After Chicago paired the headstrong Mike Martz with the equally headstrong Jay Cutler this offseason, there was much … head-scratching.
The thinking among Bears officials was that Martz's aerial creativity as offensive co-ordinator would dovetail with Cutler's powerful arm. It made sense.
Still, concerns remained: possible incompatibility, the revolving-door nature of the co-ordinator position and whether a weak group of blockers in front of Cutler would prohibit Martz from unleashing a 2.0 version of the offence known as "The Greatest Show On Turf" when he coached the St Louis Rams.
The Bears, at 8-3 entering today's game against the Lions in Detroit, are one of the NFL's surprises because Martz and Cutler have changed their stripes. Temporarily, at least. For now, both have seen the benefits of short, safe throws as an alternative to flinging it far down the field.
"Winning games and just moving the chains," Cutler said after a mid-November victory, referring to an emphasis on first downs as a means to touchdowns.
Three years a Bronco, Cutler wore out his welcome in Denver and landed in Chicago before last season. His dubious league-leading statistic: 26 interceptions, a figure attributed to bouts of Brett Favre-itis - the tendency to make lots of high-risk, high-reward throws.
Now, Martz has Cutler making short drops from centre, allowing the quarterback to get rid of the ball quickly, which translates into the lowest rate of completions exceeding 20 yards among NFL quarterbacks.
"He did a good job taking what was there," Greg Olsen, the Bears tight end, said on a recent Sunday.
The short-and-fast passing game does not yield yardage in chunks, but it aids in efficiency. Cutler has reduced his interception rate (10 through 11 games) and bumped his quarterback rating to 90.4, up from 76.8 a year ago.
Nothing less than a play-off run, this season or beyond, will convert the Cutler critics.
His reputation for stubbornness precedes him and his supreme self-confidence in his arm can cause trouble, too, as none other than Favre acknowledged when discussing Cutler.
"I see that in him," said Favre, an avowed admirer. "You kind of take the good with the bad."
Cutler is exercising patience, a virtue rarely associated with him, and Martz, too, is showing restraint. Think of a person with hands tied behind his back, gradually untangling the ropes.
"It'll happen," the coach said of dusting off his Greatest Show playbook. "It's just a step-by-step process … You just have to choose your spots."
Olsen concurs. "He's that kind of guy who can make those special plays," he said. "We don't want to take that away from him."
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Today's top games
• Washington at NY Giants: The renewal of a classic rivalry has one team (Redskins, 5-6) with little room for error against one (Giants, 7-4) trying to keep pace with NFC North leader Philadelphia. The Skins, an older bunch, are showing their age. The Giants rise and fall weekly on their turnover frequency; with 30 this season, they lead the league.
• Atlanta at Tampa Bay: The Falcons, unbeatable at home, venture south for the first of three consecutive road games. They are operating on all cylinders offensively, and while their defence is 20th in yards allowed it is No 7 in points permitted. The Bucs are 7-4 despite being outscored this year but lost only by six in the Georgia Dome.
• Pittsburgh at Baltimore: Ben Roethlisberger was suspended when the Ravens won 17-14 in Pittsburgh. Iffy for this game, he has worn a boot on a foot rumoured to be broken; the Steelers deny it, calling the ailment a sprain. The Ravens have won eight straight at home and should get the after-dark cold weather that they relish.
Today's other games
Jacksonville at Tennessee
Cleveland at Miami
Chicago at Detroit
Buffalo at Minnesota
New Orleans at Cincinnati
San Francisco at Green Bay
Denver at Kansas City
Oakland at San Diego
Carolina at Seattle
St Louis at Arizona
Dallas at Indianapolis
Tomorrow's game
NY Jets at New England
Stat of the week
The Dallas Cowboys were 14-3-1 on Thanksgiving Day leading up to 1985, but since then the holiday has not been as merry; they are a modest 13-12.
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Results
4pm: Maiden; Dh165,000 (Dirt); 1,400m
Winner: Solar Shower; William Lee (jockey); Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
4.35pm: Handicap; Dh165,000 (D); 2,000m
Winner: Thaaqib; Antonio Fresu; Erwan Charpy.
5.10pm: Maiden; Dh165,000 (Turf); 1,800m
Winner: Bila Shak; Adrie de Vries; Fawzi Nass
5.45pm: Handicap; Dh175,000 (D); 1,200m
Winner: Beachcomber Bay; Richard Mullen; Satish Seemar
6.20pm: Handicap; Dh205,000 (T); 1,800m
Winner: Muzdawaj; Jim Crowley; Musabah Al Muhairi
6.55pm: Handicap; Dh185,000 (D); 1,600m
Winner: Mazeed; Tadhg O’Shea; Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap; Dh205,000 (T); 1,200m
Winner: Riflescope; Tadhg O’Shea; Satish Seemar.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
