That being said, does taking that kind of pounding take a toll on a player mentally over the course of a season? Kitna would just freeze up late in the season, or just rush a throw leading to a pick or make mistakes because he was constantly under duress. Cutler showed the same propensity to make mistakes all season while under duress. He also made a lot of big plays, but mainly because he had a quality running game to help him out, and has more talent and a bigger arm than Kitna ever had or will have. Bears fans better get used to the fact that a Mike Martz offense is high risk/high reward!!

Cutler showed flashes of toughness and Talent all season, but when it counted most, he QUIT!!

Matt Stafford showed his toughness and endeared himself to his team and his fans by ignoring the trainers who told him to stay out of the game (which is their job) and came back in to win a meaningless game against the Browns.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-films-sound-efx/09000d5d8147c551/Sound-FX-Matthew-Stafford-mic-d-up

Brett Farve played in an NFC championship game after taking a pounding that would put most of us in the hospital. I played games in high school with broken fingers, sprained ankles, hyper extended elbow, broken knose, and I’m not the toughest guy around. If I could walk or stand, I wanted to be in the game, as did my team mates and we played on losing teams.

Cutler should have stayed in the game as long as he could walk or stand. HE QUIT, PLAIN AND SIMPLE!!!

Jay Cutler has taken the Bears to the playoffs and done a fine job. The only complaint I have is I wish he would learn how to set his feet before throwing a pass which might address some of his accuracy issues. What I find amazing in the aftermath of the Green Bay game is the 600 pound gorilla in the livingroom no one is addressing. And his name is Caleb Hanie. As a Bears fan I’m wondering why others aren’t questioning why their first string QB can play 2+ quarters of football and only manage 80 passing yards with no TD’s while the third string QB can step in, facing the same defense, and pass for 144 yards in about 17 minutes of play engineering two touchdown drives. Despite the unfortunate interception for a TD by Green Bay, Caleb still almost pulled a tie in regulation. Why is this guy third string behind Collins? Why is the Bears organization ignoring him? He deserves better and I’m afraid he’ll find it as a restricted free agent.

Cutler just needs to work hard in the offseason, let it leak out somehow, and then come back and win. No one will care about this if he has a great season, the media will play up the ‘Jay Cutler has grown up’ angle and all will be well.

now side to side? not too much.

And if the Vikings can solve their QB problem and the Lions continue to improve, the Bears may commence a “Terrible in the Teens” run starting next season, just like the Rams were “Nothing in the Nineties” after Everett’s implosion (until of course the very last year of that decade).

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Except often times this information is purposefully left unclear for strategic purposes. One only has to think of the injury report and the measures teams go through to obscure injuries.

It is amazing how many “former players” acknowledge the perception based assessment of Cutler’s injury and the limitations of said perceptions, yet still manage to confidently express their opinions. It seems strange to make a statement when it is clear that not all is known.

The nonsensical nature of this entire Cutler discussion is really just a sad affair by the sports media and ultimately showcases their journalistic inadequacies.

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Dude, your team lost. Get over it, and stop the name-calling. My team blew a two touchdown lead in the playoffs against a team that will probably win the SuperBowl. Win as a team, lose as a team. Quitler? Grow up.

Also L Smith’s handling sounded like he wanted to stifle or cut off discussion with a now misunderstood tone to his voice.

The torrent of criticism from players, current as well as former, who were sitting on their couches comfortably watching the game from afar is shameful.

The Golics, Schlereths and Dilfers of the sports world are far likelier to get run over by a bus than to ever again face a 300 pound lineman coming at them at full speed with their helmet aimed at their faces.

I think it is unmanly for men, men in the sense that they are beyond a certain age and have obtained enough life experience to be able to purposefully avoid poor decision-making, to judge another’s courage or conviction in a situation in which they have no stake

It is one thing for Erlacher to judge his quarterback while playing in the same game, it is quite another for a Golic to do the same. One’s judgement is sensible the other’s is shameful. You choose which is which.