Stephen A. Smith is not a Jay Cutler fan. That’s abundantly clear.
Cutler has no shortage of critics, and he’s likely in the process of gaining a few more while dealing with a thumb injury amid the Chicago Bears’ 0-2 start. But Cutler’s effort Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles sent Smith over the edge Tuesday morning on ESPN’s “First Take.”
Smith called Cutler the “worst quarterback in the NFL” and that might have been the nicest thing he said. The outspoken ESPN analyst also referred to Cutler as an “absolute joke” and pleaded with the Bears to get rid of the 33-year-old signal caller sooner rather than later.
“He is a football abomination,” Smith said. “He is the worst kind of quarterback you can possibly have. I don’t give a damn who you can go out there and get. Anybody but him. Because at least you know guys like (Josh) McCown and others will cry if they can’t play because they want to play so badly, because they want to be there for their teammates. But Jay Cutler will quit.
“The last time I saw that man smile was when he was signing his contract. … He is a joke, he is a horrible quarterback because he cannot lead and he will not galvanize troops around him.”
Cutler left Monday night’s 29-14 loss to the Eagles, who are led by rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, in the third quarter after going 12 of 17 for 157 yards with one interception. Bears head coach John Fox told reporters Tuesday that it doesn’t appear Cutler will need surgery on his injured right thumb, but maybe Chicago finally should look elsewhere after a seven-plus-season run filled with inconsistency and questions about the quarterback’s toughness.
Stephen A. sure would be happy.
