Following a week of turmoil after losing to the Green Bay Packers 23-10 last Thursday, quarterback Jay Cutler answered questions about an incident that was dominating the news in Chicago.
During the Thursday game Cutler was hounded by the Green Bay defense, including seven sacks and a number of hits and pressures. Two sacks and two pressures were allowed by offensive lineman J'Marcus Webb and a frustrated Cutler could be seen berating him and later bumping into him on the sidelines.
Following the game, Cutler said to ESPN.com: "I care about this. This isn't just a hobby for me. I'm not doing this for my health. I'm trying to win football games. I'm trying to get first downs, and when we're not doing the little things, not doing the things the right way consistently I'm gonna say something. If they want a quarterback that doesn't care they can get somebody else."
After the game Webb downplayed the incident to reporters. "You know it's an emotional game and things happen, things get said and you move on to the next play," he said Thursday. "Take it for what it is. He was just saying 'let's move this ball,' 'let's get this touchdown.' Positives."
Earlier this week, many Bears players were asked about the incident, the most notable being cornerback D.J Moore, who made some controversial statements about the quarterback.
According to ESPNChicago.com, Moore said: "I just think it's wrong, honestly. I would feel some kind of way if he were to do me like that and make it seem like 'well, the reason that I'm having a bad game is because what you're doing' and not me taking accountability for myself because I'm throwing these types of passes or doing this type of read."
Other players, like lineman Gabe Carimi, didn't think it was a big deal.
"I honestly saw it. I didn't realize how small the push was to me," Carimi said. "I didn't notice anything on the sideline. The atmosphere, I mean, it gets just blown up, really. Everything is recorded. We're all just trying to win a game, so we didn't even recognize it. I think we're going to move on, and we'll be fine."
Finally on Tuesday Cutler spoke about the incident on Chicago radio. The quarterback said he didn't regret yelling, but stated: "I probably shouldn't have bumped him, I'll go with that," according to ESPNChicago.com.
"We've talked. It's in the past. We're moving on," Cutler said. "He's our left tackle. He's my left tackle. I expect him each and every week to play at a certain level, and I think he expects himself to play that well, too."
Cutler has been criticized in the past for attitude and body language issues, including two years ago when he had to exit the NFC Championship game with a knee injury. Some fans and players criticized Cutler for not going back in and looking healthy on the sidelines. What they didn't know was that he tried to come back into the game but physically couldn't.
"As a player, you're gonna have ups and downs. You're gonna go through tough times," Cutler said. "A win cures all really in this business. There have been some tough times here in Chicago. There have been some great times."
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