http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/22/sports/football/with-jay-cutler-on-the-bench-the-bears-lose-again-jimmy-clausen.html 2014-12-22 02:12:54 With Jay Cutler on the Bench and Jimmy Clausen Starting, the Bears Lose Again The Bears lost to the Lions despite a shakeup at quarterback that left Cutler, who is earning $22.5 million this season, watching from the sidelines. === CHICAGO — Bears quarterback Jay Cutler jogged onto the field Sunday through a haze of pyrotechnics. He tossed a few warm-up passes, then headed toward the bench, where he donned a hat — blue and white with a pompom on top — and a winter jacket. Over the course of a 20-14 loss to the division rival He watched a team he was supposed to lead to the playoffs sputter to its fourth consecutive defeat. He watched a quarterback who had not started a game since 2010 take his job. And, perhaps, he watched his last home game as a member of the Less than a year after signing a $126 million contract extension, Cutler, the league’s leader in turnovers, was benched in favor of Jimmy Clausen, who entered Sunday with three touchdown passes and nine interceptions over his five-year career. Clausen offered some relief, but not enough, as the Bears (5-10) limped one step closer to the end of a forgettable season. In an attempt to save his job, jolt his team — or some combination of the two — Bears Coach Marc Trestman turned to Clausen, a former Notre Dame star. Clausen was competent against the Lions, throwing for two touchdowns and 181 yards on 23-for-39 passing. The Bears moved the ball near midfield late in the fourth quarter with a chance to take the lead with a touchdown, but the drive — and effectively the game — ended on a Clausen interception. The Lions (11-4), After Trestman made the quarterback switch last week, Cutler stayed late for quarterback meetings with Clausen to go over the game plan. On the Soldier Field sideline, the quarterbacks compared notes on Detroit’s defense and the reads they saw. “He helped me a lot,” Clausen said of Cutler. After last week’s 31-15 loss to the New Orleans Saints, Bears tight end Martellus Bennett questioned the passion of some of his teammates, whom he did not name. Asked Sunday if the team competed better under Clausen, Bennett said, “The score was closer, if that’s what you mean.” Indignities for the Bears have included the bewildering and the absurd. Green Bay dropped 42 first-half points on them in Week 10. They just completed a stretch of three consecutive blowouts on national television at the hands of Detroit, the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans. After the loss to Dallas, the team’s offensive coordinator, Aaron Kromer, anonymously criticized Cutler to an NFL Network reporter only to later offer a tearful apology to the team. Against the Saints, the Bears ran an unsuccessful fake punt with only 10 players on the field. “This is hard to watch,” the ESPN commentator Jon Gruden said of the Bears last Monday night. On a mild day on the shore of Lake Michigan, the Bears announced there were more than 9,000 no-shows. Some fans that were here wore paper bags over their heads. The boos came early when the Bears went three-and-out on their first possession. The message will assuredly reach the highest levels of Bears management. The McCaskey family, the team’s owners, will have decisions to make about Cutler, Trestman and General Manager Phil Emery. It was Emery who signed Cutler to the huge extension — including $54 million guaranteed — four days after last season ended. Cutler will earn $22.5 million this year, more than the combined incomes of quarterbacks Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton and Mark Sanchez, according to ESPN. Moving on from Cutler will not come cheap. If the Bears release him, he is owed $15.5 million next season, plus another $10 million in 2016 if he is still with the Bears in March. Although benching your 31-year-old franchise quarterback as a tough-love punishment very likely comes at a cost. “The security of the contract is nice, but I would trade that for reversing our record and playing better football,” Cutler said last week. Emery plucked Trestman from the obscurity of the Canadian Football League two seasons ago. Trestman, who holds a law degree and wrote a book on leadership, was an unconventional hire. A year ago, as he revamped the Bears’ long stagnant offense, he looked to be an inspired choice. A season later, Trestman has said this is the toughest stretch of his career. The Bears declined to name a starter for Week 17, but Clausen — after a tumultuous four seasons with Carolina — was grateful for the opportunity Sunday. “I’ve never given up,” Clausen said. “You can’t ever give up. The only thing you can ask for is another opportunity.” Plenty of Bears may agree.