Criticism of Jay Cutler: Enough of this nonsense!!

As many of us are already aware, Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler has undergone  very intense criticism following the Bears disappointing 21-14 loss to arch-rival Green Bay in the NFC title game. Despite a commendable effort by third string QB Caleb Hanie to rally the Bears, they fell short in their quest for a Super Bowl appearance. Because Cutler sat out the remainder of the second half due to injury, he received a barrage of criticism and insults from current and ex NFL players as well as fans. Cutler was referred to as being a "quitter",  "coward,"  "soft" along with other defamatory statements- some that were made through Internet social networking sites. Whats interesting is that even after it was revealed that  Cutler suffered a tear of the medial collateral ligament, rendering him unable to finish the game, Cutler still was criticized. Not only was it unnecessary , but it was immature, cowardly, hypocritical and really it showed disrespect-  being that the ones guilty of it meddled into something that wasn't their concern to begin with.  One has to especially consider the source- many of the current NFL players picking on Cutler were players not even worth mentioning because they're mediocre players playing for teams that have done nothing. Now granted, Maurice Jones Drew is a Pro Bowl caliber running back. But where was he when his Jacksonville Jaguars were fighting for a playoff spot? On the sidelines with an injury, correct? Then there's defensive lineman Darnell Dockett of the Arizona Cardinals. Isn't this the same Cardinals team that actually had Super Bowl 43 in the palm of their hand; all they needed was one defensive stop but couldn't even do that?!  The same Cardinals team that during the 2010 season didn't have a QB a quarter as good as Cutler?!  And then there is Jacksonville's Kirk Morrison and Oakland's Bruce Gradkowski.  WHO?!!  And lets take for example some ex NFL players. There's Deion "Turf Toe" Sanders who no doubt made some electrifying plays on kickoff and punt returns as well as interceptions during his career. But he couldn't hit or tackle worth a crap and couldn't take a hit, so it took much gall on Sanders part to even open his mouth. And there's known Cutler critic Trent Dilfer. Granted, Dilfer did win a Super bowl with the Ravens years ago, but if you have a dominant defense and running game,a solid offensive line and special teams along with players who know their roles, even Steve Bartman could have won a Super Bowl ring as the Ravens QB. Trent Dilfer is just another line of first rounders that turned out to be a stiff-  mediocre at best!  It's true that there have been players that have played on torn ligaments. But to compare Cutler to them is unfair -being that those are different players under a different set of circumstances. San Diego Chargers QB Phillip Rivers did play on a torn ligament in the AFC title game against New England a few seasons ago. But if Rivers didn't have a dependable offensive line [something Cutler doesn't have] that allowed him time in the pocket, would Rivers been confident enough to go out there and risk ending his career? Some of Cutlers critics seem to forget that Cutler wanted to finish the game but he was advised by the Bears medical and coaching staff not to. So is Cutler to blame? Lets remember that prior to the 2010 season, Cutler since becoming a full time NFL starter has started all 16 games except missing the Bears game against Carolina during the 2010 season. He never played in a playoff game even going back to his days as a Denver Bronco under Mike Shanahan. The closest Cutler got to the playoffs was losing the final game of the 2008 season to rival San Diego which would have put them in the post season. Now Jay Cutler has finally reached the postseason in 2010-11 having an opportunity to show that he is a championship caliber QB- his opportunity to show that he belongs with QB's such as Rodgers, Manning, Brady,etc. Does one think that Cutler would quit in a championship game when he was willing to go out and lay it on the line for mediocre teams- teams for most of his career had nothing to play for other than pride? The fact of the matter is that these current players for the most part are motivated by jealousy and envy, that it's other teams on the national stage getting attention and not their team. And instead of criticizing a fellow player, their primary concern should be their own team and making sure they keep a job because they could wind up being told that their services are no longer needed. And the ex players are nothing more than a bunch of has-been's [in the case of Trent Dilfer a never was] who are bitter that the NFL and life has passed them by. It's easy for the average Joe to sit in the armchair and be a Monday morning QB. But if any of us were in Cutler's shoes, what would we have done? Many so called fans have never even played contact sports whether on a organized or unorganized level to begin with!  The Packers as much as I dislike them, they were a little better than the Bears that day and they won fair and square and there's nothing that can be done about that!  So what if Cutler comes off in ways that might be deemed short and reserved. Let the man be himself!  His job is to help win football games and not be the spokesman in Gatorade commercials. Hopefully Jay will take this, work hard in the off season and come out on fire next season. And if it's deemed necessary that he make some adjustments as far as his disposition, then so be it. But for now, this criticism of Cutler is nothing but nonsense!!!