Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Sunday notes: Jay Cutler makes sense for QB-needy Jets

A look at what's going on around and inside the New York Jets:

1. Cutler to the rescue? There's no way to predict if the Jets would be interested in Jay Cutler, considering the uncertainty surrounding the coaching staff and front office, but let's take a pragmatic, December view of the situation: How could they not be?

Unless they have a fool-proof plan to trade up for Marcus Mariota or believe Jameis Winston can change his ways, the best quarterback option in a thin market will be Cutler -- assuming the Chicago Bears decide to part ways with their demoted starter. Even with his well-documented shortcomings, he'd be an upgrade over Geno Smith, who remains a giant question mark.

Cutler is a 31-year-old quarterback with Pro Bowl-caliber skills. The negatives are his contract ($15.5 million in 2015), his penchant for turnovers and his diva attitude. The Jets have enough cap room to absorb the contract. As for the other stuff, that can be corrected by a strong-minded coach and a good defense, something he hasn't had since 2012. In Chicago, he's always playing from behind -- a league-high 332 pass attempts while trailing.

"There's nothing wrong with him," said a longtime personnel executive, who has extensive knowledge of Cutler. "Yeah, he's got some arrogance and a chip on his shoulder, and there's some pretty-boy in him, but if you've got a coach who will put his foot up his [butt], don't coddle him, he'll respond. I guarantee you, a coach like [Bill] Parcells would win with him. He'd love him."

The executive also said, "I'd rather deal with his issues than deal with a guy with no talent."

If the coach is a match, the quarterback-needy Jets should get in on Cutler.

2. No Pryor restraint: It has been an underwhelming rookie year for Calvin Pryor, but one thing you can't question is his toughness. He proved it in last Sunday's victory over the Tennessee Titans. After leaving the game with a painful stinger in his neck/shoulder area, he returned in the second half and delivered a crushing hit on running back Shonn Greene. He blasted Greene with the same shoulder that suffered the stinger, showing no hesitation. The 235-pound Greene wobbled when he got to his feet.

Pryor smiled when I asked him about his hit.

"Kind of brave of me, huh?" he said. "He was kind of dazed. The ref had to call people out because he was kind of like stumbling back and forth. I definitely believe he was concussed a little bit."

Greene returned on the next series and carried the ball two more times, "but he wasn't running the same when he came back in," Pryor said, smiling.

You have to like the rookie's moxie.

3. Nashville celebration: Chris Johnson was excused from having to fly back with the team Sunday. He stayed in Nashville and went out Sunday night with some former Titans teammates. Rex Ryan gave the players a "Victory Monday" -- a day off -- so there was no need to be at the team's facility. Nevertheless, a lot of coaches wouldn't have allowed a player to stay behind. Obviously, Ryan isn't like a lot of coaches.

4. The D & D Boys: Sunday could be the final home game for linebacker David Harris, who will be a free agent. He was drafted in 2007, as was Darrelle Revis, now a member of the New England Patriots. Even Patriots coach Bill Belichick had to acknowledge the obvious.

"Revis was a first and Harris was a second, right?" Belichick asked. "That’s a pretty good draft."

5. Adios, MartyBall: My take on Marty Mornhinweg's comments from his latest session with reporters? He's frustrated under Ryan. The offense has taken a dramatic turn to the right (conservative) since Smith returned to the lineup -- too conservative for Mornhinweg's taste.

In Smith's first eight starts, the run-pass balance was tilted toward the pass -- a 43-57 ratio. In his last three starts, the run-pass ratio is 61-39 -- a big shift in philosophy.

The same thing happened to former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer in 2011. Mark Sanchez got off to a slow start and they reverted to Ground & Pound. Schottenheimer basically got himself fired by having Sanchez throw 59 times in the next-to-last game against the New York Giants.

It will be interesting to see what comes out of these final two games.

6. The view from Miles away: Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has become a larger-than-life personality in the NFL, but there's another side to him, according to Jets safety Rontez Miles. They were high school classmates at Woodland Hills in Pittsburgh.

"He's a big Teddy bear off the field -- a big heart," Miles said. "He's always been an outgoing guy, but he's never been a troublemaker. I don't think he parties too hard. I just feel like people are in his business too much. That's the risk you take, being in this league."

7. Brady's salty vocabulary: Hearing Ryan poke fun of Tom Brady's recent cursing episode on the Patriots' sideline reminded me of a recent conversation with Jeff Bergman, a longtime line judge. I interviewed Bergman for a story on the 20th anniversary of Dan Marino's Fake Spike against the Jets -- he was the line judge that day -- and he said Marino and Brady are the two most competitive players he's ever encountered on an NFL field. That's not hard to believe.

8. Zach attack: There aren't a lot of positives on a 3-11 team, but one of them is tight end Zach Sudfeld, who has surprised the coaches with his willingness and effectiveness on special teams. In fact, he leads the team with 10 solos and 17 total tackles. Special-teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey called Sudfeld's emergence "unbelievable." Sudfeld -- a former Patriot -- has one of the all-time great nicknames. With long hair and a 6-foot-7, 260-pound frame, he's called "Sasquatch" by Ryan.

9. Mo's the man: Kudos to Muhammad Wilkerson, the Jets' nominee for the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year award.  He also was nominated for the 49th annual NFLPA Byron "Whizzer" White Award for outstanding community service.

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