LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery defended Jay Cutler as a franchise player Wednesday and shrugged off the quarterback's recent sideline incidents with left tackle J'Marcus Webb and offensive coordinator Mike Tice.
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"He's a passionate player," Emery said of Cutler. "He has great drive and energy. He's moving toward excellence. He does care and love his teammates. And he's a big part of what we're doing and the positive things that we're doing."
Even so, Cutler has been the center of attention for the wrong reasons lately as his team has climbed into the early lead in the NFC North. And, fair or not, they've brought old questions about Cutler's leadership and demeanor back to the surface.
There was that ugly loss at the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 13 in which Cutler berated and bumped Webb on the sideline and made some critical comments afterward. National analysts, along with teammate D.J. Moore, took issue with Cutler, who didn't help his cause by throwing four interceptions to go with the seven sacks he took.
Two weeks ago in Dallas, the attention again was on Cutler's sideline behavior. This time, Tice took a seat next to him on the sideline after a third-and-1 play failed, and the quarterback immediately got up and walked away as his coordinator began to talk to him. Tice brushed it off, saying he had been venting at Cutler. So did Cutler, who called it a non-issue.
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Emery insisted he believes in his quarterback. He pointed out the Bears are 9-1 in Cutler's last 10 starts, including a 4-1 mark this year that has them tied with the Minnesota Vikings for the division lead heading into their off week.
"Those stats say something, that we have a winner at a key position for our franchise," said Emery, who's in his first year as general manager. "And I said early in the year that I felt Jay was a franchise-level quarterback. I will continue to say that."
Emery also shot down the idea of bringing in Plaxico Burress or Terrell Owens to beef up the Bears' receiving corps, with Alshon Jeffery sidelined by a hand injury, saying, "We feel very good about our wide receiver depth."
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
