Are the Chicago Bears Better or Worse Without Jay Cutler?

CHICAGO, IL — Bears fans have a love-hate relationship with quarterback Jay Cutler: Quite simply, they love to hate him.

That's why Cutler, 33, can't get a break after playing hurt Monday in the Bears' nationally televised loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, he injured his right thumb when Chicago faced the Houston Texans in the first game of the season.

Cutler was able to practice and play most of Monday's game with the injury. But he aggravated his bum thumb during the game to the point he had trouble gripping the ball, ESPN reports. Cutler came out in the third quarter and was replaced by backup Brian Hoyer.

Bears coach John Fox said Tuesday that Cutler had a sprained thumb that didn't require surgery, according to reports. The 11-season veteran — eight of those with the Bears — is being listed as day to day, and the team has listed him as doubtful to play in Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Ask Bears fans, though, and they already know who should be under center this weekend at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. Guess what? He's not the guy who has guest-starred on The League and is married to MTV reality TV star Kristin Cavallari.

You'll be hard pressed to find that level of disdain for Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan, who not only injured his thumb but will need surgery to fix it and will be out indefinitely.

All the fan gripes tend to overshadow that Cutler is the Bears' all-time passing leader, and he owns four of the team's top five best seasons at quarterback. Cutler also holds team records for most career passing touchdowns and most wins by a quarterback (he's 51-50 with the Bears).

So why all the vitriol, so much, in fact, that he's arguably the most hated pro athlete in Chicago? Here's the short list of reasons:

• He's only led the Bears to a single postseason run in 2011.
• Depending on who you believe, Cutler either pulled himself out of or was benched early in the third quarter of the 2011 NFC Championship Game against the rival Green Bay Packers. Cutler was having a horrendous game, which the Bears lost, and he was widely criticized for quitting on the team. An MRI the day after the game revealed he had injured MCL.
• He's married to Cavalari, who has not generated a lot of fan love despite being a Barrington native. She certainly didn't endear herself to the Bears faithful when she told Elle Magazine in 2015 that Chicago is “just not home,” and she wanted to move to her Nashville-area home full-time once Cutler's contract with the Bears is up in 2020.
• He's had issues with coaches and fellow players who don't seem to respect him as a team leader. Just witness the sideline ear-chewing Cutler received from injured defensive lineman Pernell McPhee after an interception during Monday's game.

To be fair, the worst — and probably the best — you can say about Cutler is that he's been wildly inconsistent with the Bears and definitely not worth the seven-year deal the team agreed to in 2014, which included $50 million in guaranteed money. But is that Cutler's fault for letting Chicago empty a dump truck full of cash on his lawn? Would you say no if you were offered that contract?

RELATED: 5 Reasons Why Bears Fans Love to Hate Jay Cutler

That leaves the big question: Without Cutler playing Sunday, will the 0-2 Bears improve behind Hoyer, who's been around the NFL almost as long as Culter, starting as quarterback? And if so, can that improvement continue through the entire season? Or at least long enough for Chicago to find a replacement for Cutler?

As one of the Texans' quarterbacks last year, Hoyer passed for 2,606 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions and led Houston to the playoffs.

But there's a caveat: He had an up-and-down season, benched in the first game and not becoming the regular starting QB until Week 5. Plus, the last time Hoyer started a game — a playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs — he threw four interceptions in the losing effort. If Cutler's considered wildly inconsistent, then Hoyer's play is as easy to predict as the weekly Powerball number.

Be careful about what you wish for, Bears fans. You might just get it.

YOUR TURN: Are the Chicago Bears better this season if Jay Cutler is sitting on the bench? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section. Plus, take Patch's poll on the topic.

photo via Patch archive

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