Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, right, and wide receiver Brandon Marshall sit on the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013, in Chicago.(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Suddenly, Jay Cutler has too many targets?
A day after star receiver Brandon Marshall vented after a lack of catches, the Chicago Bears’ quarterback brushed off the comments and said his teammate is frustrated because he wants to succeed.
“He’s human,” Cutler said. “He wants to be personally successful but he knows for us to get where we want to go, and everyone has to contribute. There’s games where he doesn’t get 10 balls, 12 balls. He might have five and a touchdown and if we win, he’s going to be happy. If we don’t, everyone’s going to work to see what we can do to fix it.”
The Bears are coming off their second straight loss following a 3-0 start after falling to New Orleans on Sunday. With the Saints double-teaming Marshall, he was targeted just five times and finished with 30 yards and a touchdown on four catches.
Alshon Jeffery stepped up in a big way, though. He set a franchise record with 218 yards on a career-high 10 catches, just what the Bears need if other teams are going to focus on Marshall.
Cutler also had a big game, throwing for 358 yards and two touchdowns, but the Bears came up short again after falling at Detroit the previous week. Back-to-back losses have taken some of the shine off a 3-0 start, and a loss to the winless New York Giants on Thursday night will really ratchet up the nerves around Chicago.
Marshall already was a bit on edge after Sunday’s game, saying he was frustrated with the loss in general and his inability to get open. He said the Bears need to adjust, but he also insisted his feelings had more to do with the result than with his statistics.
“The frustration comes when we’re not winning and the offense isn’t moving the ball,” he said. “It has nothing to do with me. It’s about I want to win. I’ve always said, I have a nice contract, been to Pro Bowls, made All-Pro. I want to win. Sometimes the formula may go to me, sometimes it doesn’t. Whatever’s best for the team to win, that’s what we need to do. I’m always going to be frustrated when our offense isn’t No. 1 in the league. I’m always going to be frustrated when we’re losing. I’m frustrated. We just lost. We lost two in a row.”
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