NFL '13 SEASON THREAD

[Chicageaux]

Yeah, I'm a lot more worried about next week than I am this week. Even if the Bears win this week, there's a pretty good chance it comes down to the Packers game next week anyways. And I don't know if there will ever be a time that I feel confident about a Bears-Packers game that matters in December/January, but it's going to be interesting how Rodgers comes back.

I'm not really sure I follow the logic here, because if the Bears were to lose this week, then the game against Green Bay could end up being irrelevant if the Lions were to win their final two games (at least, from the Bears perspective of making it to the playoffs).

No matter what happens the Bears need to beat the Packers if they want to go to the playoffs. If the Bears lose this week and the Lions win out then yes it doesn't matter but they'll still be in contention going into next week. I'd much rather it doesn't turn into last year and the Bears win and then have to rely on another game to see if they make the playoffs or not.

[Kramerica Industries]

Why would a Chargers fan ever want to see Cutler win a Super Bowl, unless I'm just completely missing sarcasm in that post?

[IceCap]

Why would a Chargers fan ever want to see Cutler win a Super Bowl, unless I'm just completely missing sarcasm in that post?

He's not with the Broncos anymore. He's not even playing in the AFC West anymore. So there's that.

Mostly my desire to see Cutler win a Super Bowl stems from the way sports media bent over backwards to make him out to be some sort of villain. Seeing them all have to deal with "Jay Cutler: Super Bowl Champion" would be amusing.

[Chicageaux]

It was pretty pathetic how they tried to make him the bad guy. I think it was last year when Tom Jackson tried calling him out for not saying hello to Soldier Field employees when he arrived at the stadium and in the video they used, he was waving at the employees.

[Kramerica Industries]

Why would a Chargers fan ever want to see Cutler win a Super Bowl, unless I'm just completely missing sarcasm in that post?

He's not with the Broncos anymore. He's not even playing in the AFC West anymore. So there's that.

Mostly my desire to see Cutler win a Super Bowl stems from the way sports media bent over backwards to make him out to be some sort of villain. Seeing them all have to deal with "Jay Cutler: Super Bowl Champion" would be amusing.

Eh, fair enough; my general distaste for players doesn't disappear when they leave rival teams, but the last thing I'm going to do is try to influence other people's ways of irrationally disliking athletes.

In any case, I think I've established myself as a pro-Cutler folk and would have to agree with what you have to say there. Tom Jackson talking about Jay Cutler is pretty much the kind of stuff that Awful Announcing was invented for. Personally, I would prefer it most if the Bears were the team that snuck out of the NFC North, but that's for more reasons than Cutler. What happens from there? Eh, just make sure the Patriots don't win the Super Bowl; I'd be fine with everything else.

[IceCap]

The Tom Jackson thing was just the apex of Let's Hate Jay Cutler Mountain. What an absurd series of events that was.

[TalktoChuck]

As a Broncos fan, I firmly believe that Jay Cutler got the raw end of the deal in both his exit from Denver and his troubles in Chicago. And I would love to see him succeed and win a super bowl.

Most Broncos fans hate him. He's been called a "whiny little b****" by multiple Denver radio hosts, and he still gets bad mouthed by fans on a regular basis. I have no idea why they still seem to hate him, when you look at the whole picture.

Tom Jackson was completely out of line during that whole situation, and (again as a Broncos fan) why anybody gives credence to what Tom Jackson says is beyond me. The guy is an idiot.

[JackieMoon]

I think the reason so many people hate Jay Cutler is for this fact. Jake Plummer was doing a really good job with the team. Had just led the team to the AFC Championship against Pittsburgh. Then, here comes in a little, cocky Rookie from Vanderbilt. Replaces Jake, and then Jake leaves and retires.

I can see why some people in Denver or around the country would dislike him.

He's one player who does get a lot of flack, more so than other Quarterbacks (the media loves to have something to talk about, it's job security).

If teams like Detroit, NY Giants, or Dallas don't make the playoffs then you will hear them talk crap about Stafford, Manning and Romo.

[Chicageaux]

If that's the case, and I'm not saying it's not, people really need to get over it. Cutler didn't lobby the Broncos to draft him and I'm pretty sure he didn't come in and start right away.

Cutler just has that arrogance about him that rubs people the wrong way. Brady may have earned his arrogance, but he chased down a ref the other week and cussed him out along the way. Now, if Cutler had done that, the media would have had a field day with it. Personally, I don't mind his attitude. There's been a couple times when I've laughed at what he's done and called him a douche, but I do that to a lot of people.

[Kramerica Industries]

Jake Plummer lost his job in part because he didn't play well enough and also because Mike Shanahan was once again using his own huge ego to get him on the field. A rookie Jay Cutler was going to have nothing to do with forcing his way onto the field. Any Broncos fan who holds that against him is being horrifically unfair.

I would think most Broncos fans would hate him because he demanded to be traded, and I would say those Broncos fans are complete buffoons; I mean, why would Cutler seem to willing to stick around when that g-ddamn clown Josh McDaniels comes in and his first decision is "let's get Cassel and piss Cutler off"?

I don't mind Cutler's attitude at all. Granted, I'm hypocritical, and sometimes I can hate the same attitude of a different player, but that's probably influenced by rival aspects. If Jay Cutler were a Patriot (or even a Falcon), I'd probably hate his guts. As a Bear? The Bucs haven't been a "rival" of the Bears since 2001. There's nothing there anymore. Hell, I don't even really have dislike for the Packers anymore, and that was probably the best rivalry the Bucs had in the old NFC Central.

[ADW77]

As a Broncos fan, I'll put in my two cents here.

I was never really a fan of Cutler, even while he was with the Broncos. I always liked Plummer, so there is that part of it.

However, I never blamed Cutler for what happened with Plummer, that was all Shanahan. It's not like Jay chose to be drafted by Denver. I simply got sick of his play on the field after watching him throw games away and under perform in huge situations.

As for the whole fiasco with Cutler & McDaniels, I blame them both. It was basically a huge ego trip on both sides. I'll be honest, I'm glad Cutler isn't with the Broncos anymore, but it's nothing personal, it's because I believe he'll never be that elite quarterback that he was supposed to be.

I may get blasted for saying this, especially being a Broncos fan, but I believe McDaniels could've been a good coach, maybe even great. However, McDaniels the GM (and everything under that) was awful. He was a coach, not management, and that's where it all went wrong. Essentially giving the keys of a new car to a kid who just got his license, of course it all went south.

I do have a bit of respect for Cutler, but that full respect has always been derailed by something he did. For instance, last year against the Packers when he was playing poorly and started shoving his offensive linemen around on the field. That just rubs me the wrong way. (I have a LOT of respect for Brady, however, him running over to the official to yell at him, which was in the game against the Broncos, pissed me off)

Honestly, I hope Cutler wins a Super Bowl, but I really hope Marshall is still on that team when it happens. I just don't want him to win one before the Broncos win another is all.

[ninersdd]

Rodgers still isn't medically cleared to play for Sunday according to the coach.

[NEW.ERA]

Rodgers still isn't medically cleared to play for Sunday according to the coach.

The decision lies with team doctor Pat McKenzie and Ted Thompson, if Rodgers and McCarthy had the call he'd be playing last week. It's frustrating at this point as a fan, but what can we do. Flynn is playing well and the team has life. With all the injuries we've had, and to think if we win out we're in the playoffs, can't complain.

[CS85]

I believe he'll never be that elite quarterback that he was supposed to be.

I do have a bit of respect for Cutler, but that full respect has always been derailed by something he did. For instance, last year against the Packers when he was playing poorly and started shoving his offensive linemen around on the field. That just rubs me the wrong way. (I have a LOT of respect for Brady, however, him running over to the official to yell at him, which was in the game against the Broncos, pissed me off)

A: Cutler's 30, so I think we all know the answer to that question already.

B: His offensive linemen were the 32nd ranked in the NFL, in effect derailing his career potential due to incompetence, negligence, and mismanagement. And it wasn't "Them," it was "Him." Him = J'Marcus Webb, responsible for innumerable hits to Cutler's person, was shoulder-bumped by Cutler in addition to receiving the hostile end of Jay's shouting rage.

Webb and those other piles of crap deserved all of Cutler's malice. They ruined him along with Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo. Cutler's got his issues with decision making and mechanics but the Bears organization threw away the best years of his physical prime by simply throwing feces at the wall and hoping it would stick.

Cutler's villainy can result in no personal victory aside from a superbowl title. If he showcases his emotion, he's a bad leader and is prone to making a scene. If he doesn't showcase enough emotion, he's a bad leader and doesn't care about winning.

For non-Bears fans it almost 100% originates from Cutler's trade from Denver; for Bears fans it almost 100% originates from the 2011 NFC title game against Green Bay. I've been swimming in lakes of fan stupidity for years now and it always comes back to that or some mundane camera shot of Cutler itching his scrotum, etc.

Jay's not a very likeable person off the field, I'll wager, but that doesn't justify declaring him a bad quarterback or poor leader.

[Kramerica Industries]

It's always amazed me how people jumped all over him for what happened in that game against the Packers. Cutler has long proven to be one of the toughest SOBs in the league, so if he took himself out of the game, that should be a pretty good indication of how much Cutler was hurting. Besides, he was horrifically ineffective in that game, so, really, how much did the Bears lose by Cutler leaving that game?

Philip Rivers playing the 2007 AFC-CG on a torn ACL set an impossible standard for injured QB's.

[TalktoChuck]

It's always amazed me how people jumped all over him for what happened in that game against the Packers. Cutler has long proven to be one of the toughest SOBs in the league, so if he took himself out of the game, that should be a pretty good indication of how much Cutler was hurting. Besides, he was horrifically ineffective in that game, so, really, how much did the Bears lose by Cutler leaving that game?

Philip Rivers playing the 2007 AFC-CG on a torn ACL set an impossible standard for injured QB's.

People never seem to understand that sports are a job. You saw the criticism Cutler got, and even Derrick Rose last year. Why we expect these guys to risk life and limb for their job is beyond me. These people have their future, their families, and their health to think about. All of which are extremely more important than a football game.

People forget that even in the NFL, there are some players who see it as strictly a job, and one they might not even enjoy. I would imagine there are a lot of players that don't necessarily love playing the game, they just do it because they're good at it and they can earn lots of money.

[ADW77]

I believe he'll never be that elite quarterback that he was supposed to be.

I do have a bit of respect for Cutler, but that full respect has always been derailed by something he did. For instance, last year against the Packers when he was playing poorly and started shoving his offensive linemen around on the field. That just rubs me the wrong way. (I have a LOT of respect for Brady, however, him running over to the official to yell at him, which was in the game against the Broncos, pissed me off)

A: Cutler's 30, so I think we all know the answer to that question already.

B: His offensive linemen were the 32nd ranked in the NFL, in effect derailing his career potential due to incompetence, negligence, and mismanagement. And it wasn't "Them," it was "Him." Him = J'Marcus Webb, responsible for innumerable hits to Cutler's person, was shoulder-bumped by Cutler in addition to receiving the hostile end of Jay's shouting rage.

Webb and those other piles of crap deserved all of Cutler's malice. They ruined him along with Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo. Cutler's got his issues with decision making and mechanics but the Bears organization threw away the best years of his physical prime by simply throwing feces at the wall and hoping it would stick.

Cutler's villainy can result in no personal victory aside from a superbowl title. If he showcases his emotion, he's a bad leader and is prone to making a scene. If he doesn't showcase enough emotion, he's a bad leader and doesn't care about winning.

For non-Bears fans it almost 100% originates from Cutler's trade from Denver; for Bears fans it almost 100% originates from the 2011 NFC title game against Green Bay. I've been swimming in lakes of fan stupidity for years now and it always comes back to that or some mundane camera shot of Cutler itching his scrotum, etc.

Jay's not a very likeable person off the field, I'll wager, but that doesn't justify declaring him a bad quarterback or poor leader.

As a Broncos fan, I don't have that disdain for Cutler I did when the trade happened and the year or so after. After the dust finally settled, anyone with any sense can see that both sides of that debacle are to blame.

I will also admit that I got on Cutler's case during & after the 2011 NFCCG, but I can also admit I was wrong to do so.

Honestly, I've been cheering on Cutler lately. His stubbornness this season with his injury proved he's one tough SOB. Also, I absolutely LOVED the hit he layed on the Steelers DB on SNF. That was awesome, even if others called him stupid, I won't change my opinion on that one.

Never gets old.

EDIT: I also forgot to include that I'm fully aware of what the Bears did to him regarding putting a paper wall for a line in front of him. I even commented on it over the years, saying how they were destroying Cutler by doing so.

[TheOldRoman]

A: Cutler's 30, so I think we all know the answer to that question already.

B: His offensive linemen were the 32nd ranked in the NFL, in effect derailing his career potential due to incompetence, negligence, and mismanagement. And it wasn't "Them," it was "Him." Him = J'Marcus Webb, responsible for innumerable hits to Cutler's person, was shoulder-bumped by Cutler in addition to receiving the hostile end of Jay's shouting rage.

Webb and those other piles of crap deserved all of Cutler's malice. They ruined him along with Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo. Cutler's got his issues with decision making and mechanics but the Bears organization threw away the best years of his physical prime by simply throwing feces at the wall and hoping it would stick.

Cutler's villainy can result in no personal victory aside from a superbowl title. If he showcases his emotion, he's a bad leader and is prone to making a scene. If he doesn't showcase enough emotion, he's a bad leader and doesn't care about winning.

For non-Bears fans it almost 100% originates from Cutler's trade from Denver; for Bears fans it almost 100% originates from the 2011 NFC title game against Green Bay. I've been swimming in lakes of fan stupidity for years now and it always comes back to that or some mundane camera shot of Cutler itching his scrotum, etc.

Jay's not a very likeable person off the field, I'll wager, but that doesn't justify declaring him a bad quarterback or poor leader.

RE: Webb, it wasn't him missing blocks that got Jay pissed. It was that he didn't give a that he missed blocks. He was smiling and ignoring Jay, who was talking to him as they walked off the field. If someone turnstyled a DE who then sacked me, and laughed about it afterwards, I would be pretty ticked, too. Webb stuck around as long as he did because he was Mike Tice's project. He was physically the prototypical LT. They waited forever for him to mature, and although he improved, he never cared enough to be good. He seemed like a nice guy, but he was basically a big, dumb kid. Tweeting about his love for McDonalds and eating dozens of tacos a day, in the midst of concerns about him being out of shape. This isn't basketball where the worst that can happen is you pop an ACL. In a sport like football, in a position where you are literally protecting a guy's livelihood and maybe whether or not he will be able to walk or even conscious at age 50, being lazy and not working to get better is pretty infuriating.

[vicfurth]

See what happens when Dallas tries to run it? Murray forces in for a 7-0 lead.

[alxy8s]

Riverboat Sean with the onside kick!