NFL 2010 Season

[Axl4Prez2004]

btw D, Grade 2 MCL sprain from what I heard. 
Philip Rivers was quoted as saying, "I'd have to be taken off in a cart."
Rodgers takes a vicious shot to the head from Peppers that bloodies his lip and must have made his neurologist shit his pants...and the dude carries on.
Sure, he didn't play very well after the hit (which tells u that's exactly what Chicago should have done earlier in the game ) but the guy stuck it out.

I still do have a problem with how it was handled.  Cutler said, "It wasn't my decision."  Fuck that.  Take some ownership dude!
What a fuckin' Jeff George clone.
Tell the trainer to throw a fucking brace on there.  Show some passion!
Sulking doesn't win games.  Rodgers and Roethlisberger are where they are because they don't pull that shit.

If I were a Bears fan, I'd be a bit pissed right now.  D is right.  Orton gives the Bears the chance to win that game.

I don't agree with the Jeff George comparisons.  First off, he's just not as good as George was, who threw the ball absolutely textbook perfect.  Cutler is consistently off the mark with his throws and also prone to tossing wobbly ducks on deep throws, even given his arm strength. 

Nor is he like Jeff George in the 'intangible' sense, as George was also a perfect douchebag.  Cutler gets that label from the media because he doesn't play the media's game, which rightly or wrongly, allows the media to take control of the public's perception of him.  That, and the fact that his facial expression is frozen on 'sulk', has solidified him as a malcontent and a jerk.  But there's no real evidence that he is and the picture you get from his teammates is the opposite. 

In terms of the knee injury, nobody knows for sure if he could have really played or not, but there's nothing in his history to suggest that he was dogging it.  He took more of a beating than any QB in the league this year and seemed to hold up OK, while never criticizing any of his linemen or the coaching staff. 

George, perception is everything.
He is a star quarterback.  He will be under intense scrutiny his entire career.
I'm not arguing whether he could play or not.
I'm pissed with how he handled the situation...sulking, alone on the sideline.
Show some fucking passion.
Winners do not sulk.  Winners don't look like they just sucked on a lemon.
Winners try running onto the field.  Winners lobby the med staff to splint it up, tape it up, shoot it up for God's sake!  Horse tranquilizers?  FINE!  Just do it!
Convince the coach to run the offense from shotgun. 
Something!
Ya think Brett Favre would've responded the same way?  I think we all know the answer to that one.

btw, I am baffled by GB's 2 1/2 point fvorite status.
Take Pittsburgh +2 1/2
avoid the over/under...too unpredictable...first reaction is over, but that bet's way too risky.
 

[Axl4Prez2004]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=6017986

I found the Lynch story particularly funny.
Again, the guy's very talented (and I'll give Steele the benefit of the doubt) as Cutler may be misunderstood too.
In my eyes though?  I don't want him leading my team.

I love the concept of not giving a fuck about how people view you...but then there's the real world.  It DOES matter how people view you...especially as a team leader.

[GeorgeSteele]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=6017986

I found the Lynch story particularly funny.
Again, the guy's very talented (and I'll give Steele the benefit of the doubt) as Cutler may be misunderstood too.
In my eyes though?  I don't want him leading my team.

I love the concept of not giving a fuck about how people view you...but then there's the real world.  It DOES matter how people view you...especially as a team leader.

Guy can't catch a break, he's even criticized for not publicizing his charitable works.

Generally speaking, you're right -- guys like Cutler are not liked and tend to fail as leaders.  Me personally, I respect those who don't care about their public perception (he couldn't be more anti-Favre in that sense) and would want a guy like him as my QB because he'd never be a glory-hog.  Now, in terms of playing ability, I think some of the criticism is valid.  He's a talented QB, but has some major flaws he needs to work on.

[Axl4Prez2004]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=6017986

I found the Lynch story particularly funny.
Again, the guy's very talented (and I'll give Steele the benefit of the doubt) as Cutler may be misunderstood too.
In my eyes though?  I don't want him leading my team.

I love the concept of not giving a fuck about how people view you...but then there's the real world.  It DOES matter how people view you...especially as a team leader.

Guy can't catch a break, he's even criticized for not publicizing his charitable works.

Generally speaking, you're right -- guys like Cutler are not liked and tend to fail as leaders.  Me personally, I respect those who don't care about their public perception (he couldn't be more anti-Favre in that sense) and would want a guy like him as my QB because he'd never be a glory-hog.  Now, in terms of playing ability, I think some of the criticism is valid.  He's a talented QB, but has some major flaws he needs to work on.

Let's think of the guys that have the rings.  Brady, Roethisberger, Peyton, Brees, (do Eli, Brad Johnson and Trent Dildo count? ) Warner, Favre, Elway, Aikman, Young...
Honestly, can you see Jay Cutler hoisting up the Lombardi Trophy?  I just can't see it.

Yeah, the charitable works thing, that's f'd up, because in my eyes, that's the TRUE charitable act of giving.  When it's publicized it becomes something that benefits the player's reputation...and it shouldn't. (imo)

Let us not forget the "I throw the ball harder than John Elway" quote.  Now correct me if that was taken out of context, because I blasted the media b4 for taking Randy Moss' quot out of context years back.

[faldor]

btw, I am baffled by GB's 2 1/2 point fvorite status.
Take Pittsburgh +2 1/2
avoid the over/under...too unpredictable...first reaction is over, but that bet's way too risky.
 

Is that really the line?  I figured Pitt would be the favorite just because they're the 2 seed and GB the 6.  Obviously though, Green Bay plays nothing like a 6 seed, so you can throw that out the window.  Not shocked that they're favored either, as they are just playing so well right now.  I want them to win but it's tough to bet against Big Ben and Pitt in a spot like this.  They're the more disciplined team.  Should be a good one.

[Bodhi]

yeah im pretty shocked that Pittsburgh are underdogs here, i think they are clearly the better team..not much better, but clearly better.  It never ceases to amaze me, defense always wins championships, yet anytime there is a high powered offense headed into a Super Bowl against a great defense the offense is always favored to win by these "experts" on espn.  Now Green Bays defense aint too shabby, but they arent Pittsburgh.

[Axl4Prez2004]

yeah im pretty shocked that Pittsburgh are underdogs here, i think they are clearly the better team..not much better, but clearly better.  It never ceases to amaze me, defense always wins championships, yet anytime there is a high powered offense headed into a Super Bowl against a great defense the offense is always favored to win by these "experts" on espn.  Now Green Bays defense aint too shabby, but they arent Pittsburgh.

Exactly.  No disrespect to the Packers D, but they aren't as good as Pittsburgh's D.  No way.
Throw in the balance Pittsburgh has on offense, I'm left scratching my head as to how Green Bay gets favored.
2 more weeks for the more talented team to heal up...plus the added bonus that they are underdogs, you just know Tomlin and Harrison and Farrior are just jonesin for the throwdown.  I heard there are 25 Steelers with Super Bowl experience.  They've been down this road before.  They've got the experience.

Don't get me wrong, Aaron Rodgers is fucking phenomenal.  Should be a dandy of a game!   

[faldor]

I'm a little surprised Green Bay is favored, but their defense is pretty solid.  In fact, it's REAL solid.  They may not be as good as Pitt, but they're not far off.  And I do think their offense is superior to the Steelers, though Pittsburgh does have a more consistent running game.  Pittsburgh is a little beat up, especially on the offensive line.  I'm not sure the time off will help that out or not, they're extremely thin and have been for some time on the O-line due to all the injuries.  It's only gotten worse in the playoffs.  Obviously Green Bay has had their fair share of injuries this season too. 

Again, I like Green Bay in the game, but it's tough to go against Pittsburgh's experience.

[gilee7]

I genuinely feel bad for Cutler, and I think it's kind of disgusting the way the media and players and everyone has been piling on the guy. ESPN and all other media outlets were doing nothing but talking about Cutler and whether he could've/should've finished the game, as opposed to talking about the Steelers and Packers and the upcoming Superbowl. There's something very wrong with that, imo. Watching the game on Sunday, I never thought anything odd or questionable was going on. When the back-up came out, I just assumed whatever injury Cutler had was too serious to play with. Then later they're talking about how people in Chicago are burning his jersey, and I'm like, wtf? WHY?

I don't think it's right to question a player's heart or toughness, because nobody knows what's really going on. I've always had to listen to people say McNabb doesn't have heart, just because the guy smiles so much. So what? That's his personality. Not everyone is the same. Not every player is going to be the Ray Lewis type of screaming like a madman and pumping his chest and looking super intense like they're ready to kill someone. But that doesn't mean that the players who don't constantly show their emotions or who are naturally introverted don't have as much heart or more passion for the game and for winning than everyone else in the league. For all we know, those players who bottle things up in public might not be able to sleep for days after a loss, and might be crying and screaming and breaking things in their home later on. We don't know.

I admit that Cutler probably has the worst body language in the league. When he's not playing well, you can tell just by looking at him. His shoulders slump, he hangs his head, etc. I think Peyton and Eli also exhibit poor body language when they're not playing well. Apparently Cutler needs to have plastic surgery in the offseason, too, since his perpetual "smug expression" seems to bother everyone so much. That's just the way the guy looks. He can't help that.

It's not right for other players or anyone to say what they would've done in the situation, because they don't know. Every situation is different, and not everything is up to them. Cutler was injured in the first half. Lovie Smith may have wanted to sit Cutler after halftime, and, for all we know, Cutler may have lobbied and argued with him and the training staff to keep him out there. We don't know what went on in that locker room, yet everyone wants to act like they were there or something. If the Bears had managed to do anything on offense at all in that first half, and weren't already down by 14 points (and what felt like even more), Cutler may have stayed in there. But if he didn't have enough mobility, which is needed when you've got a guy like Clay Matthews bearing down on you every play, and if he couldn't plant his foot to throw the ball with any sort of accuracy, he was only going to hurt his team more than help it. The reason Chad Hanie had a bit of success was because he was able to move around and escape the pass rush. If the coach believed his team stood a better chance of winning the game with the back-up(s), then the decision is up to him, not the player. It doesn't always come down to just heart and toughness. Brains factor into the equation, too.

Phillip Rivers says they would've had to cart him off, and everyone likes to bring up the fact that he played in the AFC Championship game with a torn ACL or MCL or whatever it was . . . But the week before that, when he was actually injured, he didn't return to the game, same as Cutler.

[GeorgeSteele]

^Well put.  Also, I've known only a few diabetics in my life, but all of them were extremely moody and would never be the types to hop, skip and cheerlead. 

[C0ma]

I think Green Bay's pass offense lines up great against Pittsburghs D. Pitt is the top running D in the league but are middle of the pack against the pass. Also a smart QB can really exploit Troy P's agressiveness which is why the Pats have owned Pitt over the last several years.
On the other side of the ball Green Bay has a really good front 7 and their backfield is coming on when it matters. Pitt's O Line has been killed with injuries, which should kill their balance. Ben will not win this game with the 35.5 rating from last week or the performance he threw up against the Seahawks in his first Super Bowl. 10-19 130 yards 0 td's and 2 int's won't do it.

[faldor]

I think Green Bay's pass offense lines up great against Pittsburghs D. Pitt is the top running D in the league but are middle of the pack against the pass. Also a smart QB can really exploit Troy P's agressiveness which is why the Pats have owned Pitt over the last several years.
On the other side of the ball Green Bay has a really good front 7 and their backfield is coming on when it matters. Pitt's O Line has been killed with injuries, which should kill their balance. Ben will not win this game with the 35.5 rating from last week or the performance he threw up against the Seahawks in his first Super Bowl. 10-19 130 yards 0 td's and 2 int's won't do it.

Yeah and Pouncey is apparently out for the game.  Yet another huge blow to Pitt's O-line. 

[Axl4Prez2004]

Yo Gilee and Steele...I hope Jay had a good steak Sunday night.  I wonder if he took the steps 2 at a time.  
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Chicago-Bears-quarterback-Jay-Cutler-out-on-town-with-Kristin-Cavallari-despite-injured-knee-012611

I'm not expecting him to be rah-rah, in your face, cheerleader man.
I just need passion.  I want to see him connect with teammates, not separate himself from them. 
Make all the Favre and mcNabb jokes ya want, but those guys are leaders.
Brady, Peyton, Big Ben...they are leaders. 

Jay Cutler is so far over on the Jeff George end of the "leader spectrum," it aint funny.
Yes, it sounds mean when everyone seems to be dumping on the guy, but goddamn!  I'm callin' the spade a spade. 
Bears fans, good luck. 
I'm a Vikings fan, and despite the fact we don't have a starting quarterback, I'm still glad we don't have Jay Cutler under center.

[faldor]

Duff weighs in on the Cutler debate.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/thelife/music/news/story?id=6058730

From the couch, it's easy to knock Cutler

By Duff McKagan
Special to ESPN.com

I didn't have "skin" in either game Sunday, as I am a Seattle Seahawks fan. But I am also an NFL fan, and in saying that I always look forward to the NFC and AFC championship games as the culmination of a whole lot of games watched from my couch or wherever else; I wouldn't miss these games.

I'm in Los Angeles at the moment, and being down here and being a football fan is kind of like what you see in those DirecTV commercials: Fans of different teams, congregating in one house to watch football. I was invited to a friend's house for the second game. He is a lifetime New York Jets fan. Two other friends (a San Diego Chargers fan and a Dallas Cowboys fan) and I were meeting at my house to ride our Harleys out for the game.

Oftentimes, these games are much better to watch and more hotly contested affairs than the actual Super Bowl. These games are the last actual test of blood and guts. The rule of "any given Sunday" sort of gives way to these last four teams being the best of the best. There are fewer moments of chance because every player is giving everything they have. This was the weekend to go big or go the hell home.

It is cold, in Southern California terms, right now. When I ride my motorcycle in Seattle in wintertime, I just simply have the right warm clothes on hand. ? At a moment's notice, I can leave my house and have the right attire. Down here in L.A., though, it would be overdoing it to have winter gloves, thermal underwear, balaclavas and huge coats at the ready. Luckily for me, though, I have been climbing high and snowy mountains down here and have all of that stuff. The point is, during the Bears-Packers game, I was sort of going from one room to another putting my motorcycle riding attire together; checking in on the game every time I passed through the TV room (which was a bunch of times, about every 30 seconds or so).

I guess it was because of all of this to and fro that I didn't notice until a little ways into the third quarter that Jay Cutler wasn't behind center for the Chicago Bears. I then sat and watched, wanting to get the story of why the Bears quarterback wasn't playing. The commentators never really filled me in. It was a mystery to me. To say I was shocked would be overstating it -- but I was mystified. I thought I must have missed something.

I'm not here to pile on to the scrum that has built up writ large on Jay Cutler already, before and after it was revealed Monday that he had a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. I wrote last week on my opinion that his surging confidence was affecting his Bears in a positive way -- even after he got his bell rung and butt kicked every weekend because of poor protection by his offensive line in the first seven or eight weeks.

I was watching "The Herd" on Monday morning, as Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman came on to give his thoughts regarding Cutler leaving the game early. Freeman was pretty good at sort of dodging any direct personal criticism of the Bears' QB, but did say "Heck, I'm only 22, and when I took a particularly good shot this season in the Saints game -- and my shoulder was all jacked up and swollen at halftime -- I only had to take some Tylenol and I was all good by the start of the third quarter." When you are 22 years old, he went on to add, you just recuperate very quickly.

It is possible, and seems plausible, that Cutler just got too damn beat up during the first half of this season. When faced with as formidable and hard-hitting of a defense as the Green Bay Packers', Cutler could have just gotten too rattled and shaken, and then had some bad flashbacks to earlier in the season when he had no protection. There is a reason professional sports psychology and psychiatry are thriving niche businesses.

Cutler is nearly 28 now, and unlike 22-year-old Tampa QB Josh Freeman, he has taken a ton of big shots as signal-caller for the Broncos and the Bears behind their anemic offensive lines. His recovery to this abuse probably takes a bit more than a few Tylenols. I am not Jay Cutler, so I can only assume these things.

As I watched the Jets-Steelers game later that day with all of my dude friends, the Jay Cutler saga started to unfold. All of the tweets from the Maurice Jones-Drews and Darnell Docketts began to flash across the TV screen. Of course, before we had all the information about Cutler's injury, all of us sitting on the couch puffed out our chests and talked loudly of how none of us would ever quit on our team with a banged-up knee in the NFC Championship Game. "You've got to sacrifice the body!" all of us seemed to brag. The NFL is a very public thing, and to be a player in it you must first know that your life, public and private, is no longer your own.

I have experienced a bit of this being in big rock bands. I have played gigs with a broken thumb, a broken tail bone, a torn rotator cuff, and a snapped anterior cruciate ligament in my knee. But none of these injuries came because I was getting hit by 300-pound dudes looking to break me. All of my injuries, except for the torn ACL, were received because of mostly knuckle-headed moves made outside of the "arena." I even once got knocked out cold by a flying bottle at ARCO Arena in Sacramento. That gig I couldn't finish. I was not blamed for the gig getting cut short, though, as the audience could clearly see the bottle hitting me.

No one could see "the bottle" hitting Jay Cutler on Sunday. His rather cool demeanor hasn't helped him to plead his case in the aftermath, however. Jay Cutler now seems to have a steep upward hill to climb to get back into the good graces of Chicago Bears fans, and all of the rest of us brave couch-potatoes ? the ones like me who have to brave only a cool Southern California winter on a motorcycle.

That's life in the big leagues. It's not fair for sure, but it is what it is.

Musician Duff McKagan, who writes for Seattle Weekly, has written for Playboy.com and is finishing his autobiography, writes a weekly sports column for ESPN.com.

[faldor]

You know Duff makes some pretty fair points about Cutler getting knocked around silly earlier this year.  I remember watching that Monday night game against the Giants early in the season where he was getting sacked every other play it seemed.  After the 3rd or 4th sack I noticed that he just didn't look right, yet he stayed in the game.  Later they showed his head getting slammed into the ground, which explained him not looking right and it wasn't until halftime that they decided to pull him, and by that time it was too late.  Now I didn't watch the first half on Sunday so I'm not fully aware of how badly he was getting hit.  All I know is the Bears hadn't scored a point with him in the game and his stats were far from impressive.  So I still don't get the backlash for him getting pulled from the game.  As a Bear fan, why would you want him to return to the game when he was a) possibly hurt, and better yet b) completely ineffective?  Don't blame the loss on Cutler not coming back into the game.  If you want to blame the loss on Cutler just not being a good enough QB for that team, fine.  But blaming him for not coming back in makes no sense to me.

[GeorgeSteele]

Yo Gilee and Steele...I hope Jay had a good steak Sunday night.  I wonder if he took the steps 2 at a time.  
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Chicago-Bears-quarterback-Jay-Cutler-out-on-town-with-Kristin-Cavallari-despite-injured-knee-012611

I'm not expecting him to be rah-rah, in your face, cheerleader man.
I just need passion.  I want to see him connect with teammates, not separate himself from them. 
Make all the Favre and mcNabb jokes ya want, but those guys are leaders.
Brady, Peyton, Big Ben...they are leaders. 

Jay Cutler is so far over on the Jeff George end of the "leader spectrum," it aint funny.
Yes, it sounds mean when everyone seems to be dumping on the guy, but goddamn!  I'm callin' the spade a spade. 
Bears fans, good luck. 
I'm a Vikings fan, and despite the fact we don't have a starting quarterback, I'm still glad we don't have Jay Cutler under center.

That's perfect, I should have been an NFL QB, all it takes is being able to walk up stairs.  Maybe your Vikings should bring back Tarkenton, though he may prefer escalators at this point. 

You're actually complimenting Cutler with your comparisons of him to mostly Hall of Fame quality QBs.  Cutler can trade personalities with Hulk Hogan, he still wouldn't be anywhere near as good as those guys, who became great leaders -- not because of their personalities -- but because they're great players and teammates in any sport tend to follow great players on the team who play the most important position.   

[Axl4Prez2004]

Yo Gilee and Steele...I hope Jay had a good steak Sunday night.  I wonder if he took the steps 2 at a time.  
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Chicago-Bears-quarterback-Jay-Cutler-out-on-town-with-Kristin-Cavallari-despite-injured-knee-012611

I'm not expecting him to be rah-rah, in your face, cheerleader man.
I just need passion.  I want to see him connect with teammates, not separate himself from them. 
Make all the Favre and mcNabb jokes ya want, but those guys are leaders.
Brady, Peyton, Big Ben...they are leaders. 

Jay Cutler is so far over on the Jeff George end of the "leader spectrum," it aint funny.
Yes, it sounds mean when everyone seems to be dumping on the guy, but goddamn!  I'm callin' the spade a spade. 
Bears fans, good luck. 
I'm a Vikings fan, and despite the fact we don't have a starting quarterback, I'm still glad we don't have Jay Cutler under center.

That's perfect, I should have been an NFL QB, all it takes is being able to walk up stairs.  Maybe your Vikings should bring back Tarkenton, though he may prefer escalators at this point. 

You're actually complimenting Cutler with your comparisons of him to mostly Hall of Fame quality QBs.  Cutler can trade personalities with Hulk Hogan, he still wouldn't be anywhere near as good as those guys, who became great leaders -- not because of their personalities -- but because they're great players and teammates in any sport tend to follow great players on the team who play the most important position.   

Now now Steele, be serious...you couldn't be an NFL quarterback right now...maybe a Panthers qb, but an NFL qb?   

btw, all the names (sans Jeff George) will be in the Hall of Fame.

good point on the great player vs. great leader comparison.  I take it your argument is that regardless of their personality, players will follow the best player regardless of personality.
It's an interesting thought, but I don't know if I believe it.  Barry Bonds was a great player...but great leader?  I don't think so. 
I'm sure the early 2000's Falcons didn't exactly feel Michael "late to practice, 1st to leave practice" was given the "great leader" title.

Perhaps we can all agree the Bears organization handled the situation terribly.  TELL the freaking reporters why Cutler's out of the game.  Honestly, the uncertainty fed the talking heads.
Agreed?

[gilee7]

With the kickoff to the regular season just a day away, how 'bout some predictions for this upcoming year?

AFC
Colts
Patriots
Chargers
Ravens
Bengals--- wildcard
Texans---- wildcard

NFC
Packers
Cowboys
Saints
49ers
Vikings---- wildcard
Redskins--- wildcard

Superbowl: Packers def. Ravens

I went back to see how my pre-season predictions panned out. My playoff picks weren't very good (okay, terrible). Bengals and Redskins as wildcards? That's a laugher. No Eagles, no Falcons, no Jets, no Steelers . . . What the hell was I thinking?

But hey, I did pick the Packers to win the Superbowl, so at least I may get that right!

[GeorgeSteele]

Prez, I'll agree on the poor communication and move on.  Don't agree that ALL the QBs you mentioned are future Hall of Famers -- one in particular I wouldn't bestow that honor to and I think you know which one I'm talking about.  But I'll leave it that, as everything about that QB has been debated to death already. 

By the way, what's up with Antonio Cromartie losing all remnants of his sanity over the labor situation.  He's so terrified about being out of work, you would think he has 11 kids to support or something.

[Axl4Prez2004]

Prez, I'll agree on the poor communication and move on.  Don't agree that ALL the QBs you mentioned are future Hall of Famers -- one in particular I wouldn't bestow that honor to and I think you know which one I'm talking about.  But I'll leave it that, as everything about that QB has been debated to death already. 

By the way, what's up with Antonio Cromartie losing all remnants of his sanity over the labor situation.  He's so terrified about being out of work, you would think he has 11 kids to support or something.

Yo Steele, give Donovan 3 seasons in Minnesota with Adrian, Percy, Sidney, and co., and I'm guaranteeing averages of 25 and 12 (td and ints) with 3500+ yards per season...throw in a Super Bowl appearance and the Hall will be a lock.