Jan. 12, 1992: With his team down 7-0 in the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship game, Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway is pulled from the contest because of a deep thigh bruise.
After the game, a 10-7 victory for the Buffalo Bills, it’s learned that the Broncos’ medical and coaching staffs made the decision to bench Elway because of his limited mobility, despite the quarterback’s protests.
Backup Gary Kubiak outplays Elway in his stint, falling just short of an improbable fourth quarter comeback.
No Spin Zone: The NFL’s all-time winner, comeback leader and tough man, suffering from a debilitating injury, remains on the sideline when a liberal dose of elephant tranquilizer is quickly administered by the training staff.
Elway thought he was receiving treatment to return to the field. He is tethered to the bench with a ball and chain, as the team feared an enraged Elway would pull the entire bench onto the field had a supplemental weight not been added.
Elway is lauded by the media for his heroism in objecting to the staff’s decision and for his superhuman competitiveness, represented by the incredible forces needed to keep him off the field.
The tranquilizer explains his wooziness in the post-game press conference, which was abruptly ended due to the quarterback’s condition.
Jan. 23, 2011: Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, with an unknown knee injury, is pulled from the NFC Championship game after the team, down 14-0, took their first offensive possession of the second half.
After the game, a 21-14 win for the Green Bay Packers, it is learned that the Bears’ medical and coaching staffs made the decision to bench Cutler because of his inability to move and plant, despite the quarterback’s protests.
Backup Caleb Hanie outplays Cutler in his stint, falling just short of an improbable comeback.
The Real Story: The NFL’s all-time whiner, pouter and punch-face, Jay ‘Quitler,’ pulls himself out of the NFC championship game with the Chicago Bears down 14-0 due entirely to his moribund “play.”
Cutler, unable to handle the burden of the “big stage,” sits back while the medical staff informs the coaching staff of a severe injury, allowing him to stand and relax on the sideline, where he quickly forgets to act the part, smiling all too often in a completely uncompetitive, uninspiring and uncaring way.
Cutler even cries during a post-game interview.
What is the difference between the two situations and what do they say about the current state of fandom, society and maybe even human nature?
As the keyboard jocks unleashed righteous fury about Cutler’s cowardice, for some odd reason, no mention of Cutler’s history could be found within tweeting distance of the rampant indictments.
If we are to assume that a player is quitting on his team in the biggest game of his career, shouldn’t that player’s known background be a key factor in forming such a judgment?
Jay Cutler played college ball at the academic school of Vanderbilt where he began his career as an option quarterback.
Cutler survived four years behind an offensive line of future graduate students, running the ball over 450 times and dropping back more often than any other starting quarterback in the SEC during his four years.
Despite a sub-.500 season playing with inferior teammates, Cutler impressed enough in 2005 to win SEC Conference Player of the Year. Despite four losing seasons without a bowl appearance, Cutler nearly cracked the top ten of the draft, something that has been accomplished just once by a four-year starter without a career bowl game appearance — by the aforementioned John Elway.
Sure, Cutler’s physical talent, as showcased during the Senior Bowl, was a key component to his almost unprecedented rise, but most often talked about in the weeks leading up to the draft was Cutler’s physical and mental toughness in handling the relentless pressure of the SEC defenses.
In five NFL seasons Cutler has missed a grand total of one start in 71 opportunities, running over linebackers and playing through concussions in the process.
That pales in comparison to the following fact: Cutler played the entire 2007 season with undiagnosed diabetes, losing more than thirty pounds in the process and constantly battling fatigue.
Shouldn’t that be considered one of the more impressive feats of athletic toughness in recent years?
Much like with Elway 19 years ago, there is no rational basis in doubting Cutler’s heart or manhood, nor is there any reason to question the staff’s decision to sit Cutler after it was discovered he couldn’t properly plant his feet to throw, let alone evade the Packer’s pass rush.
All-time “tough guys” who thrived on contact like Deion Sanders (who missed two seasons with a toe injury) and Trent Dilfer, who has made a broadcast career out of projecting his inadequacies on former peers across the league, were quick to point out that playing through such an injury is to be expected in a “championship game” regardless of the outcome. The example of Phillip Rivers playing in the 2007 AFC championship game on a torn ACL is the main support used by the critics claiming Tin-Man Cutler should have sucked it up.
Rivers, whose legs on his best days are about as useful as cement pillars, was atrocious in the contest, barely completing 50 percent of his passes (19-37) with no touchdowns and two interceptions in a nine-point loss to the Patriots. Backup Billy Volek actually led the Chargers to a comeback win in the divisional round when Rivers went down. Not only was Rivers completely ineffective, but he also risked a potentially career-ending knee injury by playing. Rivers’ feat of bravery should never have been celebrated.
What to say next? Reveal the real reasons for the Cutler-hate, which do not sprout from his play on the field. Reveal the prevailing double standards on leadership and injuries in the supposed gladiator sport. I believe (for what it’s worth) these revelations reflect on fandom and its inherent and often implicit popular belief systems.
Reach the reporter at nick.ruland@asu.edu
