Jay Cutler to sit out on Sunday against Carolina
The New York Giants’ defence was brutal when they went up against the Chicago Bears. Bears’ quarterback Jay Cutler was sacked 9 times in the first half. Some of those hits were just barbaric and Cutler has been feeling the effect.
The quarterback had to leave the field after a sack by Aaron Ross and had sustained a concussion.
As a result, Cutler has been advised to sit it out on Sunday when the Bears go to Carolina. The quarterback showed up at practice in uniform but took a limited part in them. The NFL has been taking a sterner approach to concussion
and so Cutler would have to pass a series of test and get a green light from doctors before he would be back on the field. The disadvantage of not having him play one game is well worth the advantage of making sure he is around for the remainder of the season.
There is no way to rush through a concussion. There is no treatment except rest.
Sunday would be the first game he’d miss due to injuries in his career so far. In all likelihood Cutler would miss only that one game and be back in action against the Seattle Seahawks. Even if he misses the next game, in the long
run it is better for both the Bears and Cutler that they not rush him back into the field.
Coach Lovie Smith said that Cutler had been making good progress towards recovery and could very well play Sunday’s game but he won’t. Replacing him would be backup Todd Collins for the game against the Panthers. The timing couldn’t
have been better. The Panthers so far haven’t won a single game and the Bears have lost only one. Even without Cutler the Bears are the likely favourites. Todd Collins just has to hold it together and not necessarily deliver a Cutler like performance.
After the game against the New York Giants, it was expected that Collins would start against the Panthers and Collins himself suspected as much. “I was kind of expecting it and getting excited about it,” Collins said, adding that
he was prepared for it and looking forward to leading Chicago. Collins hasn’t been a starting quarterback since 2007. Playing for the Washington red skins, Collins led the side into the playoffs.
Collins too had sprained his neck in the game against the Giants but maintains that he is doing well enough to start for the Bears. He said that it was a good thing that he had a week to prepare for Sunday’s game. Collins has experience
but he has been somewhat out of touch since 2007 and acknowledged as much. “It's been a while since I was out there. Just brush up on a few things,” Collins said.
The backup quarterback also said that it had been tough for him to stay prepared after having been a backup quarterback for such a long time and not getting many opportunities to play. That might actually be an understatement.
In a career that spans 16 season, Collins has started only 20 games. Collins is experienced but the Bears other quarterback is younger and more athletic. Nothing against the Panthers but the fact is that quarterback Caleb Hanie’s inexperience won’t be as much
of a concern against the Panthers. It could have been a good time to sent Hanie out there and learn the ropes.
The Panthers too have a rookie quarterback who so far has not been able to impress. Both Collins and Hanie could easily match anything the Panthers throw at them and hit the Panthers hard even without their starting quarterback.
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