Jay Cutler: Was He Really Injured?

So, today was Championship Sunday, and though my hometown Bears lost, it was still a pretty great game. But I expected us to play Jay Cutler for all four quarters. I didn't expect Todd Collins (aka the worst second string quarterback ever) or Caleb Hanie to play. This was the NFC Championship, and I wanted to watch Jay Cutler at least try to mount a comeback. People may say that Hanie actually made the team better, but he really didn't. For the two touchdown drives he started, he also gave up what happened to be the game-winning touchdown. I'm not trying to say that Cutler doesn't make that throw (we have 26 reasons from last season of why he would have), but he is the more talented quarterback between the two. He can make those plays, but he couldn't. While watching the game, I couldn't help but notice that the only thing wrong with Cutler appeared to be his attitude. He was standing up and walking about. He didn't limp around and he really didn't seem to have anything wrong with him. So did he quit on his team?

There are so many reasons why it would seem that he quit on his team. First off, he's been labeled as an underachiever. For a quarterback so talented, he is very bad. He has the arm strength to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but he doesn't work on his mechanics like Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers does. He never really improves his form, something that has been criticized in the past. Secondly, he's also been labeled as a selfish player. As a Bears fan, I've never taken a liking to Cutler. He never seems like he's into the game. He complains too much and loses confidence too quickly. He completely ruined his relationships in Denver, and he may be starting to lose fans in Chicago after this "injury". He has been a "me" type of player, and that doesn't work in a team sport. Lastly, he's not a great leader. There are some great leaders in football. Ray Lewis, Manning, Tom Brady, Brian Urlacher, Rodgers, Drew Brees. Almost every single team has a true leader, but Cutler has never actually taken that role in football in general. Sure, Urlacher has been an emotional leader for the Bears, but he's also a team guy. He would be willing to share that leadership role with anybody. Cutler never stepped up.

But for all these reasons of why he may have quit, there is one reason we're forgetting for why he didn't. He didn't bench himself; the coaches had the final say. He went through stretches and talked with the medical staff before he was pulled. It could be argued that he exaggerated the extent of his injuries, but odds are that he was taken out for a reason. I highly doubt that Lovie Smith thought that Todd Collins would be better in this situation because of his abysmal performance against the then-winless Carolina Panthers. So Lovie had a reason to take out Cutler. Lovie is a smart coach and he is the type of guy who would stick with his starter unless there is unquestionable doubt that his starter can not play. He pushes a player to be his best, but Lovie never puts his players at risk. So Lovie benched him because he thought that his quarterback was injured, something that his teammates can attest to.

So Cutler could have been injured or he could not have been. But what stings the most is that he did not look sad at his injury. He wasn't emotional about missing out on the chance to comeback for the win in a championship game. He was complacent. He was on the bench listening to music, watching the game. He didn't show a sadness for watching the championship game on the bench, rather than playing in it. He seemed to be just fine for missing out on what really is the biggest game of his career. Sure his teammates know that he is passionate about the game, but they're his teammates. You don't go around backstabbing your teammates or saying crap about them. Sure he was happy for Hanie when he led those two drives, but there are people who get benched who react crazily, even if it is because of an injury. They want to be on the field, especially in a playoff game. This is every football player's dream. So maybe we can't question whether or not he was injured, but as Deion Sanders tweeted, we can question Jay Cutler's heart and his passion. The question is no longer was he really injured because we can find that out. The question now is does Cutler even care anymore?

Update: Cutler cried after learning that his toughness was put into question. Now I'm not exactly the biggest Cutler supporter, but as a Bears fan, it is great to see our starting quarterback show some emotion. He really does care. Hope the injury you have isn't that bad Cutler!

Why I'm Not Worried about the Seattle Seahawks as a Chicago Bears fan

Okay this seems to be a really stupid question. But as a Chicago Bears fan, I'm getting crap from a bunch of other people (primarily Packers and Seahawks fans) that think that the Bears are gonna lose the next game against the 8-9 Seahawks. From a win-loss standpoint, the Bears have the edge. But everyone else argues that because the Seahawks beat the Bears in the regular season that the Bears will inevitably lose again in the playoffs. Well this is why that won't happen.

1. The Seahawks beat the Bears before their bye week.

Yes this sounds like a stupid point, but if you watched the Bears before and after their bye (especially those last four games going into the bye), there was a vast difference. I'm not gonna statistically analyze anything, but I'm pretty sure that their quarterback Jay Cutler was sacked much less after the bye. He threw more efficiently and the offense and defense were clicking (except for one minor hiccup against the New England Patriots). As John Madden would say, the quarterback's throwing it, the running back's running it, the defense is playing good defense. They are beatable, but ever since that bye, it seems like Mike Martz, their offensive coordinator, really got his offense going. And of course, the Bears have an exceptional defense.

2. The Seahawks beat the New Orlean Saints using deep passes and the running game.

The Bears play a cover-2 defense. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is pretty much the two safeties play really deep, essentially to stop the big play. It leaves the team vulnerable to short, fast throws, but the Bears mix a great pass rush with good down field coverage. Yes, Matt Hasselbeck, the Seahawks starting QB, is experienced and accurate, but he didn't tear apart the Saints by using a lot of short passes. He hit them up deep. Just look at the pass to Brandon Stokley for the touchdown. He simply beat every single guy, but in the cover-2, there will usually be a safety playing back and ready to tackle Stokley. Speaking about tackling, the Saints did a crappy job on that part. Marshawn Lynch broke 7 or 8 tackles en route to one of the most electrifying plays ever. But against the Bears, they would not allow that. The defensive corps stresses good tackling more than anything. Just imagine Brian Urlacher whiffing on a tackle like that. Inconceivable, no?

3. The Seahawks aren't that great on the road.

The Seahawks went 2-6 on the road. Sure one of those 2 wins was in Soldier Field, but that was Jay Cutler's first game back from an injury. But the Seahawks are atrocious away from home and the Bears, with a 5-3 record at home including wins against the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, and New York Jets, are more than formidable.

There are many other reasons why one team or another is going to come out on top. But these are three main reasons and they are big reasons. Many people slated the Bears to lose their first playoff game. But these same people expected the Seahawks to be gone by then too. All I know is that the last time the Bears played the Seahawks after earning the bye, the Bears ended up in the Super Bowl. Serendipitous or just coincidence? We'll find out Sunday January 16. My guess is the Bears win with a score of 24-7. I just can't imagine another great game by the Seahawks offense against a very strong Bears defense. So all that's left to say is GO BEARS!