Getty Former Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
Former Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall went on ESPN’s First Take and had some things to say about his former Bears and Broncos teammate, retired quarterback Jay Cutler. Some of the retired wide receiver’s comments were positive, but the great majority of them were…unflattering.
The topic of Cutler arose when co-host Stephen A. Smith noted that perhaps Marshall’s opinions may not be of a high quality due to the fact that he used to routinely defend and speak highly of the much-maligned Cutler. Marshall responded by saying he felt as though he “had” to defend Cutler in the past:
“I had to. I had to be the company guy with Jay Cutler. Now I can talk real. Jay Cutler was bad,” Marshall said.
Cutler Had No Heart and Was a Bad Leader…
GettyFormer Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
When co-host Max Kellerman asked him why he thought Cutler was bad, Marshall noted Cutler’s lack of both heart and leadership, while also saying the retired quarterback never “galvanized” the teams he played for. Marshall went on to compare Cutler unfavorably to the other NFL quarterbacks he has played with in the past:
“First time I was with Eli Manning when I was with Drew Brees, Russell Wilson when we miss,” Marshall said, those quarterbacks would point to themselves and say “that’s on me. You didn’t see that” with Jay Cutler.
Ryan Fitzpatrick > Jay Cutler?
Former Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has been called a bad quarterback by his former favorite target, wide receiver Brandon Marshall (Getty)
Marshall mentioned that when Cutler or his receivers made an error, the former quarterback would get frustrated and would direct his ire at his wide receivers and his teammates, without taking any accountability himself. His leadership skills were lacking at best, according to his favorite former target.
Marshall later went on to say that he would “run through a wall” for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was his quarterback when he played for the Jets. Marshall also mentioned that even though Fitzpatrick obviously lacks the talent and skillset of Jay Cutler, he was still a better emotional leader at the quarterback position.
Marshall and Cutler Are Still Pals
Former Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall has let it be known how he REALLY feels about Jay Cutler. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Perhaps to soften the blow of his words, Marshall also mentioned multiple times that he loved Jay Cutler, saying that they were still friends. “I love Jay…He can make every throw, he’s one of the smartest guys I’ve been around,” Marshall said.
Cutler recently returned to Soldier Field for the Bears week 1 game against the Packers, much to the chagrin of many Bears fans, some of whom took to social media to blame his mere presence for the loss:
While Cutler holds most of the Bears records at the quarterback position, he has divided the Chicago fan base, largely because of the attitude Marshall referenced multiple times in the segment.