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In the past year alone, Jay Cutler's been compared to an ex-girlfriend and Jesus. On Friday, another crazy comparison popped up. This time, Cutler was likened to a fictional movie character from a popular '90s sci-fi movie.

According to Bears guard Kyle Long, Cutler is like Neo from The Matrix. I'll let him explain, as he did in an interview with the Chicago Tribune's Dan Wiederer:

"You look at his ability to learn and it's special. You see a lot of quarterbacks and they hit that mental plateau. Jay never stops learning. It's cool. It's like when Neo was in the Matrix and all of a sudden it's 'Oh, I know kung fu now.' Well, Jay is that way. The guy learns new stuff all the time. That's what makes him great. He's somebody who is always going to continue to strive to get better. Whether that's mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually. He's always looking for something to get that edge. Jay puts the time in. He really cares about this. And he's somebody who really wants to elevate the game of everybody around him."

Amazingly enough, this isn't the first time Cutler's been compared to a Keanu Reeves character. According to ex-Bears tight end Martellus Bennett, Cutler is also the quarterback in The Replacements.

Back to Long's point: He's not wrong. For one, Cutler appears to have matured off the field. Plus, since arriving in Chicago in 2009, Cutler's played for the following offensive coaches:

  • Ron Turner
  • Mike Martz
  • Mike Tice
  • Marc Trestman (head coach)
  • Adam Gase
  • Dowell Loggains (this year's offensive coordinator)

So, he's been forced to learn new offenses on a near-annual basis, which is pretty remarkable when you consider the stability most other quarterbacks of Cutler's caliber have enjoyed. Cutler's transition this year should be easier, as the Bears are keeping the same system in place even though they lost Gase to the Dolphins.

That's a good move. Last year, his first in the system, Cutler posted a career-high 92.3 passer rating and limited his interceptions to just 11. In fact, Cutler didn't undergo a multi-pick game until the final week of the season.

Despite the negative perception Cutler's garnered to this point in his decade-long career -- in large part because of his body language and facial expressions -- his career appears to be on an upswing. Not only did he improve this past season, he also experienced a perfect offseason. The Bears added help on the offensive line -- most notably by allowing Long to move from tackle back to guard -- and will gain the services of 2015 first-round pick Kevin White.

Perhaps most importantly, the Bears didn't draft a quarterback this spring (a decision with which I agree). They're Cutler's team for at least one more season.

He also leads the league in Keanu Reeves comparisons, for whatever that's worth.