NFL: Jay Cutler and 7 Players Who Should Be Given Another Chance in 2011

The 2010 NFL season delivered a lot of memorable moments from a lot of different players. The season also delivered its fair share of disappointing individual efforts, leading to much criticism toward those players.

Some players can't help but attract criticism, while others suffer from being the most visible player in a bad situation. Whether or not the criticism was earned is another issue entirely, but it didn't stop fans and experts from piling on.

Here are a few players who were ripped during the 2010 season and deserve a second chance in 2011.

Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears

The Bears started last season 3-0 due in no small part to Jay Cutler's quality of play. After throwing 27 touchdowns and 26 interceptions in 2009, Cutler opened the 2010 season throwing six touchdowns and two interceptions. He finished the regular season with 23 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, but it isn't the regular season that made him a public enemy in Chicago.

With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, Cutler failed to return to the NFC Championship game after a seemingly minor injury knocked him out in the third quarter.

Cutler was diagnosed with a sprained MCL which, while painful, is hardly the type of injury any professional athlete would give in to so easily. Head coach Lovie Smith said it wasn't Cutler's decision to stay out of the game, which does give Cutler a small reprieve. It doesn't, however, excuse his utterly passive and defeated attitude while on the sideline.

Argue with trainers, tell Smith the only way you're leaving the field is on the cart, show some life. Cutler just sat on the bench and accepted his fate.

If nothing else, Cutler proved he can get the Bears to the brink of the Super Bowl, and that is something for which he should be commended. However, if he runs from the bright lights of the playoffs next season, he deserves every bit of criticism Chicago and his fellow players can muster.

C.J. Spiller, Buffalo Bills

Though just a rookie last season, C.J. Spiller came into the NFL with a lot of expectations from Bills fans.

He was billed as a versatile, workhorse running back who could take it to the house anytime he touched the ball.

But playing for Buffalo means those moments are going to be few and far between—a harsh reality Spiller faced the hard way.

Spiller delivered on special teams, but did next to nothing on offense, where the Bills need him most.

On kickoff returns alone, Spiller amassed 1,014 yards and one touchdown, compared to just 483 yards of offense and one touchdown. While the value of special teams cannot be overlooked, Spiller wasn't drafted as a kick return specialist. He was drafted to be a versatile running back, with the ability to carry the ball 250 times and catch 50-plus passes out of the backfield.

Even with Fred Jackson accounting for more than 1,000 yards of offense, averaging 3.8 yards per carry and finishing with just 24 receptions is not the type of performance Buffalo expected from Spiller.

Still, Spiller will be in just his second season as a professional and has plenty of time to become the player experts said he would be when he was drafted. With Jackson hitting the magic No. 30 in February, Spiller could see a steep increase in touches on offense. Either Spiller will have to get better running between the tackles, or the Bills will have to adjust the offense to put him outside the tackles.

Donovan McNabb, Washington Redskins

Donovan McNabb was supposed to be Mike Shanahan's second chance at a Super Bowl run of John Elway-like proportions. After a surprise offseason trade landed McNabb in Washington, fans were both hopeful and skeptical. What was made out to be a potential resurgence for the Redskins turned out to be nothing short of an unmitigated disaster of a 6-10 season.

McNabb was benched the final three games of the season, and it seems like only the lockout is keeping him with the Redskins.

He may not get another chance with the Redskins next season, but McNabb will certainly get a chance somewhere. While he may not be the same fleet-footed quarterback he once was, McNabb still has a cannon for an arm. If a team is willing to run an offense that caters to his abilities the way Andy Reid did in Philadelphia, he can be a top-10 quarterback again.

Teams that need a veteran quarterback aren't going to make the mistake the Redskins did by failing to meet halfway on what they wanted to do on offense and what McNabb was capable of. He has a few good years left and has already promised next season will be special.

Where McNabb plays next season is still up for debate.

Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers

In 2009, Michael Crabtree came into the NFL wanting to be paid as the best receiver in the draft despite being the second receiver drafted behind Darrius Heyward-Bey. He held out for a $32 million, which was close enough to Heyward-Bey's $38.25 million to soothe his ego.

In his two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, Crabtree has been good, but nothing close to great, even with the quarterback carousel.

It would be one thing if every player on the Niners' offense was failing to produce, but tight end Vernon Davis had 56 receptions for 514 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Crabtree managed 55 receptions for 741 yards and six touchdowns last season, which were not significant improvements over his rookie season.

Crabtree may not have received full blame for the poor offensive showing since head coach Mike Singletary was ultimately fired, but he is hardly innocent in the matter. Since the lockout began, he has no-showed to some offseason workouts and questioned the move to name Alex Smith the starter for next season.

Just the type of behavior you want from your franchise receiver.

Eli Manning, New York Giants

Eli Manning looked more like Jay Cutler than a former Super Bowl-winning quarterback last season, and he heard about it. It is tough being a quarterback for any team, but it is near impossible to be the quarterback for the Giants and expect to make it out unscathed.

Manning's 31 touchdowns were impressive, as were the 4,002 yards he threw for, but neither mattered in comparison to his 25 interceptions and five lost fumbles.

There aren't very many excuses to be made for Manning's performance last season, aside from the loss of Steve Smith due to injury. While it is difficult to adjust to playing without the best receiver on the team, it does not account for the uptake in interceptions. It was a display of old habits dying hard for Manning, as he forced passes into small windows and was generally out of sync with his receivers.

He was only sacked 16 times last season, compared to 30 times in 2009 and 27 times in 2008.

There was no hit to his accuracy and no shortage of running game to blame; Manning simply didn't have it last season, and the Giants failed to make the playoffs because of it.

Randy Moss, Tennessee Titans

While he has never been reserved, it is impossible to know exactly what is going on in Randy Moss' head. He had three great seasons with New England, but the relationship went south last season, and he was sent back to Minnesota.

Not to be outdone, the Vikings put him on waivers, and Tennessee picked him up.

Moss tallied a career-low 28 receptions for 393 yards and five touchdowns, which hurts his case for next year.

It isn't as though Moss simply can't get it done anymore—far from it. He wasn't happy with his role with the Patriots, wasn't happy with Brad Childress and the Vikings, and just didn't care with the Titans. By no means does he deserve a reprieve for acting like a spoiled brat, but he is a future Hall of Fame receiver with a few good years left in him.

It will take the right team to get the best out of him, but Moss can be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL again. Whichever team takes that chance just has to hope Moss approves of the coach, the quarterback, the offense and the food.

Jared Allen, Minnesota Vikings

Jared Allen didn't have an awful year last season, but he wasn't the disruptive force he had been his first two seasons in Minnesota. He came away with 11 sacks, two interceptions and a touchdown, but they never came at critical moments or changed the flow of the game.

Allen's mullet-sporting, "Everything is Bigger in Texas" personality was put on hold during the Vikings' 6-10 season.

It shouldn't fall on Allen to do absolutely everything for the Vikings, even if he is a team leader. Last season's failures were due to Brett Favre's failure to reproduce his magical 2009 season, not because Allen wasn't getting the job done. When the offense doesn't produce points, and the defense is always on the field, of course there are going to be less game-altering plays for Allen to make.

The Vikings will be a different team under Leslie Frazier, and Allen is nowhere near finished wreaking havoc on opposing backfields. Whether or not fans are willing to admit it, they can't afford to lose Allen's presence on defense.