It would be okay to call Jay Cutler a failure if this were an individual sport. The problem with the ongoing campaign to crucify him as being one of the primary sources of the Chicago Bears’ woes is the fact that NFL rosters are made up of 53 players. It’s a team sport. Yes, quarterbacks hold more responsibility than other positions but even they have limits to what they can do if the rest of the team doesn’t pull its weight.

Can he do better with his decision-making and reduce his turnovers? Sure, and based on last season he’s done that. What he can’t do is catch the football, do the blocking, call the plays or stop the other team from scoring. A major reason Cutler hasn’t produced a winning season since 2012 comes down to two main factors, each of which is totally out of his control.

He hasn’t played across from a top 15 scoring defense since then and he hasn’t played under the same offensive coordinator for at least three years. In order for a quarterback to have both personal and team success, each of those areas must be taken care of by the team. The Bears haven’t held up their end of the bargain.

Here is a breakdown of some of the top quarterbacks in the league. The first list will showcase their records when they have a top 15 scoring defense and the second will illustrate their line of succession at offensive coordinator in order to show a big reason they’ve done so well.

Top 15 Scoring Defense

Drew Brees

With: 45-19 (.703 winning percentage)

Without: 49-47 (.510 winning percentage)

Aaron Rodgers

With: 54-26 (.675 winning percentage)

Without: 29-12-1 (.702 winning percentage)

*It should be noted the without record here is slanted due to the 15-1 season the Packers had in 2011, a year that featured the owners lockout and as a result caused a steep drop in the quality of defensive play, allowing for Rodgers to have his best season.

Tom Brady

With: 163-45 (.783 winning percentage)

Without: 19-13 (.593 winning percentage)

Defense is way too general a word whenever it’s brought up. People always think about yards as being the defining stat of a top defense. In reality the best ones are those that excel at not allowing the opponent to score very much and even being able to score themselves.

History will show that quarterbacks who had top scoring defenses often experienced the most success. Cutler is no stranger to this. Here are the results of his own career based on the list above.

With: 29-19 (.604 winning percentage)

Without: 41-55 (.427 winning percentage)

Keep in mind this research is not saying the Bears defense has to be dominant. It’s just saying it must be in the top half of the NFL in terms of points allowed. That’s not the tallest task in the world and based on their investments in the unit this off-season it’s something they aim to correct.

Consistent Offensive Coordinator

Drew Brees

Sean Payton for 10 years

Aaron Rodgers

Mike McCarthy for eight years

Tom Brady

Charlie Weis for four years

Josh McDaniels for three years

Bill O’Brien for three years

Josh McDaniels for three years

So while some of these quarterbacks have changed offensive coordinators more than once, it was always after at least three years together. The same amount of time Cutler has repeatedly said over the years that it takes players to master a system. By contrast here is a breakdown of the coordinators he’s had over his career since being drafted in 2006.

Mike Shanahan for three years

Ron Turner for one year

Mike Martz for two years

Mike Tice for one year

Marc Trestman for two years

Adam Gase for one year

It’s not any coincidence that Cutler had the best season of his career in 2008, the third year of his time in the offense under Mike Shanahan with the Broncos. There is no reason to act surprised that he hasn’t had any sort of consistent success in Chicago. The guy is constantly changing schemes which come with new alignments, new verbiage, new formations and often new personnel. It is a challenge to convey the difficulty of having success when that is happening.

The fact that he continues to persevere through all the frustration is a credit to his character. Nobody has ever said Jay Cutler isn’t tough, mentally or physically. He knows the best thing he can do is work his butt off, be a leader in the locker room and just hope his offensive teammates can stay healthy while the defense actually stops people. There is no doubt he believes that winning will come when that happens. The numbers prove it.

In 2015, the Chicago Bears were 6-1 when giving up 21 points or fewer.