The Chicago Bears are throwing the ball more than ever -- and it might get Jay Cutler killed.
Sunday marked the second consecutive week that the Bears opted for a pass-happy offensive strategy. The results? Two losses, the disappearance of the running game, and a bruised and grumpy starting quarterback.
"We're 0-2 doing this, so it's not looking very good," Cutler told the Chicago Tribune after the Bears' 27-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz called 43 pass plays and just nine run plays against the Packers, as Chicago finished with 13 rushing yards, its lowest total since at least 1960. Sunday wasn't an anomaly, either -- Martz called 52 passes and 11 runs in the Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Cutler believes it will be tough for the Bears to win games with things as they are, "even though the defense is playing lights out."
"I said that last week, I thought it was a totally different situation in the game and we needed to run the football more," Smith said. "I can't say that yesterday. I think we did what we needed to do on a day like that, when the run's not working, start throwing the football. I talked about the protection being pretty good. We had a couple of drops. We missed a couple throws, but that's how that game went."
Smith wouldn't single out the offense as Chicago's primary issue.
"No, I'm disappointed with our team. I don't see how you're going to jump to the offense on that," he said. "I'm disappointed on what, I, we have done right now. We lose two games, believe me, we're not patting ourselves on the backs. We're disappointed in our play. Offense is a part of that, defense, special teams and all."
We're assuming this is just coach-speak because otherwise, Smith's head is in the sand on this issue. Cutler is taking a beating again for the Bears, and it appears he and Martz aren't on the same page. Cutler has become Chicago's easiest target since Steve Bartman, but Martz's unusual strategy in the last two weeks is what really deserves scrutiny.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
