Bears Blitz

Published by Ed Berliner on January 25, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Hey, Chicago Bears fans. No offense and nothing personal, but I thought you were better than this.

As one who has always held you in exceptionally high regard and always known you were a step above a lot of so-called knowledgeable fans, I am rather disappointed in your reaction to Jay Cutler’s injury in the NFC Championship loss to Green Bay. I am disappointed that you’ve allowed yourself to be led by the nose to conclusions that have no basis in fact or football reasoning.

Within an hour of the final whistle—whether on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, news coverage, smoke signals, bear droppings or several telephone conversations—here’s a sample of what I read and heard.

• “The guy’s a fraud.”
• “He’s always been a quitter, all the way back to college.”
• “What a p****.”
• “A real football player would have gutted it out and never allowed himself to be taken out of the game.”
• And of course, the familiar, common and still somewhat Neanderthal, “He SUCKS.”

I get it. You’re fans. You have paid your money. Invested your life. Had the Bears logo tattooed on the back of your neck and on a part of your child’s body. You would not have one single issue with losing a toe or finger to frostbite if it meant rooting the Bears to victory and back to the Super Bowl. You deserve to cheer, jeer, question, wonder, ponder, holler, flail, criticize and spout as much as you want. It’s your right.

But to question the heart and competitive nature of a guy who, until the game started, you revered as an integral reason why your beloved Bears came within one victory of the Grail is below you. It’s insulting to your intelligence. Because you’re allowing yourself to be manipulated by several groups of people who based every slam on suspect assumptions—and we all know what assumption stands for.

Here is a quote from a former player and current analyst: “You play in the NFL, you tough it out, suck it up and get out there. Why, they would have had to carry me off the field on a split rail only after the bone was sticking out of my leg and I had blacked out seven times from the pain.”

Spare me the misplaced bravado meant to do nothing more than justify their existence as so-called “analysts.” A few of them are excellent when it comes to tearing a game plan apart and actually being inside the skull or player and coach. Too many others are slapped in front of the camera because of their “name value” and spout babble in some incoherent macho language.

There is one statement being dramatically played and overplayed on ESPN from a former player. Mark Schlereth was a gritty offensive lineman for the Denver Broncos. I worked with Mark for some time as host of an afternoon talk show on a major Denver radio station. He knows the game inside and out and should be respected for his opinion.

The comment uses his 29 career knee surgeries as a base and notes that he gutted out every one and got back on the field. Nothing could or would keep him from pounding the opposition.

However, the surgeries he talks about were performed on an operating table of some type—not on the sideline—and provided time to heal. He missed only 11 starts in his career, yet was still unable to play in those games due to specific injuries that are very close to what Cutler suffered. His 14th surgery, in the 2000 season, was to remove bone particles in the knee, forcing him to miss a number of games and leading to his retirement the next season.

To make these analogies about a player who suffers an injury during a game is unnecessary and just plain wrong. Also it is part of the standard rush to judgment, a staple of the 24-hour news and sports cycle. With all that airtime to fill, the more comments based on guesses, Internet medical opinions and ego, the merrier.

From a fan: “I really can’t say if he was faking or not, but if you looked at his body language, it’s apparent he wasn’t really hurt.”

Wow. Body language and psychoanalysis diagnosis via limited camera shots. Quick, call your insurance company immediately, and fill them in. Think of how steep the premiums drop will be.

Quoting another former player: “Cutler is obviously not a leader. Even if you’re hurt, you stay in the game. Be there and talk to the other QBs. Cheer on your team. Show them you are behind them no matter what.”

When did male cheerleading become an integral part of the NFL culture? Fans saying this is one thing, but a guy who’s been on that sideline and knows what really happens spouting these lame clichés is just a bad acting job meant to get more face time.

Cutler may not have been given any choice. Did the doctors and coaches order him to stay on the bench and not put any weight on the injured knee? Was he able to stand on it? Again, how bad was the injury? No one knew. Everyone merely speculated.

To add to that, I know a lot of coaches who actually don’t want injured players on the front line. Often it’s more of a distraction. Focus the offensive players on the man now in charge, not who was at the helm. Lovie Smith or one of his assistants could have made that call, but you better believe they will never tell. And in the heat of a game like this, I’ll wager no one turned and said, “Why isn’t Jay rooting us on?”

Another fan’s view: “Cutler has no heart and obviously doesn’t want it bad enough.”

I saved the most preposterous for last.

Cutler was sacked 52 times this season—12 more than anyone else in the NFL. He never whined about the offensive line failing to do its job in certain instances. Never a peep if his offensive choices made mistakes. Zero about dropped balls. He got up every time and went right back to his job. The only time he departed a game after being belted was the game where the NY Giants used him as a personal play toy with NINE sacks.

Sit back and have another bag of chips. Chug down another beer. Sit in your heated TV studio with a custom-cut suit and toss around opinions just to pump up the already bloated ego.

As for “not wanting it bad enough,” Cutler suffered through four career-draining seasons in Denver. For a time the man making decisions was barely out of coaching diapers. He never missed a game in his last three seasons with Denver and led what for a time was an offense to be feared, throwing for well over 10,000 yards and 72 touchdowns.

After being humiliated by a head coach in so far over his head that he may as well have been living in a Titanic stateroom, Cutler caught a break and led a franchise with every real chance at a championship.

Every player knows how rare these chances are. Sometimes you get only one. More often than not, you never even get one.

Cutler gutted out every play. Became a leader. Without him, Bears faithful, you would have spent another January bemoaning the fact Jim McMahon wasn’t available.

Oh, and by the way, an MRI performed Monday showed Cutler was popped with a Grade II MCL tear. I’ve had that injury and know how, sometimes, the pain can be excruciating just to stand. But I’m not making excuses for Cutler. I don’t know what was going on in his head or his body, and I wasn’t there on the sideline to hear every piece of every conversation and make a snap judgment.

Neither were you. Neither were the knee-jerk former players. Even the veteran football media frothing about being macho.

All these pompous, ill-informed and drive-by media rants have been proven wrong.

Don’t look for many of them to apologize now that we know the truth.

But I would expect solid Bears fans to admit they are wrong and thank Jay Cutler for one hell of a ride.

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