Jay Cutler acknowledges that he was blindsided by the fierce criticism that washed over him during January's NFC Championship Game, but he isn't expecting anybody to apologize.
The veteran quarterback is moving on, hoping to erase speculation about his toughness and ability to lead the Bears.
"Yeah, I mean, it was like wildfire," Cutler told WSCR-AM this week. "Like I said -- the whole Twitter thing -- as soon as you put something out there, it's an immediate impact. I was a little bit taken back by the whole question of the toughness and stuff, but at the end of the day, those guys in the locker room know what I am about and they have my back."
Several NFL players criticized Cutler -- many through social media -- for exiting the Bears' playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers after suffering what was later determined to be a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew was one of those players who called out Cutler, tweeting, "Hey I think the urban meyer rule is effect right now... When the going gets tough........QUIT."
Jones-Drew told NFL Network's Kara Henderson this week that he has no intention of mending fences with Cutler.
"I don't know, I don't feel I did anything wrong," Jones-Drew said. "I just said what everybody else was thinking at the time."
When asked about Jones-Drew, Cutler didn't sound interested in advancing the narrative any further.
"Jones-Drew ... I mean, I didn't ask him for an apology and don't expect one. He can continue playing his career and I'll continue playing mine."
