Cutler Attacks Brings About Much

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

In the NFC Championship, the Green Bay Packers earned another Super Bowl appearance by defeating the Chicago Bears, 21-14. And the barbs started flying toward Bears QB Jay Cutler.

On a hit, it appeared that Cutler's right knee was twisted in a weird manner. A noticeable limp was seen as Cutler came off the field and he even left the field before the first half was over. He attempted to give it a go in the second half, but was unable to do such. An MRI is scheduled for today.

Cutler's toughness is being brought into question. Current and former NFL players are among those. One network has taken to task of displaying the players tweets about Cutler. Bears fans are burning his jersey. One post I read is stating Cutler's legacy is tarnished. I'll address these in order as I listed them.

I completely understand former (and most likely current) NFL players being quick to beat down Cutler. They have played. They know. Remember Philip Rivers and playing the 2007 AFC Championship in New England with a torn knee ligament? That's why.

What I don't get about is players and former players taking to Twitter to take another shot at Cutler. Really? Maurice Jones-Drew, Raheem Brock and ESPN's Mark Schlereth joining in the parade.

ESPN is even scrolling these and other negative Cutler referenced tweets on the bottom of the screen. I really don't get that. That is poor judgment by a network at its best. Oh, it's ESPN. Can't say I'm shocked they'd pull that move. They hired Colin Cowherd for cryin' out loud.

But all of you are showing a complete lack of class. Why make that public, especially players. I'll again reference the 2007 AFC Championship game where Rivers played with torn ligaments. Why am I going back to that? There was another Charger that did not play in that game due to injury...LaDainian Tomlinson. LT had bruised his knee the previous week against the Indianapolis Colts and missed the second half of that game. How quickly people forget.

And what the hell will burning his jersey do? It's even not close to when LeBron left Cleveland and the fans were pissed and resorted to a similar act. Cutler didn't pull of a self-promotion to make an announcement. LeBron bolted Cleveland.

And when did Cutler ever develop a legacy? You can't tarnish what you don't have. The only "legacy" Cutler has is how he departed from Denver. Nothing more. I get the venom for Schlereth on that. He's a Bronco through and through. To say Cutler has a legacy is a little absurd.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

And kudos to Brian Urlacher...

He was asked about Cutler's injury and his teammates toughness. Urlacher responded (ESPNChicago.com):

"Jay was hurt," Urlacher said. "I don't question his toughness. He's tough as hell. He's one of the toughest guys on our football team. He doesn't bitch. He doesn't complain when he gets hit. He goes out there and plays his ass off every Sunday. He practices every single day. So, no, we don't question his toughness."

Urlacher was then told of current NFL players jumping on the bashing of Cutler.

"Nothing like jealous people who are sitting home watching," Urlacher said. "Players around the league you said, right? Yeah, love jealous people when they're watching our game on TV while their season is over."

And he didn't stop there. Urlacher responded during an interview on FOX. When he was told about the fans reaction..

"Who cares what they think?" he said. "That's my response to them. They are not playing in this game. Jay was hurt, obviously. There's no reason for him to be out there if he can't get it done. He was obviously hurt pretty bad or he would have played. For them to question his toughness is stupid to me."

I'm waiting for someone to say Urlacher was merely blowing smoke. I feel sorry for that individual.

And the support for Cutler does not end there. Bears center Olin Kreutz put his two cents in on the matter.

"I didn't think he was going to even finish the half," Kreutz said. "Then when he came out and tried it again, that amazed me."

And it amazes me that anyone not privy to the information regarding Cutler's injury and not privy to the Bears staff and its possible decision to sit the QB are being so quick to judge. They see Cutler on the sideline and immediately think he can go.

Things aren't always as they seem.

According to Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times, Cutler did suffer a tear of the MCL. The degree is not currently know.

But the bashing continues. NFL Network's Deion Sanders tweets he "better see dr andrews operate live on Cutler".

Should anyone expect different from "Neon Deion"? I do miss him on CBS pregame.

Again, so quick to judge.

The Day After: Seahawks/Bears and Jets/Pats

Not a whole lot to say about the Bears/Seahawks tilt. It was pretty much done when Seattle fell behind 21-0 at the 10:01 mark of the second quarter after a Jay Cutler TD run.

Wait. There is.

The Bears will not receive the kudos they deserve because they beat a team with a losing record. For the entire season, the Seahawks finished 8-10. Doesn't matter that they gained 437 total yards. It was against a poor defense. Doesn't matter that the allowed less than 300 yards of offense to Seattle. It was against a poor offense.

See what I mean. I can go on, too. After the Bears jumped out to that 21-0 lead, the Seahawks outscored them 24-14 the remainder of the game. The last two TD Seattle scored were within the last 2:16 of the game.

In other words, the game wasn't near as close as the final would indicate. The Bears were up 35-10 with just a little over two minutes remaining. And do not attempt to say that the Seahawks made it respectable.

The Bears defense stifled the Seahawks running game and made the Seahawks one dimensional. And while Matthew Hasselbeck's numbers won't blow you away, he did play a good game. Cutler was just better. The Bears defense was better. Give them their due.

As far as the Jets/Pats, I was shocked. That's an understatement. I thought that when the war of words was launched, the would serve poorly for the Jets. Yes, I was wrong. The Jets backed up their brash behavior with a 28-21 win.

NFC Divisional Game: Seahawks/Bears

The Chicago Bears have a chance for accomplish two things in this game. One is to avenge a 23-20 loss at the hands of Seattle earlier this season. Second, and I'm not so sure this can be done, is silence some of their critics.

I say that last part because the Bears are hosting an 8-9 team. You could conceivably say that Chicago is in a no-win situation there. Still, a win in the playoffs means you play another week.

Game Time: 1:00 PM ET
Network: FOX
Announcers: Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa

When the Bears have the ball...

	Scoring (Rk)	Total Yds (Rk)	Pass Yds (Rk)	Rush Yds (Rk)
offense	20.9 (21st)	289.4 (30th)	188.4 (28th)	101.0 (22nd)
defense	25.4 (25th)	368.6 (27th)	249.6 (27th)	118.9 (21st)

One of the most frustrating things for Bears fans this past season was trying to determine what type of offense the Bears had? Mike Martz was brought in to upgrade the offense, but that didn't appear to be the case at the beginning even though the Bears were winning. QB Jay Cutler was getting pounded and the O line was porous at best.

Then a switch went was flipped. Martz changed up a few things. He changed protection schemes. He changed Cutler's drops and reads. He involved RB Matt Forte more. Both have made Cutler a better QB. Those games where Cutler reverts to just slinging the ball have diminished.

(Image: Monica's Dad via Flickr

And when Forte was integrated more in the offense, it become more formidable. Forte's 2009 was near the season he had in 2008 when Forte was the Bears offense. In 2009, defenses keyed on him and he was stifled. The second half of 2010 looked more like the Forte of '08.

But don't think the Bears are just about Cutler and Forte. WRs Johnny Knox and Devin Hester (yes, he is still learning AND improving) come along just like the rest of the offensive unit. And even though TE Greg Olsen has yet to live up to his status as a first round pick, he's become a fave of Cutler.

The bad news for the Seahawks defense isn't that it's not a good unit. It's that their best player, LB Lofa Tatupu, may not be available after suffering a concussion against the Saints. Today will be the day to determine if he's a go. If he can't that leaves a major hole in an already bad defense.

So how did Seattle beat New Orleans last week? The Saints had seven trips in the red zone. They scored four TDs. That's how. I thought turnovers would play a vital role, but they didn't. The turnover battle was even. The Seahawks may have to improve on that this week. The Bears can run the ball where the Saints had issues all season with the rushing attack.

There could be a saving grace here...will the "old" Jay Cutler return? If it does, the Seahawks defense could feat on picks.

When the Seahawks have the ball...

	Scoring (Rk)	Total Yds (Rk)	Pass Yds (Rk)	Rush Yds (Rk)
offense	19.4 (23rd)	297.8 (28th)	208.8 (19th)	89.0 (31st)
defense	17.9 (4th)	314.3 (9th)	224.2 (20th)	90.1 (2nd)

Last week, RB Marshawn Lynch pulled off one of the greatest runs in playoff history to more or less seal the deal. QB Matthew Hasselbeck had perhaps his best game of the season. It seemed that he rarely missed. When he did, the guy was covered and he was throwing it away.

Hasselbeck must be protected (Image Matt McGee via Flickr)

Hasselbeck will be key if the Seahawks are to pull another upset. He has to have the same game tomorrow he had last week. In fact, the whole Seahawks offense must duplicate their efforts in order to win. But can they do such?

Yes, Lynch must pound the ball between the tackles. Yes, Hasselbeck must be around 70% for his completions. Yes, John Carlson must be a factor. Yes, the O line must protect the aging QB. Yes, Mike Williams cannot drop balls. All are musts for Seattle to win.

There will be one difference in this game, LB Lance Briggs. He didn't play the first time. He will be comping at the bit for this go around. And it's an experienced trio at linebacker, Briggs, Brian Urlacher and Pino Tinoisamoa is as good a trio you will find.

Where the Bears upgraded, obviously, was bringing in DE Julius Peppers. And as much as you might think that helped the pass rush, it has helped stopping the run. The Bears were only behind the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010. That's improvement.

The secondary is a bit underrated. They're aren't a lot of names back there, but they can hang with these Seahawks receivers. In fact, I like CB Charles Tillman. Look for Tillman to be manned up against Mike Williams.

Something that's interesting is that Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said he will punt to Devin Hester. I don't get that. Seattle has a good punter in Jon Ryan. He was one of the top placement punters in the NFL this season. And why put the kind of unnecessary pressure on your coverage teams?

And maybe Carroll is just blowing smoke.

The issue in this game will be can Seattle outscore Chicago. I'm not seeing it, but they did outscore the Saints last week and New Orleans does have a more potent offense that Chicago. But as I said, the Bears can run. If Jay Cutler has 60 pass attempts like Drew Brees did last week, it WILL be a Seahawks victory.

NFC North Primer

We reach the halfway point in our primers for the upcoming NFL season by visiting the NFC North.

Cutler must improve his discipline under
the Martz system.

Chicago Bears
2009 record: 7-9, 3rd in division
Head coach: Lovie Smith
Key Additions: DE Julius Peppers, TE Brandon Manumaleuna, RB Chester Taylor, CB Tim Jennings
Key Losses: CB Nathan Vasher, DE Adewale Ogunleye, FB Jason McKie, DE Alex Brown

1. Can new offensive coordinator Mike Martz transform QB Jay Cutler into a decent quarterback?
This is the question in the Windy City. I still don't see what every one sees in Cutler except that he takes a lot of chances the brings glimpses of a young Brett Favre. Favre made those passes while Cutler doesn't. Martz is a control freak and that's not a bad thing in this case. Cutler must be more disciplined and I'm not so sure he'll totally welcome the change...unless the Bears start winning.

2. Will the Bears D return to one of the best in the NFL?
Getting Peppers was huge, no doubt. There's still some tinkering new defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli needs to do. Marinelli wasn't successful in Detroit as a head coach, but his calling card is as a coordinator. It will take these guys time (like on offense) and the first order of business is stopping the run (23rd in '09). Having LB Brian Urlacher back will help. DT Tommie Harris is the key though. If he's healthy, he can dominate the line of scrimmage.

3. Will Lovie Smith be the first coach receiving a pink slip in 2010?
He might be, but unless the Bears go 0-5 out of the gate, I doubt it. Make no mistake here. Smith is on the hot seat and he knows it. Plus, if the Bears do lose their first five games, they will have lost their opener at home to the Detroit Lions. Just sayin'.

Change can be good, but too much at once can be worse...

Who better to show Suh the ways of a
defensive lineman that Vanden Bosh.

Detroit Lions
2009 record: 2-14, 4th in division
Head coach: Jim Schwartz
Key Additions: DE Kyle Vanden Bosh, WR Nate Burleson, S C.C. Brown, CB Chris Houston
Key Losses: LB Ernie Sims, LB Larry Foote

1. What area do the Lions need the most help?
DEFENSE!!! Last against the pass and 25th against the run tells you all you need to know. It doesn't matter how much you score when you can't stop your opponent. Drafting DT Ndamukong Suh and signing free agent Vanden Bosh (who Schwartz had in Tennessee) are nice building blocks. But the Lions are thin at linebacker with Sims and Foote departing. The secondary added Houston and drafted the most talented corner in the draft with Amari Spievey. This unit should be better, but baby steps...

2. Will QB Matthew Stafford have a better season now that there's no competition?
Dicey area. I hear a lot of former NFL players say that competition drives a player to improve. With no one to push Stafford, that desire to improve all falls squarely on him. He seems to have his head on his shoulders and I expect Stafford to improve upon his rookie campaign. He did lead the Lions to their only two wins in '09 before being shut down after week 13. Plus, the Lions brass added a couple of more toys in signing Burleson, getting TE Tony Sheffler and drafting Jahvid Best.

3. If I'm a fantasy owner, should I draft any Lions?
I had Calvin Johnson last year and got burned. I won my league (due mostly because of a certain QB in Green Bay), but I sat CJ a few weeks when the matchup wasn't right. I have been known to take a flyer or two on rookies and Best may not be that bad of a flyer.

Rodgers has emerged as an elite QB.

Green Bay Packers
2009 record: 11-5, 2nd in division
Head coach: Mike McCarthy
Key Additions: none...really
Key Losses: DE Aaron Kampmann

1. Is Aaron Rodgers the best QB in the NFC?
No question. Not even a debate. But notice I said "NFC". There's a guy in Indianapolis that's better, but he's the only one that I think is better than Rodgers. Rodgers just piles numbers that few thought he could even after being a first round selection. That was because of the QB in Green Bay before Rodgers. Rodgers has pretty much pushed "his" memory to the side...temporarily. There's a guy in New Orleans that's sharp, too.

2. How much will the loss of Johnny Jolly due to suspension hurt the defense?
Losing Jolly for the whole season is big. Jolly had just found his way in Dom Capers' scheme, too. His loss forces B.J. Raji, last year's first round pick, to step up his game. On a defense that was extremely stubborn in '09 (5th against the pass and tops against the run), that's a tall, tall order.

3. Will the Pack ever discover a running game?
They need to and I'm not sure why people have soured on Ryan Grant. Could be that contract thing, but Grant is still the best back the Packers have and I think he's still among the top 15 in the NFL. No flash, no dash. Maybe that's why he doesn't get his due.

A common sight. Another AD fumble.

Minnesota Vikings
2009 record: 12-4
Head coach: Brad Childress
Key Additions: CB Lito Sheppard
Key Losses: RB Chester Taylor, CB Karl Paymah, G Artis Hicks

1. Favre?
In my humble opinion, the Vikings have let this soap opera play out way too much. It's been beyond out of control since day 1. I've hear and read that experts and former players say Favre has earned this right. Sure, holding not only a franchise, but an entire league hostage (to an extent) is not a right any player has. (Hear that, Darelle Revis?) Personally, I could care less. I've never been a Favre fan and I never will be. He had his best season last year and no one, not even little ol' me, can take that away from him and Vikings fans.

2. Will Adrian Peterson ever be able to control his fumbling?
Giants fans thought the same about Tiki Barber until an adjustment was made in the manner in which Barber carried the ball. Peterson must do the same. I know Childress has him lugging around a much heavier ball, but it's also a mindset. The offensive coaches can do everything possible, but it ultimately rests with AD. He has to put in the extra work in the attempt to control his issues.

3. Will the defense be able to hold up to their end of the bargain?
We know that it's almost impossible to run on that front four, but bear a couple of things in mind here. Pat Williams is 37. I would suspect the Vikes would rotate Jimmie Kennedy a little more this season. The corners? That's a different story. Antoine Winfield was beat up pretty much all of 2009. Cedric Griffin is injured and the Vikes have been using Asher Allen and rookie Chris Cook in nickel situations. Sheppard has made little impact in camp. The secondary is where the Vikes must improve this season.

To place the teams is difficult because of the "Favre Factor". If Favre returns...

1. Minnesota. Favre means that much to their hopes.
2. Green Bay. They will push the Vikes again.
3. Chicago. Smith will most likely be gone after 2010.
4. Detroit. Remember, baby steps.

Of course, if Favre really does hang up the cleats (and would we really believe if he says so), flop GB and MIN.

NFL Week 10: Bears/Niners Recap

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You hear it every week. "Take care of the ball and we'll win." Or something like it anyway. Then why do I have a sneaking, suspicion that the Bears coaches (offensively) aren't letting QB Jay Cutler (right) in on this small, but crucial piece of advice?

If you watched any of the game last evening, you might have come away with the same question. It's also possible that you came away with this question: What is Cutler thinking? That would be a good choice, too. Of course, Bears fans most likely had an explitive ot two added to it.

Bears QB Jay Cutler amassed over 300 yards passing but contributed 5 INT as the Bears fell to the San Francisco 49ers last night. The loss puts the Bears at 4-5 and in third place in the NFC North. With the win, San Francisco also moves to 4-5 and reside in second place in the NFC West.

Are You Ready for Some...Wait, it's Thursday. Bears/Niners

Football on Thursday night? True.

And the NFL Network's first installment delivers a most intriguing game, the Chicago Bears travelling to the west coast to pay a visit to the San Francisco 49ers. Chicago is coming off a dreadful 41-21 loss to the Arizona Cardinals while San Francisco also lost on Sunday to the Tennessee Titans, 34-27.

Both teams need a win desparartely if they want to make a major push for the playoffs (cue Jim Mora).



These teams haven't met since 2006 when the Bears won, 41-10. A lot has happened to both franchises since then.

Chicago (4-4) @ San Francisco (3-5)

Bears: A question popped into my head. Is Jay Cutler a younger version of Brett Favre? No, I'm not comparing the two, but think abuout it for a moment. Cutler reminds me of the Favre of over a decade ago when he would try to throw the ball into such a small space that a fly would barely fit. Now, Cutler must throw that mentality out the window. He's not Brett, and Cutler needs to be reminded of that. Coaching might help here. And RB Matt Forte (left) has actually put a couple games together (121 total yards v. Cleveland, 107 v. Arizona). The offense has been steady, but it will be the defense that gets scrutinized tonight. DT Tommie Harris, coming off his ejection for hitting Cards T Deuce Litui last week, must play his best game of the year. If Harris doesn't show up for this game, the Bears playoff chances will be trimmed. It is the Bears defense that has let them down over their last two losses (41 points to Arizona, 45 to Cincinnati). Time for "defensive coordinator" Lovie Smith to dial it up. This game is the first of back-to-back prime time games for the Bears.

49ers: The Niners gave Chicago some bulletin board material courtesy of TE Vernon Davis (right). It goes something like this:

"The guys up front, I think we can destroy them," Davis said. "I don't see anything spectacular about their front line."

The rest of the Niners spent time trying to "sanitize" Davis' remarks. One thing Mr. Davis may want to know is how HIS defense is doing. The Bears D is 15th. The Niners is 19th. Don't want to give the opponent too much ammunition and Davis did just that. If San Francisco is going to break out it three game slump, it begins with QB Alex Smith and his ball protection. Smith threw 3 INT against the Titans last week and lost a fumble, too. Losing the turnover battle is the quickest way to lose a game. But in his two and a half games this season, Smith has more TD than former starter Shaun Hill (6 to 5). The 49ers playoff train rides heavily on this game just like Chicago, the Niners defense must make the difference.

These teams are extremely similar and they have to follow the same map for a win: take care of the ball (no INT or fumbles), run the ball effectively (Chicago with Forte and San Francisco with Gore), and play smashmouth defense.