Bears wideout Johnny Knox wants you to know that his quarterback, the much-maligned Jay Cutler, lacks neither toughness nor heart.
"From what I've seen, since I've played with him, Jay's one of the toughest players on this team," Knox told KLSD-AM in San Diego this week132147514218096.mp3?CPROG=PCAST&MARKET=SANDIEGO-CA&NGFORMAT=&SITEID=5629&STATIONID=KLSD-AM&PCASTAUTHOR=XTRASports1360&PCASTCAT=Sports/Radio&PCASTTITLE=WorldofSports_On-Demand). "He takes ... the most hits. When I say that, I'm not taking nothing away from the O-line, but he takes hits and gets back up and is still making plays. As far as people questioning his heart, I believe he has one of the biggest hearts in the NFL."
Cutler was clobbered by analysts, players and fans for exiting last season's NFC Championship Game with a knee injury. Outsiders railed that Cutler should have played through the pain, but most of the unhinged clowns killing him never played a meaningful down of football in their lives. Still, the "lacks toughness" label was painted on thick and still follows Cutler.
The guy has been sacked 110 times behind Chicago's smoke-and-mirrors line in just two-plus seasons. All he's done of late is guide the Bears to four straight wins, good enough for a share of second place with Detroit in the NFC North.
"He's a great teammate," Knox said. "He takes control when he gets in the huddle. Everybody gives him their attention and we just love to have him as a teammate."
The days of labeling Cutler the second-coming of My Little Pony are over, friends. Jay and his Bears have moved on.