Jay Cutler Injury: 10 Ways He Can Win Back the Chicago Bears Fanbase
Jay Cutler had made headlines both across America and across Twitter after last night. In the third quarter of the NFC Championship Game, Cutler left the game due to injury. After Todd Collins and Caleb Hanie finished the game, there were questions as to how serious the injury was, as well as thoughts that he could have played through the injury.
Today, reports have varied between an MCL tear and an MCL sprain for Cutler. The final report is a Grade II MCL tear, which requires a three to four week recovery and does not need surgery. Could Jay Cutler have played though the injury, and played as well or better as he was doing so far in the game?
That's all hypothetical and no longer matters. What matters now is damage control for Cutler. What can he do to get on Chicago's good side again after leaving the game (or quitting, whichever you prefer)? Here are 10 things he can do.
Let The Storm Die Down
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Probably the worst thing Cutler can do is run into this storm head-on, right into all of the most vocal complainants. That's when anger or hurt gets the better of people, and they end up saying something stupid that this vocal crowd can latch onto.
Wait until the Super Bowl is over with and the MCL is healed. Then, progress can begin in mending the Cutler-Chicago relationship.
No More Crying
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Anger is something you want to avoid, yes, but you don't want to cry either. That's just common sense for any athlete, right Terrell Owens?
So why do I put this up as something to do? I do because, unfortunately, Cutler already broke that rule. This Sports Illustrated article says it best. There's no crying in baseball, but there's no crying in football either, Jay, even if you are hurt by the comments.
Give to the Community
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Once everything dies down, a big thing that could put him in the good graces of Chicago would be to give his time to the Chicagoland community. His reputation isn't very good to begin with, and if he can at least show that he wants to help Chicago as a whole, rather than just the team, that's a big step in repairing his image.
There are more than enough community organizations that would love Cutler helping them out, and it's a good life experience, too, on top of that. He actually does a lot of volunteer work, but it's not really well-known; highlighting his community service can help his image.
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Donate Salary
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Going off of donating time, Cutler should probably be donating some money as well. He makes enough money that the Bears didn't feel the need to add any incentives for playoff performances; they expected wins to come when they signed him.
With how much he makes, if he gave some to charities and his PR team were able to show it well, then people will be more likely to consider him good again.
Change How the Bears Handle These Situations
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Part of why this situation ended as badly as it did was because of how things were handled in the Bears organization. They didn't say anything about Cutler's injury until the following day, well after the MRI results were revealed. They then went on to say the injury was an MCL sprain.
While not incorrect, writers are going to put the sprain in their mind as not as bad as a tear, even though a Grade II sprain might as well be a tear. They went out of their way to make the injury seem like not a big deal, which is fine if you have games to play, but terrible when a quarterback's reputation is at stake.
Revise Throwing Motion
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One of Jay Cutler's biggest problems is that his throwing motion has never been that great. Because it takes a while for Cutler to throw the ball after he begins the motion, it causes some balls to be overthrown and underthrown.
It may be difficult for a guy that's been in the league for several years, but if he can refine his throwing motion and make it more accurate, Chicago will certainly be happier as he will be better.
Get a Better Attitude
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Part of Jay Cutler's reputation stems from his general bad attitude. He seems to shrug things off when he probably shouldn't, such as the injury. He stood on the sidelines and didn't seem bothered by the injury, which only contributed to all these image problems.
He needs to develop the attitude of a leader to help endear him to both the teammates and the community.
Be a Better Teammate
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If there's one way he can endear himself to Bears fans, it's through being a better teammate. Despite what Brian Urlacher said, I'm not convinced that Jay Cutler is a person that the Bears rally around, like Aaron Rodgers or Ben Roethlisberger.
Yes, his teammates came to his defense after the injury, as one would expect any teammate to do. He needs to convince us that he is one with the team though, because watching yesterday unfold, I did not see it.
Be a Spokesperson
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Respect and admiration seem to go hand-in-hand with endorsements. Peyton Manning is one of the most well-liked players in the league, and Michael Strahan still gets many endorsements despite being retired. Tim Tebow is fast adding himself to these kind of lists as well.
You don't see Ben Roethlisberger with any endorsements, and you don't really see Jay Cutler with any either. It wouldn't be too hard to grab a few. He has type one diabetes; he could do something with that, for example.
Win
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Chicago isn't exactly the land where quarterbacks become great. The last solid quarterback was perhaps Jim Harbaugh, but just like Cutler and others, he was helped by a great defense. People don't remember Jim McMahon for his decent stats in Chicago; they remember him for his Super Bowl win over the Patriots.
If Jay Cutler can bring the team to a Super Bowl, and if he can win one, that would do more to fix his reputation than anything else on this list. Chicago wants winners, and the fans want a Super Bowl win.
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