Tony Dungy Questions Jay Cutler’s Maturity

Get free expert predictions on tonight's big games. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed or follow us on Twitter.

Tony Dungy isn’t sure Jay Cutler is right for the Chicago Bears, at least not yet anyway.

The former Indianapolis Colts coach, who is now a studio football analyst for NBC, questioned on Wednesday whether Jay Cutler had the maturity to take the Bears to the next level.

Dungy said the Bears gambled when they dealt starter Kyle Orton to the Denver Broncos for Cutler, who had a very messy, public divorce with the Broncos and new coach Josh McDaniel.

“[The Bears] took a risk [trading for Cutler]. I think they took that risk specifically with beating the Green Bay Packers in mind,” Dungy said Wednesday, according to the Chicago Tribune. “I really think Chicago gave up a lot to get a quarterback who they believe is going to be the final piece of the puzzle. But I am not sure he has won enough to merit that yet.”

Dungy said he recalled that when Bears coach Lovie Smith was hired, he focused on beating the Packers in one of the NFL’s oldest and fiercest rivalries.

“[They got] Cutler because of Green Bay’s defense and all of the press and man coverage,” Dungy said, according to the Tribune. “[The Bears] have to have that threat.”

But does Cutler have the maturity to go along with the big arm?

“That remains to be seen. He is a very talented guy who can throw the ball very well. But quarterbacking is so much about leadership and so much about doing things under pressure. There is going to be a lot of pressure on him,” Dungy said, according to the Tribune.

“We’ll see about his maturity level. That’s what I would question. And some of the things that happened leading to him leaving Denver … that would concern me as a head coach,” Dungy added, according to the report. “He can make all of the throws, but quarterbacking is much more than just making throws.”

• NFL Vegas Odds and NFL Betting Lines for August 30, 2009
• NFL Opening Day Lines: Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers | NFL Odds
• Brian Urlacher Out for Season
• 49ers punish sloppy Cutler to grind down Bears
• NFL Free Picks for August 14, 2009