Jones-Drew on tweet about Cutler: 'I didn't do anything wrong'

People who expect Maurice Jones-Drew to apologize for his tweet criticizing Jay Cutler's toughness will be disappointed.

Jones-Drew told NFL Network's Kara Henderson in an interview that aired Tuesday he doesn't regret his January post, which caused a backlash and even incited death threats from Chicago Bears fans who backed the team's quarterback.

"I haven't gotten a chance to, but I wouldn't apologize because I didn't do anything wrong, I don't think," said Jones-Drew, the Jacksonville Jaguars' two-time Pro Bowl running back. "I didn't commit a crime. I didn't kill anyone or rape anyone or anything like that. I mean, I stated my opinion, and it seems like you get more backlash for that than committing a real crime in some sense.

"I don't know, I don't feel I did anything wrong. I just said what everybody else was thinking at the time."

What Jones-Drew tweeted during the Jan. 23 NFC Championship Game was a direct shot at Cutler, who left with a knee injury in the third quarter against the Green Bay Packers with a Super Bowl berth on the line.

"Hey I think the urban meyer rule is effect right now... When the going gets tough........QUIT," Jones-Drew posted on his Twitter page.

The nature of Cutler's injury was unknown during the game, but it later was revealed as a sprained medial collateral ligament. Even with that knowledge, Jones-Drew insists that he doesn't have any regrets.

"I don't regret anything I do," said Jones-Drew, who played through a knee injury of his own last season before missing the final two games. "I mean, you think about everything you put out there anyway. I'm not one of these guys who's going to say, 'Well, I shouldn't have done it,' because I did it. I mean, I knew what I was doing when I tweeted it. I just didn't know that many people were following me (on Twitter) at the time."

Jones-Drew might have led the way, but he wasn't the only player to criticize Cutler. Darnell Dockett of the Arizona Cardinals and Bruce Gradkowski, then of the Oakland Raiders, were some of the current and former NFL players who took shots at Cutler via Twitter.

Cutler has said he isn't bothered by what happened and appreciates how his teammates, most notably linebacker Brian Urlacher, came to his defense in the immediate aftermath of the Bears' 21-14 loss.

"That's all new," Cutler said last month when he reported to training camp. "That's never been an issue for me. I've never been questioned about it. I didn't really know how to react to it. I know that anyone who has played with knee (injuries) should never question that. I know the guys in the locker room aren't going to. You can't get caught up in that stuff. ... You're going to have to take it as it is and move on."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Report: Cutler calls off spring wedding; fiancée 'devastated'

The Chicago weather must be getting to him, because it appears Bears quarterback Jay Cutler just got some cold feet.

People.com cited a source Sunday in reporting that Cutler has called off his engagement to reality television star Kristin Cavallari after just 10 months together.

"She got dumped," a source told People. "She's absolutely devastated. She can't believe this is happening."

The couple, who were planning a spring wedding, became engaged in April, when Cutler proposed in Mexico. Cavallari had planned to move to Chicago during the upcoming football season.

A rep for Cavallari, who starred in "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills," had no comment.

Cutler led the Bears to the NFC Championship Game last season, his second with the team after three seasons in Denver. He received criticism from fans and NFL players alike when he left the NFC title game with an injury in the second half and didn't return.

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Bears' Cutler can silence doubters with standout season

I give Jay Cutler credit for using some of his considerable offseason downtime to tell his part of the troubling story from January's NFC Championship Game that won't die.

What the Bears' much-maligned quarterback seemed to want to convey the most to Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times was something his face and body language didn't after he exited with a knee injury: that he cared.

"To get to the point we were and the opportunity we had -- I'm frustrated just like everyone else," Cutler said. "I think I've been through a lot here in Chicago, and I would have loved to play."

You want to take the guy's word for it. You want to believe that, with his team on the doorstep of the Super Bowl and his terrible showing up to the point of his injury, Cutler would have liked nothing more than to get back on the field and do everything humanly possible to help the Bears win.

But the TV images of Cutler's look of disinterest and general sense of being disconnected will linger. So, too, will the flood of criticism from fans, media and many current and former players questioning his toughness for not fighting through the pain and returning to action.

Perhaps it is unfair, given that Cutler was dealing with a Grade II medial collateral ligament tear in his left knee (which, interestingly, he says he hasn't yet tested since the title game). Nevertheless, it is likely to continue to be something he won't be able to live down any time soon and nothing he can say will change that.

What Cutler does could be a different matter. Roaring back from this with a standout season while leading the Bears to a Super Bowl victory would be a good place to start.

Follow Vic Carucci on Twitter @viccarucci.

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Cutler stung by questions about his toughness, desire to play

Jay Cutler says the left knee he sprained during January's NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers has "felt fine for about six weeks," but he acknowledges the criticism he absorbed for leaving with the injury affected him.

Carucci: One way to redemption Vic Carucci credits Bears QB Jay Cutler for telling his side of the story but points out that he can silence doubters with a standout 2011 season that includes a Super Bowl victory. More....

"I was gone, and I stayed away from it all," the Bears quarterback told the Chicago Sun-Times on Thursday. "But I can't say it didn't bother me that people questioned my toughness and desire to play.

"I think I've been through a lot here in Chicago, and I would have loved to play."

The five-year NFL veteran told the newspaper that the Grade II sprain is "one of those things that heals on its own."

That Cutler left the game after one second-half series under his own power helped spark a firestorm of pundits and fans questioning his toughness. The Bears lost 21-14, allowing the NFC North rival Packers to advance to, then win, the Super Bowl.

Cutler told the Sun-Times that players who pointed fingers "can think what they want," and he said he appreciates the teammates who came to his side.

"Those are the guys you are with a lot of the time," he said, "and those guys didn't flinch. I've got to thank them for that," adding that he would be fine "as long as the guys in my locker room have my back."

Bears coach Lovie Smith sounded off last month on the persistent speculation about Cutler's injury.

"I don't think any player should have to go through that because it wasn't warranted at all," Smith told the Sun-Times at the NFL Annual Meeting in New Orleans. "He was injured; he couldn't play. It's an insult for us to answer the questions on whether he's tough."

Smith pointed to the NFL-high 52 sacks Cutler absorbed and that the quarterback tried to return to the game after halftime.

Cutler also said Thursday that Bears players were keeping in touch, but "not in a huge rush" to gather for workouts. If the NFL lockout continues into May, "we’re definitely going to have to make something happen," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Report: Cutler took painkiller shot at halftime of NFC title game

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was criticized when he appeared unwilling to play after suffering a knee injury in an NFC Championship Game loss to the Green Bay Packers.

But a source close to the situation told the Chicago Sun-Times on Wednesday that Cutler received a painkiller shot at halftime in an effort to finish the Jan. 23 game.

Cutler injured his left knee during the first half and left for good after the first series of the third quarter. He was replaced by Todd Collins, who was later supplanted by Caleb Hanie in the Bears' 21-14 loss.

In the locker room at halftime, the Bears planned to play the remainder of the game without Cutler, according to the source, but he insisted on trying the painkiller and playing in the second half.

After Collins entered the game, Cutler's toughness was questioned by players around the league, while his teammates spent the days after the loss defending their quarterback.

An MRI revealed that Cutler suffered a Grade II tear of his medial collateral ligament.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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NFL fines Lions rookie Suh $15K for penalized hit on Cutler

The NFL fined Detroit Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh $15,000 for a Sunday hit on Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler that drew an unnecessary-roughness penalty, although a closer examination of the videotape suggests the wrong call was made, NFL Competition Committee co-chairman Rich McKay acknowledged.

Suh, who said Wednesday that he plans to appeal the fine, was penalized during the fourth quarter of the Lions' 24-20 loss to the Bears when he sent Cutler to the ground with a hard, two-handed shove to the upper back after the quarterback ran for 8 yards. Referee Ed Hochuli called the play "an unnecessary non-football act," ruling that Suh delivered an illegal forearm.

Lions coach Jim Schwartz disagreed with the call and said Wednesday he couldn't think of anything his rookie lineman should have done differently when knocking down Cutler.

"I don't know what to tell him right there," Schwartz said. "The quarterback wasn't going down. He was a runner. He was trying to score a touchdown."

McKay, appearing Wednesday on "NFL Total Access" on NFL Network, agreed with Schwartz without explicitly saying the call was wrong.

"At full speed," said McKay, also the Atlanta Falcons' president, "you can see where (Hochuli) saw at least what he saw. ... The hard thing about this one is the defensive player in playing the game at full speed, trying to make a play, and then that ends up with that result. ...

"Player safety is always going to be at the forefront (for) these officials. I'm not one that's going to sit here and say right call or wrong call -- that's probably not appropriate for me to say. I'm sitting here saying that there are rules that come real close to what happened in this instance. And what Ed Hochuli saw and what he called ... he thought he saw it, and he called it that way. I know Detroit can't be very happy with the call."

Suh didn't confirm the amount of the fine, but a person with knowledge of the fine, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the league hadn't announced it yet, confirmed it was $15,000.

Suh was fined $7,500 for a face-mask takedown of Cleveland Browns quarterback Jake Delhomme during preseason.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Cutler tosses four TDs to lead Bears over Eagles

CHICAGO -- Jay Cutler tied a career high with four touchdown passes and the Chicago Bears beat Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles 31-26 to take sole possession of the NFC North lead on Sunday.

The win was their fourth straight and it put them a game ahead of Green Bay in the division. It also came against one of the top teams in the NFC.

The Eagles (7-4) had won three straight, but were unable to break off big plays against one of the league's stingiest defenses and fell into a tie with the New York Giants for the NFC East lead.

Vick threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns. But he also threw his first interception in four years when he got picked off by Chris Harris in the end zone late in the first half, stopping a potential go-ahead scoring drive.

Julius Peppers had a sack for Chicago (8-3) after collecting three the previous week, and the Bears got that signature win after beating struggling teams like Buffalo, Minnesota and the injury-ravaged Dolphins.

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Bears QB Cutler expected to start Sunday vs. Seahawks

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was cleared to fully participate in practice and is scheduled to start this weekend, a league source told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora on Tuesday.

Cutler's status has been the dominant topic surrounding the Bears ever since his nine-sack first half during a loss to the New York Giants two weeks ago left him with a concussion. Barring any unforeseen setbacks, Cutler will practice Wednesday and return to the lineup for Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Cutler sat out last Sunday's 23-6 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Backup Todd Collins struggled mightily in that game, completed just 6 of 16 passes for 32 yards with four interceptions.

Bears coach Lovie Smith said Monday that he hoped Cutler could play in the next game, but he quickly tried to have reporters change their line of questioning.

"I'm not going to talk about Jay anymore," Smith said. "There's nothing else for me to tell you about Jay. He's doing better. Wednesday, we'll be able to tell you a little bit more."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Docs cautious on concussed Bears QB Cutler, who'll sit Sunday

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Jay Cutler was in helmet and pads at practice, but don't expect to see him on the field when the Chicago Bears visit Carolina on Sunday.

The quarterback will sit out the game against the Panthers with a concussion -- the result of being sacked nine times in the first half of last week's loss to the New York Giants.

"He's making progress," coach Lovie Smith said Thursday. "All we know right now is he's not playing this week. Hopefully, he'll be ready to go next week."

Cutler is among several players who have had to sit out at least one game with a concussion, including fellow quarterbacks Kevin Kolb and Matt Moore.

Cutler was examined by team and independent doctors after practicing on a limited basis Wednesday, and the decision was made to have him sit this week.

He went through another limited practice Thursday and declined comment afterward. He is also expected to practice again Friday and have his status re-evaluated next week.

Veteran Todd Collins, who took over to start the second half against the Giants and left with a stinger, will make his first start in three years.

"I'm pretty comfortable," Collins said. "The best way to provide leadership, I think, is to go out there and perform well. That's the job as the quarterback, to move the ball and score points. That's what I'm going to try to do to help lead the team."

Collins said Smith told him late Thursday morning that he would be starting, news that he was expecting.

"Jay went down with a concussion, and usually with concussions, they want you to come back fully ready before you get on the field again," he said.

This will be the first time Cutler has missed a start due to injury. He had made 57 in a row since Denver turned to him as a rookie in 2006, but he'll be watching this week after a brutal performance against the Giants that wiped out much of the good will created by a 3-0 start.

"I'm not going to sit here and say it doesn't hurt," receiver Devin Hester said. "It does hurt."

Smith said the Bears started noticing symptoms after the second-to-last play of the second quarter, when Cutler's head banged the turf while being taken down by Aaron Ross on the Giants' ninth sack.

Cutler, though, started taking a beating as soon as he stepped on the field. There was one sack early in the second quarter when Osi Umenyiora ran past tight end Greg Olsen and nailed Cutler from behind, the ball popping out and into the arms of center Olin Kreutz.

Cutler got up and took a few steps toward the wrong sideline before correcting himself.

Soon after, he had what appeared to be a dazed look when the TV cameras showed him sitting on the sideline, and his decision-making was questionable at best. Cutler held onto the ball too long at times and didn't see open receivers, and he wound up taking hit after hit.

It didn't help that the Giants also had a clear path to the quarterback.

"Everybody's just counting us out," right guard Lance Louis said. "It seems like we're the only ones that believe in us."

If he's worried about taking a beating, Collins wouldn't say.

"If you're thinking about the protection and the offensive line, you know I've got better things to worry about than that because you simply can't control it," he said. "You've got to let those guys do their job and I'm going to try to do mine and get the ball to the playmakers."

The 38-year-old Collins has endured long stretches with little activity since he entered the league with Buffalo in 1995. He has barely played since he helped Washington win its final four games in 2007.

He took over for the injured Jason Campbell in a game against Chicago and threw for two touchdowns after going three years without attempting a pass in a 24-16 victory. That came only 1 1/2 weeks after the shooting death of safety Sean Taylor and three days after his burial.

The Redskins closed out that season by winning the next three games with Collins, but he did not take a snap in 2008 and made just three appearances as a backup in 2009. He was released last March and signed a one-year contract with the Bears in late August.

"I've been around for awhile," Collins said. "It's a team game, but I look forward to going out there and doing my part, contribute to a victory."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Cutler practices while Bears try to solve protection issues

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was hitting receivers in stride, and for once, no defenders were near him. Of course, it was only a practice drill.

Cutler was back at it on a limited basis Wednesday, three days after a brutal 17-3 loss to the New York Giants in which he was sacked nine times in the first half and left with a concussion.

For that, Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz took the blame.

"I just tried to do way too much in a short week with these guys," he said. "Whatever went wrong in that game was my responsibility."

Cutler's status for this weekend's game at Carolina was unclear. NFL guidelines say Cutler should receive clearance from an "independent neurological consultant" before playing again.

Martz said Cutler had "a meeting" after practice, presumably with a doctor, although he didn't specify. Bears coach Lovie Smith said Cutler would meet with an independent doctor, but he wouldn't say when.

Martz said Todd Collins, who left Sunday's game with a stinger, would start against the Panthers if Cutler isn't available.

Cutler didn't address the media as he usually does before practices Wednesday. That was pushed back at least until Thursday, but seeing Cutler in uniform and hitting receivers had to be encouraging for a Chicago team that saw much of the goodwill created by a 3-0 start squashed by an avalanche of sacks.

Besides leaving Cutler woozy, that barrage also placed Martz under the microscope and renewed the debate whether the personnel fits his system.

Martz's system is heavy at times on seven-step drops, an approach that welcomes pressure and can result in a beating for quarterbacks even on a team with a decent offensive line. Considering Chicago's blockers have struggled in recent years, that was one reason Martz's hiring raised some eyebrows during the offseason.

Martz's teams ranked among the top six in sacks allowed in each of his previous seven seasons as a head coach and coordinator. Yet the Bears hoped the rewards would outweigh the risks after watching Cutler be sacked 35 times while throwing a league-leading 26 interceptions last season.

Things were mostly clicking through the first three games, although there were issues in protection and the run game. Now the Bears lead the league with 18 sacks after that performance against the Giants.

Does the system need to be adjusted?

"You're talking to the wrong guy," said Martz, who added the seven-step drops are a small part of the offense. "I think we all believe in the system. Like I said, it's not what we're doing, it's just how well we're doing it. And it's new to everybody. And we've got guys who are learning how to just play, on top of it, in a highly competitive situation. We've just got to grind through it. If we're doing something we don't believe in or are suspicious about, certainly we wouldn't do it."

Martz said he's not worried about confidence after a game like that, adding, "You start worrying about confidence, you have the wrong guys. And we don't have the wrong guys. We do not have that. I promise you we don't. It's a coaching issue, period."

The Giants didn't blitz that much Sunday. They often had a clear path to the quarterback, and as the first half wore on, the Bears tried to protect Cutler with seven or eight blockers.

Not that it made much of a difference.

"It was mental, man," center Olin Kreutz said. "There was a little bit of everything really, but most of them were those guys just beating us. That's not acceptable really. We've got to go back to work, and hopefully, we can rectify it this week in Carolina."

Cutler didn't help himself, either, by hanging onto the ball and at times not seeing open receivers, although he might have been dazed even if Smith said the Bears didn't notice any symptoms until after the ninth sack.

That came on the second-to-last play of the half, when Cutler's head banged the turf while being taken down by Aaron Ross. Cutler had absorbed more than his share of hits by then.

There was a big one early in the second quarter, when Osi Umenyiora ran through tight end Greg Olsen and blasted Cutler from behind, the ball popping out and into the arms of Kreutz. Cutler got up and took a few steps toward the wrong sideline.

"They beat us time after time, and we've got to get in front of guys and get them blocked," Kreutz said.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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After nine first-half sacks, Cutler exits with concussion

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has been knocked out of Sunday night's game against the New York Giants.

Cutler was sacked nine times in the first half and took several hard hits, two which caused fumbles.

Veteran Todd Collins started the second half for the Bears.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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