Report: Cutler has MCL tear

[Fitz66]

Even if you put aside whether he could play or not... the way he was acting on the sidelines is what people are pissed off about. He walked around (without much of a limp) and then sat on the bench staring off into space while the 3rd string QB is sitting right next him trying to figure out the plays.

The guy is not a leader.

So it's the first string QBs job to figure out the plays? Do the Bears employ position coaches? Is it possible the 3rd stringer was in the position he wanted to be in? Is it possible that we have absolutely no idea what was going on on the Bears sidelines?

Imagine, if you will, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, or hell.... Josh Freeman sitting on the bench sulking while their team is in the NFC champ game. I don't think it would happen.

Agreed.  Their O lines are better.

[Fitz66]

Do you guys EVER use your brains? If he was hurt all he would do if he played was hurt his team's chances he certainly wouldn't have helped them by not being able to cut or scramble around or making his injury worse. You guys are such idiots yes you deserve to be called names because you clearly don't think about anything except how badass you guys are yourselves.

Agree - you should visit the Pirates Cove - they are equally clueless about non-football realted issues as well.

Take it from Mr. "Wanna compare W-2's?" that this is true..

[Biggs3535]

Do you guys EVER use your brains? If he was hurt all he would do if he played was hurt his team's chances he certainly wouldn't have helped them by not being able to cut or scramble around or making his injury worse. You guys are such idiots yes you deserve to be called names because you clearly don't think about anything except how badass you guys are yourselves.

Agree - you should visit the Pirates Cove - they are equally clueless about non-football realted issues as well.

Take it from Mr. "Wanna compare W-2's?" that this is true..

Morgan should welcome Buddy to the Cove.  He might actually have an advantage in that one.

About the thread, I'm not surprised Cutler was injured.  He clearly was.  The problem is he was able to walk and wasn't fighting to get back in the game.  Rivers played with with a torn ACL in the playoffs.  You can see Leftwich endured at Marshall - and that wasn't a playoff game in the NFL.  If Cutler could walk, he should have been doing whatever he could have to get in the game.  At least that's what the majority of NFL players appear to be saying.

[nubcake]

From what i've heard, MCL won't keep anyone from walking around and doing normal things but if that person were to make a sharp cut or quick move they'll probably drop like a rock. 

Anyone had the same injury?

It's happened to me many times(although obviously the following times weren't as bad as the first time). It's a bit worse than your description(although I tore the PCL too so that might add to it, I don't really know)...you'll definitely be limping pretty strongly when you walk, which is why I'd have to assume it was probably a very mild tear. I really can't imagine him walking around the way he did otherwise. Regardless, it's definitely possible to play on as a QB, you'll just have almost no mobility. ACL is worse and Rivers managed. Also, if I was able to play backyard football on it with none of the painkillers they have available...there's an issue there.

I don't think the issue here is even that he was being a pansy, I think he just used the injury as an excuse to quit the game. And at the very least, the way he sat down and stared off into space as if he was waiting at a dentist's office was pathetic. At the very least, cheer your teammates on and try to inspire Hanie and Collins.

[nubcake]

Lovie is saying now its a MCL sprain.    No tear.

Press conference on ESPN

Oh wow. WOW. Yeah, this guy quit plain and simple. A sprain is nowhere NEAR on the level of a tear.

[jbear]

I heard on the radio today that it wasn't up to Cutler.  This year's Jay Cutler is not last years Phillip Rivers... not even close.  I think you have to take into account that Culter's play this year and in the first half of the NFC championship game did not merit coaches giving him the opportunity to tough it out.  Sub Par QB's don't get the opportunity to play hurt because quite honestly, they were'nt all that good healthy.  It's unfair to critisize Cutler for quiting because I don't think thats what he did.  If you want to critisize him for being terrible, knock yourself out at least it's fair.

[Morgan]

Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith blasted the critics of QB Jay Cutler on Monday and became the latest member of the team to support the QB who left Sunday's NFC title game loss to the Green Bay Packers with a knee injury.

Smith said Cutler suffered a sprained MCL in his knee before halftime, which forced him out of the game early in the third quarter. He said it was wrong for anyone -- and he singled out fellow NFL players -- to question Cutler's toughness.


"Our quarterback's a tough guy," Smith said. " He wanted to win the game as much as anyone. He showed a lot of toughness to continue to play with (his knee injury)."

During the game, players such as Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew and Cardinals DT Darnell Dockett questioned Cutler's toughness for leaving the conference championship game. That drew angry responses from Cutler's teammates, including LB Brian Urlacher and S Chris Harris.

Smith said Cutler wanted to play in the second half, and that it was his decision to remove the QB from the game. He said he was "surprised" that other NFL players would criticize Cutler, especially without knowing the specifics of the medical diagnosis.

"For guys to take a shot that weren't there, to try and look at his body language and try to figure out whether he was hurt because he was on the sideline ... you don't know what you'd do in that situation," Smith said.

"The guys who know what he was going through were the guys on the sideline."

He scolded players who were critical of Cutler, and said he didn't know what would prompt such outbursts.

"Seems like if you're in that fraternity, you'd be stepping up for your fellow man," Smith said.

He added, "What type of guy would do that? I mean, we're down right now. We lost a game."

Bears GM Jerry Angelo said he was similarly dismayed by the criticism of Cutler.

"I'm very surprised," he said. "I think it's crap. I thought they were a union."

Smith said he was confident that Cutler -- acquired for multiple first-round picks from the Denver Broncos in April 2009 -- is the long-term answer for the Bears at QB.

"Can't wait for our future together with him leading our team," Smith said.

If the Bears had beaten the Packers, Smith said Cutler would have been "questionable" to play in the Super Bowl on Feb. 6.

He did not reveal further details of the extent of the MCL sprain, which he said is still being evaluated.

[Boid Fink]

From what i've heard, MCL won't keep anyone from walking around and doing normal things but if that person were to make a sharp cut or quick move they'll probably drop like a rock. 

Anyone had the same injury?

Sounds like a "Boobi Miles" injury.

I dunno...I have a feling dude won't require surgery.

He is splitting the fanbase in Chicago right now.  He just comes across as a whiny quitter to me.  No offense to the fans who might be offended by me making this subjective opinion.

[Garv]

Lovie is saying now its a MCL sprain.    No tear.

Press conference on ESPN

Oh wow. WOW. Yeah, this guy quit plain and simple. A sprain is nowhere NEAR on the level of a tear.

LOL Except for the fact that a sprain IS A TEAR! They don't know yet, or we don't know how bad a sprain (TEAR!!!)
it is. This can be so exasperating.....all these macho fans who could walk on glass and fight pit bulls......

[nubcake]

Lovie is saying now its a MCL sprain.    No tear.

Press conference on ESPN

Oh wow. WOW. Yeah, this guy quit plain and simple. A sprain is nowhere NEAR on the level of a tear.

LOL Except for the fact that a sprain IS A TEAR! They don't know yet, or we don't know how bad a sprain (TEAR!!!)
it is. This can be so exasperating.....all these macho fans who could walk on glass and fight pit bulls......

Not necessarily. A sprain can often be just a stretching of the ligament, which seems very likely considering his slight limp, lack of a bag of ice, etc.

Even if it did result in a tear, it isn't a grade 3 tear. And by all means, continue to whine about people on the internet saying it and throw out the "LOL TOUGH GUY THINKS HE CAN WRESTLE LIONS" hyperbole, completely ignoring all the NFL PLAYERS doing the SAME thing. And yes, injuries happen to non-professionals too. We can experience the same things they do, we just aren't nearly as good when we try to do it. Shocking, I know.

[cyberdude558]

Lovie is saying now its a MCL sprain.    No tear.

Press conference on ESPN

Oh wow. WOW. Yeah, this guy quit plain and simple. A sprain is nowhere NEAR on the level of a tear.

LOL Except for the fact that a sprain IS A TEAR! They don't know yet, or we don't know how bad a sprain (TEAR!!!)
it is. This can be so exasperating.....all these macho fans who could walk on glass and fight pit bulls......

Grade 1 is like a sprain and most of the time they heal on their own without surgery. Grade II might require surgery if it is bad enough and is usually a partial tear. Grade III is a complete tear and definitely would require surgery.

But an MCL tear is nothing like an ACL. ACL is critical to the function of the knee. The MCL is more of a stabilizing ligament to help keep joint in alignment. That's why people who grade III their MCL will tell you it feels like the knee is buckling. People with grade I or II will still be able to walk.

[Scholty]

I can chime in on this halfway intelligently since I just suffered a partial grade II borderline III MCL tear.  NO surgery necessary. 

After I had the initial injury playing soccer I just got up and walked off the field.  I originally thought it was no big deal (after the original pain subsided) and tried to 'walk it' off.  When trying to jog on it, by leg all of a sudden felt like it was folding to the inside and just 'felt' loose/wrong.

That's when we put ice on it, I walked from the bench to the side and sat down for 15 minutes to wait for the game to end (We ride share and I had two buddies with me).   After about 20 minutes the pain got so bad that all of a sudden it just stiffened up on me and I couldn't even walk anymore. For the next 2 days I was pretty much down and out and on crutches (Yeah, I'm a wuss).  After that, using a BRACE, I could walk with a bad limp.  However, all doctors etc. told me to 100% stay off for a minimum of 4 weeks.

The same rehab center I use is the one used by the Texas Rangers baseball team and they are some of the best people in the DFW area dealing with these injuries.  One story that was shared with me, was of Basketball players playing several games with ACL injuries as well as Football players playing with MCL injuries.  Reason being, they have a higher pain tolerance and are much better trained then the average joe. 

Having said all of that:  If he DOES have a high pain tolerance he should have at least a) worn a brace and b) be on crutches to not re-injure the leg even more.  So he is either reckless with his injury OR things are not nearly as bad.  If he has even just a slight sprain though, it would have been impossible for him to cut and do any lateral movement.  Straight ahead is fine... as soon as you have to sidestep - pain sets in!

I'll give him the benefit of a doubt....

[Morgan]

what does it matter - the team was down 14-0 with no prospects of coming back - GB had the Bears in their control - the only reason the Bears came back was this no-name 3rd string usually inactive QB played well over his head and the Packers had no tape on him. It happens a lot where backups come in and actually look good for a game until the defensive coordinators get tape.

[dbucfan]

Lovie said he made the decision and that Cutler wanted to play?  Unless Lovie is lying doesn't that somewhat settle the matter?

And Cutler, who has all the ability in the world, surely does get himself into situations where he does not come off very well.

[Fitz66]

Lovie is saying now its a MCL sprain.    No tear.

Press conference on ESPN

Oh wow. WOW. Yeah, this guy quit plain and simple. A sprain is nowhere NEAR on the level of a tear.

LOL Except for the fact that a sprain IS A TEAR! They don't know yet, or we don't know how bad a sprain (TEAR!!!)
it is. This can be so exasperating.....all these macho fans who could walk on glass and fight pit bulls......

Grade 1 is like a sprain and most of the time they heal on their own without surgery. Grade II might require surgery if it is bad enough and is usually a partial tear. Grade III is a complete tear and definitely would require surgery.

But an MCL tear is nothing like an ACL. ACL is critical to the function of the knee. The MCL is more of a stabilizing ligament to help keep joint in alignment. That's why people who grade III their MCL will tell you it feels like the knee is buckling. People with grade I or II will still be able to walk.

Well in this case, its a tear

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