Cutler a victim of his indifference
Jay Cutlers medial collateral ligament is torn, and his reputation is dangling by sinew.
What should be most sobering to the Bears quarterback isnt his injured left knee or the 31.8 passer rating he posted before exiting the NFC Championship Game on *Sunday at Soldier Field.
Most troubling is that the Jay Cutler Fan Club is meeting in the bathroom of a 747, for which he has himself to blame.
The backlash over his leaving the Bears 21-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers after the first series of the third quarter isnt so much an indictment of the media, which has mostly only reported what his peers have written on their *Twitter accounts, or the evils of social networking.
As it turns out, Denver Broncos fans and ESPN columnist Rick *Reilly arent the only people willing to be critical of Cutler. Many *current and former players dont care for him, either, or they wouldnt have been questioning his toughness, heart and character on television and in other public forums during his darkest hour.
This is what happens to people who dont care what people think of them. If Cutler wonders what he can gain from portraying a positive public image, heres his answer: The benefit of the doubt.
Certain people have an aura about them, right, wrong or *indifferent, Jerry Angelo said. Were in the perception business. I dont create perceptions. You create perceptions.
The Bears general manager was referring to the media, which has become a catch-all for blame in *situations such as these, usually with good reason. In this case, *however, the negativity swirling around Cutler has nothing to do with the toughness he has displayed during his two seasons with the Bears or the injury he suffered late in the first half of a devastating loss.
Those who dont care what *people think of them shouldnt be surprised to learn people dont think much of them. Nobody makes it his or her goal to become unlovable, but thats what Cutler has done. How can you relate to someone who reveals *nothing about himself? How can you care about someone who lets nobody know him?
The Bears have too much invested in Cutler for this not to work out. The time for an intervention is now. There are ways Cutler can rehabilitate his game and remake his image.
The first order of business? Turn your hat around, Jay. Youre not 17 anymore. Grow up, for *goodness sakes. The job of a franchise quarterback encompasses more than just slinging it around on Sundays. Like it or not, your job description includes being the face and voice of the franchise. The face shouldnt include rolling eyes. The voice shouldnt carry a condescending tone.
If you quit treating people like *insects, you might buy yourself some goodwill down the road.
