Bernstein: Cutler Damage Control Critical For Bears
By Dan Bernstein--
A weird season is over after yesterday's aimless chaos, and the Bears wake up to a new challenge today.
Jay Cutler, perhaps the NFL's most-abused quarterback this year, was advised by trainers and doctors not to take the field in the third quarter after injuring his knee just before the end of the half.
He tried nonetheless, but exited for good when he realized he couldn't plant solidly enough to throw.
But because he was not carted off, or given a walking boot or crutches, the lowest substratum of angry, disappointed fans immediately accused him of quitting on his team. These flames were fanned by Twitter posts from NFL players and commentators questioning Cutler's toughness, with some fans piling on to accuse him of faking the injury outright.
The Bears' pathological desire to withhold information has backfired on them, as has Cutler's total indifference to image and perception. All parties would have been better served by a firm, clear announcement on national television of the injury's existence and its significance, and the medical staff's assessment. Any HIPAA-related concerns could have been avoided with Cutler's assent, if only any had understood how important it really was.
Now they are well into the news cycle and playing from behind, as their franchise quarterback is in danger of slipping to a point of no return in the minds and hearts of fans predisposed to disliking him, and looking to focus their frustration and rage.
He is scheduled for an MRI on the knee today. The management of the resulting information is critical, since coaches and players were steadfastly, disgustedly dismissing public doubt about the severity of the injury or Cutler's desire.
"(Bleep) them, it's (bleeping) stupid," Olin Kreutz told the Tribune. I could see (his knee) wiggling when he was walking back in the huddle."
Though teammates may rally to his side, it appears that a large, vocal, and extremely venomous group of fans have been waiting for just such an opportunity to attack Cutler with the worst kind of accusations against a professional athlete.
It is exactly this kind of situation that exposes Cutler's lack of political capital in Chicago. He has not cared to endear himself to anyone outside Halas Hall, so he gets little protection.
This feels like Scottie Pippen's 1990 migraine all over again, with no Michael Jordan to ride to the rescue with six championships to make it all right.
Amazingly, even a severe MCL sprain or medial meniscus damage may not be enough to quiet the storm.
With every next caller I hear, or with each next illiterate, all-caps email our show receives calling Cutler a female body part, I even think a ruptured ligament or surgery wouldn't be enough for these people. Seriously.
I am not sure that the Bears or Cutler realize how much work they have ahead of them to push back against this tide, nor how important it is to do so. They are already paying for missed chances to win hearts and minds, and they face the prospect of having their most important player – one under contract through 2013 – now "dead" to a significant number of fans, regardless of the truth.
That's an untenable position for a franchise anywhere, let alone a large media market.
The Bears have been unskilled in critical message-management situations in recent years, preferring to deny, ignore and dismiss, rather than finesse.
When that MRI film gets read today, though, they'd be smart to have some big-gun crisis-PR people retained and ready, helping their overmatched in-house staff.
They are in the process of losing another must-win game.
