Bears quarterback Jay Cutler might not have wanted to listen to what offensive coordinator Mike Tice had to say on the sideline Monday night, but that doesn’t seem to have colored his views on how Tice fared as a play caller against the Cowboys.
Cutler, who finished the night 18-of-24 for 275 yards and two touchdowns, said on his radio show Tuesday morning that Tice “called the best game to date” in the 34-18 Bears victory. Cutler also had some warm words for the offensive line and left tackle J’Marcus Webb, a marked change to his feelings a couple of weeks ago. Cutler took the blame for the lone sack by Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who Webb was tasked with blocking on Monday night.
“The first three games we’re figuring it out, we’re getting our game plan under us,” Cutler said, via the team’s website. “Mike’s figuring out calling plays, I’m gaining trust with the offensive line. There are a lot of moving parts and it just kind of came together [Monday] night. I thought the offensive line played great top to bottom, run game, pass game. Mike had a really good rhythm with his calling plays, mixing it up, play-action, run, took a few shots. It was well executed.”
Cutler’s sideline demeanor may continue to be a storyline for the Bears the rest of this season, but it obviously didn’t hinder the team much against Dallas. As long as they keep winning, the behavioral stories will be sidebars to stories about the Bears season.