North of Tony Romo, few active quarterbacks have been targeted by critics with as much verve as Jay Cutler of the Chicago Bears.
Cutler was harassed for exiting last season's NFC Championship Game with a knee injury some felt he should have played on. His toughness was questioned -- although not by his teammates. Others call him cranky and removed.
White noise aside, Bears general manager Jerry Angelo doesn't regret the 2009 trade with the Denver Broncos that brought Cutler to Chicago.
"I would do it all over again," Angelo told ESPN before Monday night's loss to the Lions. "You cannot play in this league without a quarterback. Where do you find these guys? When you make a decision, you want it based on soundness. The decision was sound.
"Jay's got to continue to improve. But everything we need in a quarterback Jay has. It's about him coming together. He needs help."
Help along the offensive line, perhaps?Â
After being sacked 11 times with the Broncos in 2008, Cutler found himself in a tsunami behind Chicago's makeshift front, taken down 35 times in 2009 and a league-leading 52 times last season. People question Cutler's toughness, but he's been brutalized as much as any passer in the league since joining the Bears.Â
And while Angelo would take Cutler back, would this quarterback agree to relive the punishment?
