The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... At least 10 former Bears staffers from the Lovie Smith and Marc Trestman regimes said recently they believe the team can't consistently compete for championships as long as it fields a lineup with Cutler under center. Two teammates, who also asked to remain anonymous for this story, characterized Cutler as a divisive figure with whom they'd rather not continue to play.

Diehards Line: The above sentiments might explain why HC John Fox and GM Ryan Pace remain uncommitted to Cutler as the team's starting quarterback for 2015. Deciding whether to commit to Cutler has a time element. If Cutler is on the Bears' roster on March 12, $10 million of his 2016 salary is guaranteed. In six years with the Bears, Cutler has gone through four offensive coordinators, two head coaches and a pair of general managers. Yet Cutler remains very much in play as the team's potential long-term solution at the position, in part, because of the seven-year, $126.7 million extension the quarterback signed in January 2014. But every one of the former staffers interviewed from the Smith and Trestman regimes pointed out similar flaws in the quarterback. According to ESPN.com's Michael C. Wright, two “R” words -- “renegade” and “rogue” -- were often used by the former staffers when asked about Cutler's ability to play within the confines of an offensive system. They all also questioned Cutler's leadership abilities. "I don't think there's any question that there's ability and talent there," Fox said recently of Cutler, but there's clearly more to it than that. It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out in coming weeks.