LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said Brandon Marshall’s postgame rant Sunday after a 27-14 home loss to the Miami Dolphins didn’t cross the line, and it didn’t include the wide receiver personally attacking teammates.
“He didn’t come near me,” Cutler said. “He didn’t say my name. I don’t think he attacked anybody personally with what he was saying.
“He’s an emotional guy. Whenever he gets frustrated, he’s going to get emotional most of the time. He’s going to speak from the heart and make sure everyone around him hears him. It wasn’t anything that caught us off guard, or was off-putting. … It was frustration coming out and him letting us know it was important to him.”
A source inside the locker room told ESPN Bears reporter Michael C. Wright that some of Marshall’s remarks were pointed at the quarterback. Cutler said he spoke to the Pro Bowl wide receiver about the incident.
“I talked to him on Monday,” Cutler said. “He was good Monday. Brandon wants to win. He wants to see this team do as well as possible. I understand his frustration. We all go about it different ways when we’re frustrated, and that’s how Brandon handled it that moment. We moved past it.
“I think some people are indifferent. I think some people are responding well to it. Like I said, I don’t think anybody is taking it negatively. It was a frustrating loss for all of us. I think once guys left the locker room, that’s where it died. We moved on Monday and Tuesday, and practiced on Wednesday. It’s just one of those things.”
Linebacker Lance Briggs, during his weekly TV show on Comcast, said he missed a portion of Marshall’s rant because he left the locker room.
“It was an emotional moment for a lot of us, and I started to hear … people started to get loud in the locker room, and I got out,” Briggs said. “I just left because I could see where things were kind of going. I knew that when you get emotional, there are moments when you’re in an argument and both people are emotional, you’re not going to get anywhere when you continually argue.
“A lot of times I truly believe [there’s a need to] sleep on it and come back with a clear head, and discuss how you feel or discuss things we need to correct or move forward.”
Cutler refused to respond to two questions regarding former teammate Brian Urlacher’s public claim that Cutler is not an elite quarterback.
Bears general manager Phil Emery classified Cutler as an “elite quarterback” Tuesday during a chat with fans on the team’s website. Emery cited Cutler’s career record (58-52 regular season, 1-1 postseason) as the reason the quarterback falls into the elite category.
That statement raised eyebrows, considering Cutler has committed 10 turnovers in seven games this season. Since arriving in Chicago in 2009, he has thrown 82 interceptions and lost 20 fumbles.
Cutler disputed the notion that the organization is overlooking his frequent mistakes.
“Everything that I do is critiqued,” Cutler said. “Every step that I take, every read that I make … ball location [is all critiqued]. I think that’s the farthest [thing] from the truth when we are in the meeting room.”
Cutler also addressed the topic of team leadership — a hot button issue in Chicago in the wake of former Bears coach Mike Ditka suggesting the reason Marc Trestman rotates game captains on a weekly basis is because no true leader exists on the roster. Cutler served as a full-time team captain in every one of his Bears seasons prior to Trestman changing the policy in 2014.
“Leadership is definitely involved in the quarterback position,” Cutler said. “When you are the guy with the ball, you are the guy that has to do the press conferences, and you’re always asked questions. It’s definitely part of the gig.”
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