Urlacher vs. Cutler
So here in Chicago, sports radio is a-buzz with the Urlacher "dis" of current QB Rex, er, Jay Cutler.
First things first...I've been very unhappy with our starting Quarterback. And no, it's not just because he's blocking the future of this franchise, a certain Mr. Caleb Hanie, who, yeah, I still have my man-crush on. (Well have you seen him thread the needle during the pre-season - the guy hits his targets!).
I've been annoyed with Cutler's lack of accountability. And I don't care if his receivers are inexperienced and running the wrong routes. And I don't care if the O-Line is letting everything through. What I care about is a Quarterback (and a Coach) with an inability to say "we're not playing well". I've spoken about it before and I'll not belabor it.
But in another, altogether different case of a leader not being a leader, this week injured Linebacker Brian Urlacher took it on himself to make an unflattering, albeit indirect, comparison.
"Kyle Orton might not be the flashiest quarterback," said our Captain, "but the guy is a winner..."
Now really, how are we SUPPOSED to read into that, Brian? The front office made a mistake in trading Orton? Cutler is all flash and no substance? Cutler's a loser?
I mean, really - say what you will about Rex Grossman, Mr. Urlacher, but the guy was a winner. Or, perhaps more correctly, the team he played on had a tendency to win.
Think about Super Bowl champion QB Mark Rypien of the Redskins, about 20 years back. He won a Super Bowl. He was not, however, a winner.
In one of life's great ironies, winning does not make you a winner. It's a quality that is somehow separate from your actual results. And to suggest we'd be better off with Orton is short-sighted at best (and then, only if you are not actually ON the team you're talking about), and at worst, well, at worst it would be proof that you are not, in fact, a "winner".
You're frustrated. We get that. We're frustrated too. And you have the extra frustration of potentially having had the ability to fix some of it, had the injury not happened.
This doesn't help. When Tank Johnson was in trouble, you stood by him. You were a teammate. Cutler, in his own way, is in trouble. He's in a rough spot and trying to right the ship. You HAVE to support him, because there are so many like me who will not. Your team needs you.
And Kyle Orton is not on your team.
CHILI DAN
