Jay Cutler Inexplicably Quits on Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler pulled himself from the NFC Championship Game in the third quarter with a phantom knee injury. Cutler himself apparently has no idea when exactly he hurt his knee, and he was standing on the sideline for the rest of the game. After third-string quarterback Caleb Hanie led a touchdown drive for the Chicago Bears in the second half, Cutler was walking along the sidelines with no limp, congratulating teammates.

A reasonable person would expect someone with a significant knee injury to be sitting on the sidelines, or in the locker room, or at least walking with a limp.

Cutler's behavior was disgraceful. Absolutely disgraceful.

He was horrible during his time on the field, completing 6 of 14 passes for 80 yards and an interception, leaving his team in a 14-0 deficit when he called it a day. Backup quarterback Todd Collins came in, was equally ineffective, and was quickly pulled for Hanie, who came close to tying the game at the end of regulation.

Hanie committed two egregious errors that one would expect from a third-string quarterback in a high-pressure game--throwing a pick-six to defensive lineman B.J. Raji, who nearly celebrated himself into a touchdown-erasing fumble, and throwing a game-ending interception to defensive back Sam Shields on a potentially game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter.

For Cutler to quit on the Bears is inexcusable. He quit on the Denver Broncos, demanding a trade, and he has now quit on the Chicago Bears. Jay Cutler is not the quarterback of Chicago's future. He's not the quarterback of any team's future. Chicago would benefit from getting rid of Cutler. Trade him to the Carolina Panthers or some other team that wants a quarterback. Cut him. It doesn't really matter. But get rid of him. Once a player who is supposed to be a team leader quits like this in such an important game, he doesn't deserve to ever wear that uniform again.

Caleb Hanie did not lose the NFC Championship Game for the Bears. He's a third-string quarterback who, in his wildest dreams, probably never imagined playing nearly half of the game today when he woke up this morning.

Jay Cutler lost this game for the Bears by quitting, and he should be ashamed of himself.