Here is my Tuesday column on the big Jay Cutler controversy, on why Cutler got an unfair rap as a wuss by players and fans when he didn’t play most of the second half on Sunday. I also take a shot at Deion Sanders who took a shot at Cutler. I also take a shot at tweeters who sometimes can be unfair, especially when they shoot from the hip, as it were, and don’t know the facts. I believe — I’m preaching here — that the whole tweet/blog thing is degrading language and may even be degrading our culture. To read my column click here.
KauaiRobert
Lowell: Forgive me for reposting a comment from a prior blog but for those who think that a MCL “sprain” sounds minor, I’d like to explain the injury a bit more.
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Grade 1 Sprains: The ligament is mildly damaged in a Grade 1 Sprain. It has been slightly stretched, but is still able to help keep the knee joint stable.
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Grade 2 Sprains: A Grade 2 Sprain stretches the ligament to the point where it becomes loose. This is often referred to as a partial tear of the ligament.
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Grade 3 Sprains. This type of sprain is most commonly referred to as a complete tear of the ligament. The ligament has been split into two pieces, and the knee joint is unstable.
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These are not like ankle sprains–they’re serious injuries.
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*ALOHA*
January 24th, 2011 4:55 pm
Dan
I guess we shouldn’t be surprised in the social media age that people jump to conclusions before having all the information. This isn’t the first time, and it probably won’t be the last. I was looking at the Twitter feed from some of the national reporters who were at the game. They said the team reported that Cutler’s return was “questionable,” not that he was out. Then, after the game, the coaches said that the medical staff had ruled Cutler out. That certainly didn’t help Cutler.
January 24th, 2011 5:10 pm
Dan
If I recall correctly, Steve Young tore or sprained his MCL in the 1991 season. He was out for awhile. Steve Bono filled admirably as the Niners’ quarterback for six games, posting a 5-1 record. I don’t think Young required surgery though. Maybe he could shed some more light on this kind of injury.
January 24th, 2011 5:13 pm
Stan
On the other hand Lowell-on the radio,Eric Davis said that Cutlers injury isnt serious-that MCL isnt the same as the the ACL(I think thats the one)and that Davis said he has played with an injured MCL. Its hurts he said,but its not a real tear that cant be stood on so to speak.
Lets face it Lowell,its a big coicidence that Cutler who has never been a big game QB, would be having another horrible game under pressure and then have a injury AFTER playing so bad that the team looked out of the game,would then sit it out. I thought at the time he was taken out because he was having a bad game..how much leg pain could he have riding a bike on the sidelines?
Lets just say,when Jay saw the big defecit,he didnt give it the old college try from that point.
January 24th, 2011 5:23 pm
Stan
Now the team announces a grade 2 sprain. But,in the real world who knows if the team isnt embelishing? One defense I heard is that he has been sacked 82 times,missed only one game in something seasons,yada. But,if he’s that durable as the defense says..isnt his leaving the game become even more..questionable?
I mean,I’m no expert at any of those sprains..but when pro athletes themselves say outloud..well, are they doing a Dibble or are they simply being truthful?
I would be far less cynical Lowell,if Cutler had been having even a normal game..but he stunk that day and I think thats why the hue and cry of the (football)huddled masses.
January 24th, 2011 6:15 pm
JR
Hey Cohn…if you had to choose a team and had to pick a cornerback, I’d bet Deion would be in your top five…can you say that about Cutler if you had to pick a quarterback…
January 24th, 2011 6:18 pm
Chris from Santa Rosa
While a sprained MCL does not immediately require crutches or hobbling around in agony like you were just shot, it does render you immediately unable to play. A sprained MCL makes it impossible to plant and throw. Especially when it is in the leg you use to plant and throw. All the “toughness” in the world will not avail if you are not physically able to play the game. The negative comments from former players like Deion Sanders are unseemly and unprofessional. The negative comments from fans are laughable. I’d like to see one of these fans operate a remote, let alone play football, after suffering a sprained MCL.
January 24th, 2011 7:44 pm
Stan
Well,Chris,it doesnt hurt enough to ride a stationary bike without as much as a grimace?…
I’ve had bad ankle sprains,seperated shoulder..to hell with riding a staitionary bike after those..but maybe I can’t take real pain.
January 24th, 2011 7:59 pm
Ringing Bill
IMO – Deion Sanders never earned his way onto the TV airwaves…he outed Singletary with his “the media is irrelevent” comment something that then Coach Mike prob thought was off the record.
His speech inflection could also use some work. Ebonics? No – he just poorly cares about getting better when in fact he could if he put the work in.
@JR – Sanders like Nnamdi of the Raiders were/is shut down corners but god forbid that either has to tackle someone.
@ Stan…thought I “caught you” on the Rich Leiberman blog??
January 24th, 2011 8:04 pm
Mel James
Amen, brother. You got it right, Mr. Cohn, as Sanders is a jerk. He often makes little sense and any indictment on his part of Cutler is nonsense. Please remember: Sanders was notorious for not tackling ball carriers for fear of being hurt–for him to question the courage of anyone else is purely ridiculous.
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Be sure to forward your column to Sanders.
January 24th, 2011 8:36 pm
Spencer
Lowell – With regard to the tweeters: Your a professional journalist, they are not, and it shows. Set the bar high, and dont’ take them too seriously.
January 24th, 2011 8:41 pm
Dave Black
Philip Rivers played with a sprained MCL in an AFC Championship game. He gutted it out. Meanwhile, LT sat out with a pulled hammy.
Philip Rivers is a man. Cutler is a wuss
January 24th, 2011 10:55 pm
Johnny Christo
To repeat myself, Cutler is a loser, like Alex Smith is a loser. And in response to someone above, I think it’s great if Deion did indeed out Singletary. That idiot was the biggest ignoramus fraud the NFL has ever known, and to say the media is irrelevant is akin to saying the fans don’t matter.
January 24th, 2011 11:03 pm
Johnny Christo
CohnZone, just read the article. You miss the point. If Roethlisberger had come out, nobody would have tweeted anything negative, because he has proven he has heart. Cutler has proven he is an a**, as evidenced by your own account of his vulgarity in San Francisco. Who cares that he has played with diabetes? Who cares that his O line in Chicago has been porous? He had a pretty good line in Denver and he was so much a loser that he was sent packing to make room for Kyle Orton!!! CohnZone, you are attempting to make a larger point that may be legitimate, but Cutler is absolutely not the donkey who will carry your point home with assuredness! The guy is just an unproven player, if not a proven loser, and the fact that team guys like Urlacher and Lovie are willing to back him just illustrates their class; in no way does it indemnify the poor character that Cutler has exhibited throughout his career. That his biggest critics were none other than Chicago fans shows that he has failed to step into a leadership role. We here in the Bay Area know a heck of a lot more about how and why Alex Smith stinks, which is why so many 49ers fans have to resist the gag reflex while NFL fans around the league just know him as a bust. Cutler is obviously viewed similarly in Chicago, or that city’s fans would have defended him, not been the first to shred him to pieces.
January 24th, 2011 11:18 pm
Jerome
Lowell used the term “wuss”. I believe a wuss is 1/2 wimp and 1/2 puss, although i’m not sure the exact recipe. sometimes a puss is used as slang for female genitalia. of all genitalia, i believe that one is actually the hardiest. calling cutler a wuss is actually wrong by about a half.
January 25th, 2011 12:23 am
Johnc
Yeah,Dion Sanders was a great cover guy in his day but when it came to making a tackle he was like a Matador.
Darnell Dockett, Cardinals defensive tackle should shut his mouth too. He played on a defense that was ranked 30th in the league and who laid down at Candlestick that last game against the niners..I was there.
January 25th, 2011 2:58 am
Stan
Blogger and posters ,my thoughts by Stan:
First of all,Ive read tens of thousands of posts by fans,and never once was fooled into thinking what they said wasnt just their opinion. None ever claimed to talk to the players personally,or team reps. See,thats the difference between bloggers and pro writers..THEY cite quotes,they talk to the players,they have a higher burden to be right.
Now,I could make this a very long post..but Im cutting to why posters can shoot from the hip while pro writers cannot-or better be very careful.
Like I always say-I just use power of observation with life experiences. You dont think I’ve met a Gary Radnich TYPE? or a Tim Lincecum TYPE? if you’ve been around you notice some personality quirks suit some people almost to the predictable without a fault. Almost.
January 25th, 2011 9:12 am
Stan
btw,Strange how those types many times tend to look alike. Crazy hot blonds are just interchangeable in names. You know I’m right.
January 25th, 2011 9:14 am
Loneraider78
We all know the macho attitude surrounding sports, especially football and hockey. So it’s not surprising people are calling out Cutler. Admittedly, I was wondering what he was doing too. I thought “if he’s hurt that bad why is he just standing around in the cold?” They should’ve gotten him off the sideline if he wasn’t going back in, if for no other reason than to avoid this very problem. I’ve played through injuries myself, but never a knee, and Cutler would’ve been even more useless than he was already with no mobility.
January 25th, 2011 9:22 am
Fred G
Hmmm surprised at some of the comments. My high school QB was a jerk and the team didn’t like him at all. Yet, likeability has little to do with courage. Additionally, I don’t care if Sanders was a top 5 DB. Lowell is spot on that he didn’t like contact. He was a GREAT coverage back. However, if you ran at his side he would shy away from contact EVERYTIME. Therefore, if you are that kind of player you shouldn’t be calling out someone else’s courage or guts. Since when is that right? Lead by example or shut your mouth! PERIOD! If you want to argue that, I have nothing to say to you.
January 25th, 2011 10:23 am
Dave
I personally have questioned Cutler’s ability overall, in fact doing so when reating the 8 playoff QB’s before the divisional round (For the record I had Roethlisberger at number 1 with Brady, and even though his stats were not pretty, can’t deny his big play at right time ability, game and season on the line he made two hige throws in last game winning drive) Cutler just has always seemed to make the big mistake at the crucial time. That being said, I won’t question his toughness. he took a physical beating both in Denver and in Chicago. And if in fact he was held out by his coaches then his choice was made for him. Knees are tricky. I have had an MCL sprain in the past. Going forward is not too bad, but anything lateral is dicey at best. And if it was a grade 2 sprain, trying to backpedal and then plant and throw would have been nearly impossible. Even if he could have gone, the severe lack of mobility would have hurt the team more, and potentially the player, getting hit time and time again. If we know anything about the game in the NFL, a QB needs to have some mobility.
Cutler may not be your prototypical franchise QB. But if you look at the back-ups the Bears put out there, he is definitely their best option. So they were thinking not only about that game, but the teams future as well. I also may not put him in the toughest class of the NFL, but I won’t question it otherwise.
January 25th, 2011 10:42 am
KauaiRobert
This is all based on the fact that people who have never had serious knee injuries don’t know what they’re like.
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When I tore the ACL and MCL in my right knee while chasing a fly ball in a softball game, the pain was so severe that I couldn’t get up by myself.
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I had to be helped off of the field by two other guys.
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Of course, I had no idea of the extent of the damage at the time–it just hurt alot.
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However, after sitting down and watching the rest of the game and another one afterward, I walked to my car and drove home totally unassisted aside from my favorite bat which I used as a makeshift crutch.
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My point is…Cutler was quite capable of staying on the sideline after the injury that neither he nor the staff knew the extent of at the time.
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And they listed him as questionable because they couldn’t have known otherwise.
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For all they knew it could’ve been a stinger and he could’ve finished the game.
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He tried to return and he couldn’t play.
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I’ve had four surgeries to the same knee and I know this for a fact–the initial pain from these injuries subsides if you stay off the knee so you may think you’re O.K., but by no means should you continue to play on a sprained knee because one wrong move or hit could EASILY cause PERMANENT damage.
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Again, people who haven’t been through it can’t understand.
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*ALOHA*
January 25th, 2011 10:47 am
Neal
Anybody who thinks Cutler is a whimp,are just plain Idiots, the guy has the worst offensive line in the NFL, gettting sacked over 60 times, did he miss one game this past year, how many times did Deon missed games because of turf toe.
Those that are critica of him, how you like to be tacked by 275 to 300 pound gorrila’s 60 times during the season, most of you would miss work if you had a cold.
January 25th, 2011 10:56 am
Nice Guy Javy
I agree with you for the first time in my life. Maybe it’s because your not bashing the Raiders or slobbering over the Whiners.
January 25th, 2011 11:13 am
Stan
Actually,I had no bad opinion of Cutler other than I knew he wasnt a premier QB. Last years 6 int game (or so) vs the 49ers wasnt a big surprise to me. This season sure was and I do give credit to Mike Martz and for Cutler himself to at least learn.
But,guys,I have that nagging feeling here-why would so many pro’s not hesitate to bash him? And again,If Cutler had been having a good game, coming out would have been no second guess-you knew it must REALLY hurt then. And third-the more Kauii and others say how painful that sprain is-why was Cutler just pedaling away without a care in the world? and pedaling vigourously? he was moving it pretty good.
If he had come back,then said no,cant do it..I doubt he would have been bashed.
We really will never know. Just impossible to be sure. But,he leaves doubts,no doubt.
January 25th, 2011 12:09 pm
Stan
Oh,well,maybe Cutler will do what that Arizona QB did when Gruden called him down for laughing on the sidelines..bite back.
January 25th, 2011 12:12 pm
Ringing Bill
I agree with Neal. Players who tweeted idiotic stuff and some of whom are now trying to retract stuff are moronic, not morons, but people electronically acting moronic.
Besides Lovie Smith and Cutlers teammates got it right from the beginning. That’s how Pro’s should act.
For those who haven’t: Read Gwen Knapp’s column today. She nailed it.
January 25th, 2011 1:17 pm
will yon
Why would anyone listen to a dork like Deion Sanders who never tackled anyone? Talk about lack of heart. I hope MJD dosen’t get injured again especially after he passed on the last 2 weeks of the season with a chance to go the playoffs.
January 25th, 2011 4:27 pm
Jimmy
“The world is filled with too many words, most of them mediocre.” What an overstatement!
January 25th, 2011 5:35 pm
Jimmy
Whoops, I meant understatement. That only proves your point further…
January 25th, 2011 5:36 pm
Cold Duck
To the guy that said playing with Type I diabetes is no big deal, I give you a big middle finger. To play top level professional sports with diabetes is de facto courage. Not trumped up, media courage
Let’s face facts here. Cutler has been a jerk and his boasts in Denver that he was better than Elway was a sign of that. He is disliked, probably even by his teammates. That is the reason all this happened. He did bring this on himself by being a jerk. Blame it on Karma.
January 26th, 2011 4:00 pm
Terry
LOL – Deion Sanders commenting on no heart?! As a (now) long suffering Niners fan, I can recall plenty of times when “Prime Time” spent NO TIME moving towards a running back. He could back up almost as fast as he could run forward.
January 27th, 2011 12:32 pm
Stan
Hmmmm,Cutler has been seen around town,at nightclubs with no crutch,no bandages,no limp..until he see’s the paparazzi..then he gimps it up!
Add it up.
January 27th, 2011 7:24 pm