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Per the ChicagoBears.com Twitter Feed (Larry Mayer)
LM: Breaking news: Todd Collins will start at QB for #Bears Sunday in Carolina.
Looks like Cutler is completely out for the weekend. More links and info from around the journosphere after the jump.
Note from Dane: I'm going to go ahead and make this an Open Thread, for those of you who would have a hard time showing restraint over this. :)
From around the twitterverse:
Cutler was evaluated after practice Wednesday. Doctors say making progress but team making smart, safe decision to sit Cutler out
Quick reaction: Dammit.
Long reaction: This is the only really logical course of action. Player safety and the longevity of Jay Cutler's general well-being are far more important than his ability to play the Panthers. This doesn't automatically rule out all chance of the Bears winning, but look for a much different plan of attack than in recent weeks. Defensively, more of the same will be well, but the gameplan is definitely going to have to change for the offense.
The big question a lot of you will have is, "Why not Caleb Hanie?" The answer, quite simply, is he's still #3 on the depth chart. The team feels he's a number 3 right now, so they're going with that. However, I'd be willing to say that Collins will be on a short leash, so if he's not getting it done against the Panthers, you may see Hanie yet.