Cutler Can't Catch a Break

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. 

The quote above is from the Wizard of Westwood himself, John Wooden, and to me, it really speaks to what is happening in Chicago, after their 21-14 defeat against the Green Bay Packers.  Jay Cutler became the latest NFL villain as it appeared he gave up and didn't want to come out for the second half.  Many NFL and former NFL players took to Twitter to rip Cutler for looking like he didn't give a damn if the Bears won or lost that football game. 

Cutler did have an MCL sprain, which is usually a 3-4 week injury and due to Cutler's diabetes, he could not take a painkiller shot at halftime. Now, a lot of NFL players have probably played with that sort of injury, but Cutler couldn't do it.  Honestly, if Cutler would have either been on crutches, helping Caleb Hanie with the defenses, or look excited if the Bears might come back and win, this is a non-story. Cutler looked like a spoiled rich kid who was cold and wanted to snuggle with his reality star girlfriend instead of being with his team. 

I do wonder if Cutler will end up regretting this decision when his career is done.  Who knows if he will ever get back to this stage, I assume he will, but you never know.  In my opinion, that's why guys like Maurice Jones-Drew was so mad about Cutler because Mojo would probably give his 2010 salary to be a part of Championship weekend with a chance to go to the Super Bowl.  Cutler will always wonder what if he gutted out this performance, you never know until you try.  

Here's where we arrive at that quote that began this post, Cutler is perceived as a soft football player around the league. People don't like him, respect him, and most probably wouldn't want him on their football team. On the other hand, his teammates came to his aid talking about how tough he really is and none of us really understand that which might speak to his character. But Brian Urlacher, Jerry Angelo, Lovie Smith, and Chris Harris didn't watch the game seeing him look disinterested out there causing the tweet firestorm.

-Charlie.

Welcome To Armageddon, Packers v. Bears

This week has been horrible. It's bitter cold in Wisconsin and time is moving like molasses. The only good thing is I reunited with Water Street in Eau Claire, but other than that it sucked. Everyone just wants Sunday to get here. People are confident, nervous, and overall just pumped for the game.  As a young 22 year old who has no real worries in life, I care about this game way too much.  This is the most important game of my Packer fanhood.



The first meaningful Packer game I can remember was the 95 NFC Championship. The Packers headed to Dallas only to get their asses kicked by Big D and from then on, I hated Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin.  The next year winning the Super Bowl was an awesome experience, I remember it well but still didn't know enough about football to appreciate how great the victory was for some people.  For fan bases in Cleveland, Detroit, and other cites, they just want to get to the Super Bowl. For me, having the chance to see my team in the big game for a second time in my life is a great thing to be thankful for win or lose.

I know it will not sit well if the Packers lose. I am not going to give you a Dan Gilbert-esqe rant if they do lose because it's not worth my energy. But I will be upset, mad, and wish people weren't so cocky this week heading into the game on the social media networks. I can't deal with uninformed fans if the Packers do lose this game because they will probably blame McCarthy or somehow Thompson. This is one of the many reasons why I am not watching the game at a bar, I need to be home with my closest friends who know football and love football to understand how meaningful this game is, instead of an excuse to get drunk on a Sunday.

On to the game, it will be an interesting battle because you have the Bears who have caught all the breaks this season and developed a pretty good team with a wildcard at quarterback. Jay Cutler is the next Brett Favre in terms of the way he plays football. By no means does Cutler have Favre's personality, but the way he plays football is exactly like Favre. You never know what you are going to get when watching Cutler. I remember ESPN's Steve Young saying, 'When Jay is good, he is one of the best quarterbacks, but when he is bad, he is one of the worst, there is no inbetween with Jay.' I completely agree with that statement.

I know already that the Packers will not be able to run the ball on the Bears. They have shut down most teams rushing the football this season, only allowing a 100 yard rusher twice in the middle of the season. I hope that Mike McCarthy doesn't abandon the rushing game though, he needs to bang that drum even if it's not working, who knows they could catch some breaks. Additionally, they should do a lot of dink and dunks with flare routes and screen plays. They cannot throw the ball the entire time, it will not win them this football game.

Aaron Rodgers had his breakout game, finally getting the national attention he deserved. But the question now is, people expect him to have that same swagger, can he? I personally think so. As I said earlier today in another post, you don't lose how to be clutch and live in the moment, some people have it, others don't. Rodgers is loving every aspect about being in the playoffs, and people talking about him like he is the next best thing yet he knows there is always a next step to being considered a great quarterback. He played great against the Bears in Week 3, and the health of Chris Harris would worry me if I were a Bears fan.

At the end of the day, Mike Martz will try to outsmart Dom Capers and it will fail.  Martz has a smug attitude where in his mind, he is better than everybody else. I can see him forgetting that Matt Forte, a top ten running back is in his backfield and rely on Cutler more than he should. Capers did a great job the first two games against the Bears harassing Cutler so I do not see why it will stops on Sunday. The Bears offensive line is nearly as bad as the Steelers and in the postseason, you really can't hide it.  

This game will be like most playoff games, a roller coaster.  It will have its highs and lows throughout the game. But remember fans, win or lose this has been one hell of a ride already for the Green Bay Packers. They win the game 21-17.

-Charlie.