Sorry, I'm a little late on reacting to the final Bears game of the season (Insert Packers fan laughs here), but I had a bit of family business to tend to. I figure I have to get in with my take on this nonsense with Jay Cutler. All of the hate coming out from people has made me more upset about that than the season being over and to, of all teams, the Packers.
The fact that Jay "quit" or "gave up" or "wasn't tough" were not on my mind during the game Sunday. I have covered countless high school sporting events and seen many kids get hurt on the field and not a single person questions whether or not they gave up. Mark Schlereth of ESPN is one who said he had 20 knee surgeries because he played with so many injuries. Well, Mark, I'm sorry you won't be able to walk around with your grandkids in 20 years, but happy you sacrificed that to play football.
Yes, this was the biggest game of Jay's career. Yes, he was the most important player on the offensive side of the ball. Yes, it is very ironic the healthiest team in a conference championship game in 10 years lost a key player in its biggest game of the season. But to call out his toughness is absolute ignorant and trash.
I can't ever remember an athlete having their toughness questioned by fellow players who were not at the game. This wasn't his teammates calling him out, but people that were not at the game and only went by what they saw on TV. I find it utter bull crap that guys that call it a fraternity when they refer to being a player in the NFL, would stoop to such a level.
I know Jay isn't well liked around the league. Most of it stems from what he did when Josh McDaniels came to Denver. Well, McDaniels is now out in Denver and the guy the Broncos got for Jay, Kyle Orton, is back on the trading block there again. Just showing what Denver traded away. Then again, it's the same reason those in New York don't like Eli Manning and he's been a Super Bowl MVP, body language. He is not a firey leader. That is not him.
Then, to top it off the uneducated are claiming that Caleb Hanie could be the Bears starter next year. Come on people. Be smart here. He played well, but didn't win the game. Let him work on things and see how he develops. For those who say Jay didn't help him during the game, you are mistaken and only went by what was shown on TV. Of course Jay was a bit pouty, for lack of a better word, after the doctors told him he was done, but when he cooled down, he was there to help Caleb in making some reads and reminding him to use his feet.
It is now early Thursday morning and this is still an issue and it is ridiculous. Even Aaron Rodgers, who played in the game, called it "disrespectful" that Jay caught all this flack. I will not argue with anyone he didn't play well at all, but to say a guy who was sacked 57 times during the season isn't tough, is ridiculous. You can tell by the way Olin Kruetz and Brian Urlacher were emphatic in their defense of him, this was not like Scottie Pippen or Cedric Benson taking themselves out of games with minor injuries or big-game jitters. This was legit and he should have been given the benefit of the doubt.
Alright, enough of that, and on to the actual game and what is ahead for the Bears. Monday's press conference from General Manager Jerry Angelo said Lovie Smith deserves an extension and I agree. He took a team that many thought should win six game and won 12.
There are a few areas of need, and the biggest is offensive line. I see them targeting that area first. Maybe through the draft, but more likely through free agency. It depends on what is out there. There is also a chance to improve at wide receiver. I would like to see them get a physical guy, but I'm not sure how it fits into the Martz offense. On defense, the question marks surrounding Tommie Harris' future are looming. There is an outside chance the Bears could become players for Alex Haynesworth, which emphasizes the need to get production out of the interior of the defensive line. I'd also like to see something done at cornerback on the side opposite Peanut Tillman and at safety, but I'm thinking with Major Wright and Chris Harris, the Bears have a good combo.
Angelo made it clear he plans to change some parts in the offeseason, which is a good sign. You always want to be improving. As a fan, you just have to be ready to lose some former key parts, with the hope it makes things better down the road. After this season, I have a renewed faith in what the Bears braintrust can do.
OK, this is my last Bears blog of the season until probably the draft, so the Nussie Hunter is helping out in giving a tribute to send us off the for the final time this season. It's been a great ride and I"m glad to have a renewed interest in the blog. I hope you have enjoyed it too and will continue to have fun and get involved on here by commenting.
To honor the Bears, we have Jaime Edmondson, who was at Playboy.com today showing off duds for all 32 NFL teams. Yeah, she looks pretty good. You can check out all of them here, and the Bears shot, below.
There is a big difference in the toughness of a high school student, who is playing for maybe their last year, and a professional football player in the NFL...I wouldn't expect anyone to question a high school player's toughness, since they are only in high school. Someone who plays in the NFL should expect to be criticized since they are in the public eye and no matter what, someone will question your abilities.
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