Advice from gunslinger: Stick to guns

Ten days after throwing five interceptions in a 10-6 loss to the 49ers, beleaguered Bears quarterback Jay Cutler overthrew three receivers for would-be touchdowns in Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Eagles.

On Wednesday, he admitted his league-high 18 interceptions have taken their toll mentally, which in turn had played a role in his 48 overthrows, the second-highest total in the league.

"The number of interceptions that have happened this year is definitely in the back of my mind," he said. "We know we have to protect the football and we can't put the defense in bad situations. To go out there and throw like I've always thrown, it's tough."

Cutler also said his mechanics are not -- repeat, NOT -- the problem.

"Not at all," he said. "Have you seen Brett [Favre] throw lately?"

Favre and Cutler are similar unconventional gunslingers going in opposite directions along with their new teams. While the 26-year-old Cutler is taking the brunt of the frustration for the Bears' 4-6 start, the 40-year-old Favre is an MVP candidate with a league-low three interceptions on a 9-1 team.

The two teams meet for the first time this season Sunday at the Metrodome. Favre's advice to Cutler on Wednesday was, in a nutshell, "Keep shootin' it" like he has all these years. Of course, Favre has one Super Bowl win, three MVPs and a record 178 regular-season victories, while Cutler has 21 wins and has never been to the playoffs, although he was a Pro Bowl player in Denver last year.

"I'm not the one to give advice, but I know this: Trying to do too much and take it all on your shoulders has worked for me," Favre said. "So continue to do what you're doing. At times, the better decision would be take a sack, throw it away, whatever. After 19 years, there's been a lot of those what-ifs or should-have-done-this, but the fact is that I'm still here at 19 years. There is no doubt that Jay is a heck of a player. This is a stretch that has been obviously tough on him, but keep shootin' it."

Ironically, that advice comes during a season in which Favre is playing with uncharacteristic caution in a familiar offense on a well-constructed team he doesn't have to carry every week.

Cutler, on the other hand, is just 10 games into an offensive philosophy that differs greatly from what he was used to in Denver. He's surrounded by young, inexperienced offensive players and a defense that lost its leader, Brian Urlacher, for the season in Week 1.

To compare Chicago's struggles since trading for Cutler to the Vikings' instant gratification since signing Favre is unfair, Cutler essentially said Wednesday.

"It was a different situation for Brett," Cutler said. "He knew the offense. [The Vikings] had all the pieces. They had the running game. They had the offensive line. The defense is really good. They just needed him, and Brett being Brett and knowing the system and being a experienced as he is and as special as he is, it was a unique opportunity for him."

Cutler said he has no regrets about forcing the trade from Denver.

"I'm still young in my career," he said. "I still think we're going to have a good team. I still think we're going to get where we need to be at some point. If it's this season or not remains to be seen. But I'm still happy to be here. I'm happy the trade happened. I'm happy I'm a Chicago Bear."