Is the criticism of Cutler valid or is everyone just piling on because he’s Jay Cutler?
Jay Cutler has an MCL tear in his left knee, although the severity of the injury is still unknown. In other words, we still don’t have enough information on whether or not he could have played in the second half against Green Bay.
But unless he’s having his leg amputated later this afternoon, he’ll still have plenty of folks questioning his toughness. People know what they saw on Sunday: A disinterested Cutler not fighting to get back into the biggest game of his life. He just stood or sat there, almost looking bored and/or annoyed that he had to watch the rest of the game from underneath his parka.
Former and current players have taken to Twitter to blast the Chicago QB. Maurice Jones-Drew pointed out that he played on a bad knee all season. Former Buccaneer great Derrick Brooks tweeted that he would have to be crawling and unable to get up to come off the field. Eagles’ corner Asante Samuel wrote that the Bears players should look at Cutler “sideways” from now on.
Fans have been even more demonstrative with their criticism. One group decided to burn his jersey after the game and I’m sure there were many others to curse his name and trash his memorabilia as well. If I were Cutler, I’d be looking up vacation spots right about now. (I hear South Dakota is nice this time of year.)
But is everyone being rational with his or her criticism? After all, he has only missed one start in his career and that came earlier this season when he suffered a concussion. Team trainers did check him out at halftime and he did try to go back into the game in the third quarter. He also has a torn MCL, so clearly he wasn’t faking the injury unless the Bears made up the results of his MRI (which is a stretch, but I also wouldn’t put anything past teams these days).
Did he do everything he could to try to get back into the game? It certainly didn’t look like it, which is why people are irate. If I were a Bears fan, I’d probably be fuming, too. This was the biggest game of the season and it looked like Cutler would rather be playing Mrs. Pac-Man than fighting beside his teammates. We want our quarterbacks to have guts, heart and determination. If they’re hurt, they better be withering in pain and bleeding from the ears before they come out of a conference championship game. And even then, they better be crawling around the sidelines while screaming to go back in.
Cutler did none of that, which is where the criticism comes in. But are fans just upset because their team lost and are looking for an easy target? And are players both past and present railing on him because they just don’t like Cutler as a person? Would a quarterback who wasn’t such a punk be given the benefit of the doubt in the same situation?
I wouldn’t be surprised if the criticism of Cutler was more about the stakes of the game and his personality than about his toughness. If you notice, his teammates have vehemently defended him and none of the players who are criticizing him play in the NFC North. I’d like to believe that no player would ever want to leave a playoff game when he still had something left to give.
But maybe the criticism of Cutler is just. Maybe he is a gutless wonder who should be called out. After all, a MCL tear isn’t an ACL tear. The injury can certainly affect a quarterback’s mobility and whether or not he can plant his foot, but I’m sure many players have gutted out this specific injury before.
Either way, this situation is now burned into people’s memories so he’ll have to deal with future questioning. Hopefully for his sake, he has enough toughness to prove doubters wrong.
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Posted in: NFL
Tags: 2011 NFL Playoffs, Anthony Stalter, Chicago Bears, Cutlergate, Jay Cutler
I suppose his non-chalant behavior on the sidelines is probably why people perceive his lack of passion. Too often we’re shown players agonizing and displaying emotion. I hope if this type of thing happens again, someone will hand him a clipboard and a headset, so he at least looks interested in the outcome of the game . . .
There was no way that MRI was going to come back clean from a team doctor. And I will say, if it was another player, I wouldn’t be as skeptical or critical. But that’s what happens when you open your mouth to tell everyone that will listen how good you are, then when the money is on the line, you’re nowhere to be found. Just like Rex Ryan, Cutler’s mouth invites criticism when he can’t back up his yapper. I do think they may want to run an MRI on Cutler’s heart to see if he has any.
I think any QB outside of the tough and elite players like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, etc, would be criticized somewhat for what Cutler did or didn’t do. But the fact that he’s Jay Cutler is going to invite even more criticism. The bottom line is that he’s not a very likable guy, which is mostly his doing.
I would contend that piling on Jay Cutler because he’s Jay Cutler is in fact just criticism.
I think you guys just made some of my points relevant!
I think it’s funny how people can even question if all of this is being blown up because it’s Jay Cutler. I was reminded today that one year ago another player also sprained an MCL in a Conference Championship and stayed out for more then a half, although this player wasnt available to the media. The difference between the two, maybe just how they are looked at by the media and fans. Jay Cutler sprains his MCL in the 1st half tries to come out to start the 2nd and the coaches and medical team tell him to sit (hes a baby) Hines ward a year earlier has the same injury and isnt available to the media….(one of the most durable players in the NFL).
you tell me how that is fair?
I thought I was agreeing with you, JP . . .
Like I said, people wanted to see Cutler being physically restrained from getting on the field by the team medical crew, finally having to dog-pile him and inject him in the neck with a large needle until he passed out. Instead they got Cutler standing on the sidelines with that, “I think I gotta fart, but it ain’t comin’ . . .” looks on his face. And even when the Bears did something good, the announcers would say, ” Jay Cutler is smiling now!”, but they never cut to it, because he probably smiled for 2 seconds. He just doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve the way people want him to.
I couldn’t care less about whether or not Cutler was hurt enough to stay out of the game. That’s for Bears fans to decide for themselves. It’s also for the individual to decide whether or not he should have been “coaching em’ up” on the sideline with Hanie. The thing that really bothers me is what a bunch of catfighting pussies this Twitter and other such things is turning the guys in this country into. Guys like MJD and Derrick Brooks should keep their opinions to themselves until they can say to the other guy face to face or at least look into the camera and say what they think. Do you need to know where Deion Sanders stands on an issue before making up your own mind? I don’t. We’re turning into a bunch of 13 year old girls.
I’m no athlete, but I tore my MCL skiing and the pain was excruciating. If that’s what happened to Cutler, then I, for one, can understand why he didn’t come back in the game. Jay always looks pouty (like Commodus from Gladiator)….he’s definitely not as animated as Mark Sanchez or Brett Favre. If you have anything to complain about with Cutler, it should be his performance in the game prior to his injury.