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Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould spoke out Monday in support of benched quarterback Jay Cutler, and later said much of the team's drama under head coach Marc Trestman "isn't the Chicago Bear way." The kicker was asked Monday during "The Speigel and Mannelly Show" on WSCR-AM 670 Monday whether Trestman was trying to send a message last week to the team when he decided to bench Cutler.  "I honestly don't even know what the message is," Gould said. "I just think it's been a long season. I think he thought maybe he thought this was going to provide a spark to the team. That's what he told us. I wish Jay were out there playing. [Trestman] did address the team the next day and talked about what happened. He made a decision he thought was best for the team, and listen, we lost again. That's the bottom line." The NFL's highest-paid offensive player, Cutler sat on the bench while Jimmy Clausen put together a mediocre, but relatively error-free performance in Sunday's 20-14 loss to the Detroit Lions in the Bears' home finale. Clausen passed for two touchdowns and an interception, and registered a passer rating of 77.0. Clausen passed for just 181 yards on the day against a Lions defense that entered the contest ranked No. 1 in the NFL in points allowed (17.0) and second in total yards (300.3 yard average). "To be honest with you, I feel really bad for Jay," Gould said. "When you're having a tough season like this, he's not the guy to be the scapegoat or the guy to blame. There are a lot of guys you could put that blame on. You could bench the whole team. It's not like anybody's really played fantastic or great. We're 5-10 now. So Jay is not the problem. Jay is not the issue. In my opinion, it's tough to see because I think Jay's a great quarterback. I hope he's back next year for us. This is honestly ... it's not the Bear way. This whole season is not the Bear way; pointing fingers, things getting out of the locker room, that's not the Chicago Bear way." It was announced later Monday that Cutler would start Sunday's season finale after Clausen suffered a concussion in the loss to Detroit. A 10-year veteran, Gould signed a four-year extension last January worth $17.9 million, and confirmed he'll miss the season finale at Minnesota due to his right quadriceps injury. Gould also lamented the change the organization has undergone in the transition to Trestman from Lovie Smith. "Being around the organization for, now, 10 years, seeing guys like Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs, who most likely have walked through the tunnel for the last time, it's tough, because we weren't taught this way under Lovie [Smith]," he said. "We weren't taught to do these sort of things, and we always stayed together as close as we possibly could. You don't have to like everyone. You don't need to like everyone, but you have to respect them and go to work every day for those people. So I think it's very difficult because, honestly, this isn't the Chicago Bear way."
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