Cutler's Legacy Tarnished in Chicago

No matter how serious his MCL injury really is, Jay Cutler's performance on the sidelines in the NFC Championship has forever tarnished his legacy as a Chicago Bear.

In a sport as violent and brutal as football, every player must have the gladiator mentality. Give 100% when your healthy, give more when you're hurt. Injuries will happen---especially to vulnerable quarterbacks. Midway through the second quarter, Cutler had to leave the game with a bum knee. Not only did he leave the game, he left Bears fans with an image of him that they will not soon forget.

There was no training staff running onto the field, no collapse to the floor, no significant limp, and certainly no reason to believe Cutler had suffered a sprained MCL. From the way he went to the sidelines to the way he appeared on the bench, Cutler could not have handled the situation any worse. He did not have any competitive facial expression and looked as if he had put up no fight to get back into the game. He simply put on his coat, took a seat, and became an uninterested spectator. If Cutler was a 3rd string fullback this would not be a story. However, Cutler is not only the starting quarterback of one of the most beloved franchises in the NFL, he is the franchise.

Not since Sid Luckman left the field in 1950 have the Chicago Bears had a quarterback as prestigious and talented as Jay Cutler. Personally, I believe Cutler does not get enough respect for his play on the field. Sure, there is always the chance he throws a dumb interception, but people fail to remember that he can also make a touchdown pass through triple coverage look easy. No matter which offensive linemen, running backs, or wide receivers line up along side him, Cutler will always give you a chance to win because he can make throws that most other quarterbacks could only dream of. On the field, Cutler can be spectacular. Off the field? Not so much. He has never been fully accepted by Bears fans because they do not see the fight and willpower of a Tom Brady or Ben Roethlisberger. They see too much of the droopy, woe-is-me, disgruntled look of a quarterback who looks as if he was just told hes not getting any dessert after dinner. Compare the look on Cutler's face from Sunday to the look on Peyton Manning's face when he was pulled from a week 16 game against the Jets in which the Colts were going for the perfect season. Manning looked like he was dieing to get back on the field. Cutler looked content with the bench.

Getting back to Sunday, Cutler's act looked pathetic because of what we have seen from other quarterbacks in the face of injury. There are numerous images of quarterbacks fighting through pain and staying on the field. The recent news about Drew Brees playing through a sprained MCL this season does nothing to help Cutler's case. If Brees could play through numerous regular season games with a sprained MCL, how could Cutler not play in the NFC championship with one? Granted, the severity of the injuries may be different but the comparisons have been made and have been compared. Only three years ago, Phillip Rivers played the entire AFC Championship game in Foxboro with a torn ACL. Though the Chargers lost the game, Rivers earned himself a career's worth of respect with his toughness and courage of playing with such a severe injury. If one goes back a couple more years, they will remember Donovan McNabb playing a regular season game against the Arizona Cardinals with a broken ankle.

Perhaps the most disheartening thing for Bears fans was to see how many current and former players attacked Cutler. No journalist, commentator, or broadcaster can imagine what it is like to be on an NFL field if they have never experienced it. At a time when NFL players are uniting as they anticipate a work stoppage, not only did they criticize one of their own, they openly questioned his heart and his manhood. Cutler will not only have to prove to Bears fans that he genuinely couldn't play, he has to prove to his fellow players that he has a competitive spirit and would have done anything to play in the championship game.

Many of Cutler's teammates and coaches have come to his defense, saying the quarterback is a tough player and could not go back into the game. While that may all be true, would they really say otherwise? The Bears invested a great deal in Cutler so any player or coach who goes against him would be going against the entire franchise. Even if Cutler could in no way go back into the game, the players and coaches had to be upset with how content he seemed to look on the sidelines. Factor in that he appeared to be making no effort to help 3rd string quarterback Caleb Hanie when he entered the game and Cutler's leadership looks even worse.

Until he proves otherwise, Cutler has plenty to prove before Bears fans accept him. It may take a Super Bowl trophy because even before Sunday's incidents Bears fans had their doubts about Cutler. As for now? Cutler is left with a bum knee and a tarnished legacy.