Jay Cutler Injury Controversy

Jay Cutler injury controversy? You betcha. How in the world does Jay Cutler go from being one of the most loved figures in Chicago to one of the most hated? It makes complete sense the fans in Denver wouldn't like that guy after he was shipped out. It makes complete sense that other fans of other teams in the NFL wouldn't like him either. But Chicago fans? Aren't you supposed to rally around your quarterback?

There is little doubt Jay Cutler suffered an injury in the first half in the NFC title game against Green Bay. Cutler attempted to play in the second half before leaving the game early in the 3rd quarter. The problem starts for his critics when Jay Cutler stands on the sideline with an apparent "knee injury". That's where the controversy begins. If Jay Cutler had sat on the bench or on crutches this issue probably never would have became such a controversy.

Instead, Cutler stood on the sidelines with a very disinterested look on his face. He didn't appear to argue to get in the game. He wasn't pining away with a disgusted look on his face. Cutler just stood there(on his injured knee) and watched the Bears lose in a game that could have ultimately sent them to the Super Bowl.

NFL players hopped on twitter and accused Jay Cutler of quitting. NFL fans were quick to assume the same thing. Even though the details were not in, many assumed Cutler just quit and didn't fight to remain in the game.
The Bears were playing awful football and Cutler was 6-14 at that point with an interception to his credit.
Did Jay Cutler quit?

Certainly in the post game, Bears players like Brian Urlacher were quick to point out that he didn't. In fact, Urlacher called Cutler one of the "toughest" players on the entire team. And it would seem true. Cutler was the guy who was sacked a gazillion times over the past two seasons but still remained in the game. So why would he dump out of an NFC playoff game that led to the Super Bowl? It doesn't make sense. The whole problem-and I can see why people believe this-is that Cutler stood on the sidelines and watched the game. If he would have rode the bench or walked on crutches I think most fans would have had sympathy for him. Instead, Jay Cutler chose to stand on the injured knee. I guess that led to the logic that--if Cutler can stand then he can stand in the pocket on one leg and compete.

It kind of makes sense that people would develop that logic watching the NFC championship game from afar. But I say it's completely unfair when we didn't see what happened in the locker room and we have no clue what actually happened to his knee. The extent of the injury is still unknown. If Jay Cutler has a torn MCL, there are a bunch of people who owe the guy an apology. Even if it's sprained, I think it's safe to say he has been the subject of an NFL witch hunt. Cutler said in his post game interview that he wanted to continue to play but the coaches took him out. Was Cutler supposed to "TO" the situation and argue with Lovie Smith on the sidelines for the remainder of the 3rd and 4th quarter? Maybe it his body language, which is always kind of ho-hum, was more angry at the situation then critics would have given the guy a "break" for not being in the game. Maybe if the Super Bowl wasn't at stake this wouldn't be an issue.

The Jay Cutler injury controversy though is a little out of control. If his knee ligaments are torn--it's kind of vicious that so many people were quick to say the guy is a wuss. We are talking about an NFL quarterback who gets banged up every single week during the regular season. Cutler has been a rock of consistency since arriving in Chicago and he hasn't been out for injury very often. Yet, since this game was huge his critics are ready to say this moment "defines" his career. It's true Brett Favre probably would have hobbled out on the field and played with the same injury. Favre probably would have sacrificed the rest of his adult life for that one moment to get to the Super Bowl. But does that mean Cutler has to risk his health in the future over a football game?
Maybe he doesn't carry the same passion that Favre did? Or maybe he just is the ultimate team player and went with the decision of a coach he respects.

Either way, the jury is still out until we have full details on the Jay Cutler injury. I think a lot of people pushed the panic button and felt okay with labeling Jay Cutler as a wuss before knowing what truly happened to that knee. If Cutler would have took a seat--this never would have been an issue. Instead, his decision to stand for the duration of the game probably earned him way more critics that fans. Maybe Cutler was standing because he wanted to see if the pain would go away and to stay warm in case he could go back in? How can we really know the intentions of someone? I learned a long time ago not to judge the appearance on the face of someone I don't truly know. Cutler does always have a look of indifference on his face--he rarely smiles even when he has just accomplished something great. So I think it's safe to say that his look was completely consistent with what we have seen in the past. It's more usual for Jay Cutler to grimace than it is for him to smile. So his look on the sidelines shouldn't define anything in this situation either.

My gut feeling is the Jay Cutler injury will turn out to be severe and he'll probably have to have surgery on his knee-which is completely awful. That injury has been and will continue to be compounded because of his decision to stand on the sidelines. Fair or not, Jay Cutler is going to have one of those "you either love him or hate him" type personalities for the rest of his career. Only a Super Bowl title could erase that now. Even if the criticism is unfair, and I believe it totally is, Cutler has some work to do to get back on the popular side. It's not a side he has ever really chosen to be on.

Cutler is definitely his own guy. People should respect that. But a lot of people don't. Cutler hasn't conformed to fit the prototypical quarterback in the NFL. You think people would admire that. Instead, he is blasted by the media and fans when he most likely tore his MCL. Maybe he dug his own grave by not being a media darling. Maybe he could have done some things that would have helped him in terms of popularity? Now Cutler will probably just shrug this off and continue his football career--trying always to erase that image his critics have of him sitting out the "big game" by playing one NFL game at a time. I think he will inevitably overcome this moment--even if some say this moment has "defined" his career. Cutler is still young and only time will tell if that happens. I just hope those critics who blasted him wake up when they found out the severity of his injury and write apologies.
Is that likely to happen? Probably not.