never realize his enormous potential.

But you know what? At least he does have that enormous potential. Cutler has what every QB dreams of: incredible talent. And that is something that simply can't be taught.

Yes, he is coming off of a very tough season. But it isn't all his fault.

A weak offensive line, lack of an effective ground game, inexperienced wide receivers and an OC in Ron Turner who couldn't figure out the value of rolling Cutler and the line out to the right until the last couple weeks of the season doomed Cutler more than any bad decision he made.

In fact, the bad decisions he made were often the result of the pressure in his face. When you are always on the run because your line can't block, you are set up to fail as a QB.

Add to that the wind, cold and lousy turf at Soldier Field, and you don't exactly have a recipe for success.

While we can't change the elements, and the Bears apparently have no appetite to swallow the cost to replace that awful turf with the fake stuff, there is hope.

Despite all of the enormous odds that Cutler faced with the Bears last year, he managed to throw one more TD than interception. Not that 26 INTs are anything to shout about, but for a so-called miserable season, the Bears QB still threw for more than 3,500 yards and 27 TDs.

In a bad offensive system with a lack of weapons, he was able to throw for more than 300 yards three times, and he knocked on that door another three times.

Yes, he threw a lot of picks and had some terrible games. But did you know that in 10 games he either threw the same or more number of TDs than INTs? Yet when things went back, they went really bad.

Look, I'm not saying that Jay doesn't bear some of the blame.  But I don't think even Peyton Manning would have succeeded very well in this offense. And that's saying a lot, since he is the best QB on the planet.

And to those who say that even with Denver, Cutler's teams never won, I will say to you that wins and losses are not the only way to judge a QB.

Like a pitcher in baseball, there are many variables that factor into whether a team wins the game. In Denver, Cutler may have had a better line and better receivers, but the defense was terrible.

And the defense in Chicago was equally bad last season, so even if the offense had better talent and a better system, I doubt the Bears would have been a playoff team.

And while many criticize Cutler's maturity, he sounded very mature in accepting new OC Mike Martz.

"I felt very comfortable with him," Cutler told ChicagoBears.com. "The results of his offense speak for themselves. He had a lot of success in St. Louis and his offenses made improvements each year in Detroit and San Francisco. 

"I haven't run his system, but I am familiar with it. I'm anxious to start digesting the playbook and getting back on the field."

Remember, Martz was a guy who, as an analyst on the NFL Network, was openly critical of Cutler. So it would have been easy for Jay, if he really was as sensitive as some say, to have blasted the hiring. 

But he took the high road, and that is an indication of the type of guy he truly is.

Martz's system may get Cutler killed, but it may also allow him to succeed at a high level. Yes, his seven-step drops are downright scary, and may result in a lot of hits to Cutler, but everywhere he has gone the offense has flourished.

And let's face it, the Bears offense rests squarely on the strong arm of Cutler, so we might as well throw the ball and see what he can do.

Sure, it would be nice to get a true No. 1 wideout, and improve the O-line. But in the meantime, let's not bury this guy just yet.

For as Robert H. Goddard once said, "It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow."

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