Just Cut(ler) it out. He isn't THAT bad...

Have any of you noticed how there seems to be some real hate for a young fellow named Jay Cutler?  You might have heard of him.  He’s the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears.  No, not him.   Not him either.  I know it’s hard to keep track of all the Bears quarterbacks since there have been 42 of them since Brett Favre started his first game.  However, I am referring to the most recent guy.  Yep, the one with the pouty face.  NOW you know who I am talking about.  This guy.

He doesn’t look too happy in this picture, does he?   I wonder why that is.  It is probably because his blood sugar was low or something like that.  Now, I don’t exactly understand the disdain people have for Cutler.  I’ve never really picked up on a blatant reason to hate the guy.  Sure he throws an interception or two, but so did the guy us Packers fans followed for 16 years.  We got over it.  Poor Cutler might just need to hang in there for a while.  Maybe if he wins some games, he’ll win some people over.

And it isn’t even just Packers fans who hate on the guy.  The people of Denver were happy to see him traded to the Bears.  News outlets in Wisconsin were quoting Bears fans wishing they had Rodgers as their guy.  Hell, the internet is littered with all kinds of memes making fun of the poor dude.  It apparently is really easy to do so.  If I had photoshop skills, I might get in on this.  Instead, I’ll just let a bunch of other people do it for me.

I found some real winners in the Facebook event named “National F**k the Bears Week!”.  The site is littered with them.   So, with that, let me share the ones that really warmed my cold heart a bit.

This one is probably my favorite since I especially loved “Inception”.  Incredibly creative.

This one is great because it plays on the LOLZ Cats memes and shows some pouting.

I love a good motivational poster mock up.  

This one brings up something I never noticed about Jay Cutler, but gosh damn, they are right!

This one is just plain offensive.  I don’t agree with it whatsoever.  I am curious if it is a photo shop job or a legit jersey someone runs around wearing on game day.  I doubt it’s a Packers fan wearing this shit.  They wouldn’t waste their money on a Bears jersey.  This has to be a disgruntled Bears fan.  Come on, people, it isn’t so bad for you.  Your team made it to a Super Bowl with Sexy Rexy.

This one isn’t even a mock up.  Someone just found an embarrassing photo.   Simplicity is sometimes the most effective.

Some of the photo skills are a little rough, but they make up for it with a good joke.

This one is just plain clever.

Now as I said, I don’t get the Cutler hate.  Other than his supposed poutiness, he isn’t that bad of a quarterback.  He’ll probably even start more than two consecutive seasons for the Bears.  That would be a feat.   However, I am not naive.   I know that a few solid seasons won’t save Jay Cutler from ridicule from the Packers nation.  We make a pass time out of knocking on the Bears’ quarterback.  We’ve been doing it since Jim McMahon was there.  In actuality, longevity at the QB position makes you fodder for Packers fans.  Just ask Jim Harbaugh, Erik Kramer, and Rex Grossman.

Grossman was actually fun to make fun of.  His erractic game play essentially spoke for itself, so the jokes he endured weren’t as funny as his numbers.  Speaking of numbers, let’s go over the astounding number from before:  42.   That is the number of starting quarterbacks the Bears have had since the beginning of the modern Packers era (we’ll call it that from now on rather than pointing out that it is when Favre started his first game).  For shits and giggles, lets look at the list of field generals from the past 19 years (Source:  http://www.bearshistory.com/)

1992: Jim Harbaugh, Peter Tom Willis, Will Furrer
1993: Harbaugh, Willis
1994: Erik Kramer, Steve Walsh
1995: Kramer 1996: Kramer, Dave Kreig
1997: Kramer, Rick Mirer
1998: Kramer, Steve Stenstrom, Moses Moreno
1999: Shane Matthews, Cade McNown, Jim Miller
2000: McNown, Matthews, Miller
2001: Miller, Matthews
2002: Miller, Chris Chandler, Henry Burris
2003: Kordell Stewart, Chandler, Rex Grossman
2004: Grossman, Jonathan Quinn, Craig Krenzel, Chad Hutchinson
2005: Kyle Orton, Grossman
2006: Grossman
2007: Grossman, Brian Griese, Orton
2008: Orton, Grossman

2009: Jay Cutler

2010: Cutler, Todd Collins

And yes, I do realize that they are counting guys being shuffled around as an additional start.   Either way, that shit ain’t good.  They probably should have kept Orton.  People didn’t seem to hate him that much.  Hell, they seemed to respect the man’s neck beard.

Maybe that isn’t the best picture of the guy, but I still respect the neck beard.  It takes a big man to pull it off.  In all fairness, Orton had a decent season on a really bad team.  Over 3,600 yards, 20 TDs, and only 9 INTs.  Those numbers are enough to win for a quarterback.   They were just as good, if not better than Cutler (3,274 yards, 26 TDs, 16 INTs).  Kyle Orton still got the good end of that trade.  Even if he is getting pushed out of his job so that the Chosen One can start.  He’ll find a new home and still won’t have to face the ridicule that Cutler will face if he doesn’t win on Sunday.

Now, as I said, I don’t totally get the hate on Jay Cutler.  He is much better than some of the riff raff on that list a few paragraphs back.  Shane Matthews anyone?  Jim Miller?  Chad Hutchinson?   Bears fans should be glad that the guy stays healthy.  Granted he may be inconsistent, I would still take him over most of those other guys.  I respect the fact that he even made it to the NFL when he hadn’t ever played in a bowl game during his time at Vanderbilt.  Hell, this is the first year he has been in the postseason since high school.  The man has something going for him if he is now starting in the NFC Championship game.

Some of the hate is probably jealousy because Cutler is banging Kristin Cavallari from that show I don’t know the name of and would never watch.  That has to count for something, right?  Maybe he has emo hair, but at least he trims it, unlike Mr. Brady in New England.  In fact, he isn’t even the least likable quarterback left in the playoffs.  When has Jay Cutler forced sex on a woman in a bathroom guarded by goons?  Probably never.  

Win or lose, Bears fans, at least your quarterback isn’t an accused rapist.  And that is something to be proud of.

There's no other way,,,

Just over three weeks ago within the walls of Lambeau Field there was a growing rumble of words becoming clearer every second.   There were a few minutes left in the game versus the Giants, but the crowd was already looking forward.  The Packer nation had spoken.

“The Bears Still Suck”

We wanted another shot at those opportunistic sons of bitches.  They stole a division title that should have been ours.  Instead a few mistakes and some ill-timed injuries practically gifted the Bears with the NFC North crown.  The essential idea was that Bears didn’t so much win the division, but the Packers just lost it.

Two weeks ago was an intense release of frustrations.  The Packers needed a win to get in and they just happened to be playing the team that stole what was rightfully theirs.   Lovie Smith had his starters playing the whole time in a game that meant nothing to his team.  However, we would soon learn why he tried everything in his power to win that game.  There is no way in hell that he wanted to play these Green Bay Packers. 

The Packers were now a different team than they were in September.   They were no longer disjointed and undisciplined.   They had overcome the rash of injuries.  This team was now a force to be reckoned with.   These Green Bay Packers were dangerous.  That game in week 17 was not meaningless for the Bears after all.  If they wanted to make it to the Super Bowl, they had to stop the Packers from being on the other side of the bracket.

Only the Packers weren’t going to have any of that nonsense.  The defense shut the Bears down while the offense scored in the clutch.  All they had to do was get in the playoffs.  Once that happened, the regular season didn’t matter.  The playoffs is where the question of “who is better” is sorted out.

This Sunday we will get our answer once and for all.   The rightful winner of the division will be crowned.  The best in the NFC will be known.  The oldest rivalry in professional football would write its most epic chapter yet.  There is no better way to settle this feud than to play in the NFC championship game.

The truth is that the Bears don’t actually suck.  They were good enough to get the job done this season.   They were good enough to get a win over the Pack.  They were good enough to earn a first round bye.   They are not to be taken lightly, but that isn’t anything I would worry about with this Packers team.

By the end of the game third quarter this week, most Packers fans were looking towards the next game.   The same reaction overcame majority of the cheese-head nation.   Sure, we would love to knock around the Seahawks, but that wasn’t going to satisfy our need to prove a point.   We wanted them one more time.  We WANTED the Bears.  We would not be satisfied if it was any other team.  I can’t think of any other way this season could become any more storied.

Bring on the history…

Bring on the rivalry…

Bring on the feud….

Bring on the Bears…. 

Is it Sunday yet?

Destiny is calling...

The expectations were high.  A city, a state, and a nation of followers all had the same goal in mind.   Reaching this pinnacle of excellence was not going to be a surprise.  It was what was meant to be.

Are they meant to achieve the ultimate goal?   Are they merely pretenders?   Were the expectations too lofty?  In less than a week, destiny will show its hand.   On the shore of Lake Michigan, there will be an epic showdown like never before seen.  The outcome has yet to be determined, but one thing is for certain:  It was meant to be.

Two men will finally shake off criticism they may never have deserved.  Validation may be 60 minutes away.

Another may be rewarded for more than a decade of devotion. 

A folk hero can write another chapter.

A field general is on the verge of finally taking his place as the proper heir to the throne.

Under the direction of a defensive virtuoso

A hungry cub will stalk his prey,

While a hungry monster waits to claim his next soul.

A snubbed warrior can send a message to the naysayers.

A season of missed opportunities and close calls can be atoned for. 

Fallen brothers will be avenged.

Disappointment will be replaced by pride.

One obstacle remains to be overcome before anything truly becomes history

A step by step process comes down to one task…

It's time to go bear hunting.