Dan Fouts is leaving his post alongside Ian Eagle as CBS’ No. 2 NFL game analyst, and Jay Cutler is an obvious candidate to replace him.
Heading toward the 2017 season, two retired NFL quarterbacks were in line to work games for a network. Tony Romo was hired by CBS to work alongside Jim Nantz, and Jay Cutler was slated to work in a three-man booth for FOX with Kevin Burkhardt and Charles Davis.
But the Miami Dolphins lost quarterback Ryan Tannehill that preseason, and they coaxed Cutler out of retirement for one more year. Since then, Cutler’s only time on television as been on his wife Kristin Cavallari’s reality show. But he has apparently been talking to networks about TV work, with a preference to do games.
In a pretty big development, Andrew Marchand of the New York Post has reported CBS has parted ways with Dan Fouts. The former Chargers’ quarterback has been working as the network’s No. 2 NFL game analyst alongside play-by-plan man Ian Eagle. Marchand added that Davis is a target as a potential replacement, while CBS is also eyeing internal candidate Trent Green as another top choice. Green has been working as a game analyst alongside Greg Gumbel.
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When news surfaced three years ago that Romo and Cutler were going to be working games, there were few doubts about Cutler. The attitude and demeanor that drew criticism when he played would sure serve him well in calling things exactly as he saw them, without fear of being too critical. As a former quarterback, his knowledge of the game would be natural.
The primary question for Cutler as a game analyst lies in the unknown intricacies of the job, and how suited to them he would be. Chemistry with the play-by-play person is critical, along with the timing of knowing when to talk and when not to. The best play-by-play people coax an analyst’s thoughts out of them, and are comfortable doing so in a variety of ways.
Cutler will immediately carry an air of being unlikeable into a role as a game analyst, until he proves capable in the role. As CBS looks to replace Fouts, the door is open for them (or FOX, if dominoes fall that way) to hire Cutler.
Join me in speaking Cutler as an NFL game analyst into existence.