The gun-slinging Bears QB has caught a lot of flack over the last 24 hours or so for his removal from the NFC Title Game, that the Bears went on to lose to the Packers. Its my feeling that Cutler's been wrongfully criticized for stepping down from a situation when he really didn't have much of another choice. That hasn't kept most of the universe (or at least the twitterverse) from questioning Cutler's drive, desire, and toughness. All of which are ridiculous.
Let's look at the facts, shall we? We now know, Cutler left the game in the 3rd quarter, with a 2nd grade MCL tear, also known as an MCL sprain. Now I'm no doctor, but from what I understand, such an injury severely hampers the strength and range of motion of a leg. A leg Cutler needed to be able to plant and drive off of, on a torn up, cold, harsh track that was hard enough to maneuver on with 2 good legs, let alone one, in the Chicago tundra. Any questions of the true severity of his injury were answered when former Pro Bowl veteran, team captain, all-around tough guy, and starting center Olin Kruetz saw Cutler's knee shaking within the context of the game and was astounded when Cutler tried to come back out for the 2nd half.
When Cutler did play, it certainly didn't seem like he was playing with a full bill of health or effectiveness anyway. He was 6 of 14 for 80 yards and an interception. Its almost like the decision was made for him, and it very well could have been. Cutler wasn't 100%, and he wasn't playing anywhere near it. Why leave him in? His injury and therefore play were a detriment to the team and holding them back, as shown by the fact Caleb Hanie came right in and got the offense moving, bringing the Bears within a touchdown of tying the score before throwing his 2nd pick and sending the Chicago faithful home disappointed.
It comes off to me as a only lose situation for Cutler. He either plays, plays poorly and costs his team the game at least in part. Or he steps down and gets criticized and called heartless. I actually commend him for stepping down, and letting someone else give his team the best chance to win.
This all goes without mentioning that team doctors restricted him anyway, and playing could have led to further injury and not only getting a lousy Cutler for the rest of the game, but maybe no Cutler for the Super Bowl if they were to make it. I'd rather take my chances with a back up and not run the risk of further injury to Cutler, in hopes that he could play in 2 weeks. I can completely understand the rationale of the Chicago coaching staff.
Cutler's toughness and heart are a whole other issue of course. But I don't sell him short. This is the fiery Jay Cutler, he's a competitor. This is the guy that wanted to fight Philip Rivers when he was the QB in Denver. He took more sacks this season by a wide margin than any other QB, but got back up and went back to the huddle for the next play. After getting rocked by 9 sacks in one half by the New York Giants and earning a concussion for his effort, he only missed one week and was back out and competing again. He plays with the passion and daring of a gun-slinging QB. Jay Cutler is a tough guy, and I think he meant well for his team despite not being on the field for most of the 2nd half Sunday. Why would Cutler bother to come back to the sideline and be present, to his teammates and to the fans that were booing him just minutes earlier, if he didn't care? He wouldn't. He would hide in the locker room, but he didn't.
Lastly, lots of people have made a big deal about Cutler's body language on the sideline. They say he looked aloof, uncaring, distant, and resoundingly quiet. I have a strong beef with this. I don't know why, but most typical sports fans can't stand it when an athlete is placid, calm, or inanimate. Look at it logically. The guy just got taken out of easily the biggest game of his life, robbed of the chance to perform at his peak capability, and left his team in a big hole, not to mention he's injured and more than likely feeling a great amount of discomfort. Forgive him for not doing cartwheels on the sideline to support his team at that very instant. Was it a little immature of him to be so aloof? Probably. But he's a professional and so are all his teammates, they will get over it and ultimately understand.
What's the baseline?
A lot of Monday Morning QBs that never strapped on the helmet in the NFL are going to criticize Cutler for not playing when they really don't know the story, nor do they really want to. They want a scapegoat. So be it. The Bears and Jay Cutler had a heck of a year and they'll be right back there competing, hopefully healthily, again next season. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be this time... there goes my Super Bowl pick.
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