The phrase “Bear Down” is often heard around the Land of Lincoln this time of year.  The phrase is often shouted from the mouths of Chicago Bears fans in an attempt to rally their team to victory.

However, this past Sunday, “Bear Down” stood for something completely different; an injured player.  The down player was more than just your average player, it was Jay Cutler, one of the marquee names in an NFC Championship game between the Chicago Bears and the rival Green Bay Packers.

I won’t rehash all of the coverage that is currently out there on the Cutler injury, and/or the game itself (wasn’t a great game to watch), but I think I’ll try and make sense of how we got to this point.  I’ll also disclose that I’m not a Bears or Packers fan.  I’m a 49ers fan, and I really had no rooting interest in the game, other than for a good competitive game to watch on television.  On with the analysis…

Cutler was injured late in the first half, and to be quite honest, I don’t know a single fan who actually saw the play he was injured on in real-time.  Watching the game on television, you didn’t have a clue that Cutler was injured until news of Todd Collins warming up surfaced.  Then, we saw Cutler walking to the locker room early as the clock ran down on the end of the first half.

Next, coming out of halftime, we found out via one of the FOX sideline reporters that the Bears stated Cutler injured his knee and was questionable for the second half.  The same reporter also stated that Cutler didn’t remember what play the injury occurred.  Cutler did play one series to start the second half and was then sidelined for the remainder of the game.  FOX showed many clips of him standing on the sideline, walking, and even riding a stationary bike at one point.  Cutler and his early exit was ripped at length via all sorts of folks, including current/former NFL players, on twitter and other outlets on radio, television, and internet.

Today, we found out that Cutler did in fact sprain/tear his MCL. This type of injury normally takes 3-4 weeks to fully recover in the NFL world.  I’ll admit, initially, based on the limited information during the broadcast, and the eye test; the injury didn’t appear significant enough to limit him from the game.  Hell, Cutler didn’t even remember when he injured the knee.  He was also able to play a series to start the second half, so was it really that bad?  Those were my thoughts at that moment, and after watching Cutler tough it out and take a pounding all year, I guess you didn’t think he was done.  And, at the time, without a clear injury play to link too it was easy to assume he quit.  Especially in a game that seemed out of reach and where he had already wilted under the pressure.

During sporting activities, I’ve injured/sprained ligaments in my ankle seriously enough to be on crutches and in a walking boot for a month.  I sure as hell remember the EXACT moment I injured myself, and even continued playing on the ankle afterwards.  Fellow friends, who played college athletics at a high level, also confirm similar stories.  You know when a significant injury occurs.

I won’t bore you with excessive stories about how people play through injury or pain because each injury and each person is different.  I won’t even challenge Cutler’s toughness, because the dude has taken a pounding for the past two seasons.  I also won’t go out of my way to feel sorry for a guy like Jay Cutler, who has done nothing to establish any personal credibility with fans or people around the league; even in the wake of what could be characterized as unfair criticism by some.

I will say this, the handling of the situation by the Bears and Cutler himself was totally botched.  The Bears and Cutler (with a possible assist from the FOX producers) are clearly to blame for the PR nightmare they’ll be engulfed in all off-season.  As a fan of football, just watching the game and with the information that was presented, it just felt like something was different about this quarterback injury.  And, since he really did injure his MCL severely enough to leave the game, why wasn’t he receiving adequate treatment?

If you’ve incurred a sprain of that severity, the treatment is pretty standard, see this from WebMD:

First aid for a sprain includes rest (immobilization), ice, compression, and elevation. While a minor sprain will often heal well with home treatment, a moderate to severe sprain may require medical treatment, such as a cast or splint, physical therapy, medication, or surgery.

I’m not saying Cutler needed to be wheeled around in a wheelchair, or walking on crutches, but if you’re the Bears and a grade 2 MCL sprain is the diagnosis; why aren’t you carrying out the necessary precautions?  If you’re really trying to protect your stud QB from harm by medically removing him from the game, why is he walking around, standing on the sideline in uniform like he could be called upon for emergency action?  Why, on the day after, was there such a vague description of the injury at the press conference, not even listing the grade of the “sprain”?

In the end, all we’re left with is questions.  Was it Jay wilting under the pressure? A lack of passion or desire to continue competing while less than 100%?  A guy who honestly thought Todd Collins was a better option than himself at 50%?  Or just a guy legitimately hurt, and poorly managed by the coaching staff?

I could throw out a million scenarios or related topics, but the truth is, we’ll probably never know the full truth of the situation.  Again, the whole thing just reeked of something different, something not quite right…it just didn’t add up.  I think that’s why we’ve seen such a backlash in this particular case, and it’s compounded by the fact that Cutler isn’t an overly likable guy.  I’m sure the Bears faithful are hoping their star quarterback will “Bear Down” and overcome this adversity in the years to come; but only time will tell.

Please feel free to chime in via the comments!

Here are some of the best columns I’ve seen on the whole Cutler debacle:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2010/news/story?id=6054809

http://thebiglead.com/index.php/2011/01/24/the-reaction-to-cutlers-injury-has-been-disgusting/

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/why-jay-cutler-quitting-on-chicago-bears-makes-us-so-livid-012411

http://www.jimrome.com/take/peers-bury-cutler/22380

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/columns/story?columnist=wilbon_michael&id=6052280

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/01/24/bernstein-cutler-damage-control-critical-for-bears/