Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler watches the action against the Green Bay Packers from the sideline during the second half of the NFC Championship NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)Cutler's knee, Day 2
Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler hurt his knee in the Bears' loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. You know this.
Culter has been lit up on the talk shows and the social media networks for coming out of the game that decided which NFC team would go to the Super Bowl. You know this, too. (Sidenote: The 5-at-10 is going to start following Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew on the Twitter if he's consistently that witty. His evaluation of Cutler's injury on Twitter: "Hey the Urban Meyer rule is in effect right now... When the going gets tough........ QUIT..")
Monday, doctors determined Cutler had an MCL sprain but would not announce the degree of the sprain, which could range from ligament tears to pulls to tweaks.
The fallout - from the avalanche of criticism from non-Bears to the staunch defense of the quarterback from Bears teammates and coaches, mostly notably linebacker Brian Urlacher and head coach Lovie Smith - has been overwhelming.
It is the first time in recent memory that fellow players called out one of their own - prompting some NFL executives and coaches to question the loyalty of the players union.
The 5-at-10 always tries to judge cautiously with injuries. No one knows, really, the extent or the pain or the scenarios other than the player involved.
That said, here are two random thoughts - not judgements, mind you:
- First, unless Cutler leads a team to the Super Bowl at some point down the road, this will always be high among the notable parts of his career. If this is the deepest he leads a team in the chase of a championship, it will always be part of his career. You know how those go, "Cutler was a first-round pick who played a dozen seasons and threw for more than 35,000 yards. He never played in a Super Bowl, but helped his teams to six playoff appearances and was injured in the first half of the 2010 NFC title game loss to Green Bay."
- Second, all this hand-wringing about concussions in the last year and the concerns about the effects has been with good intentions. The powers that be in football are looking at safer helmets and safer fundamentals and safer everything else. One of the hidden and seemingly unsolvable problems has been with players reporting the head injuries as they happen. It's hard to imagine that improving after watching the fallout from fellow players and talking heads about Cutler's situation.
Recruiting review
The TFP had a recruiting column in Tuesday's Sports section, and we are likely going to have some sort of recruiting story daily until signing day on Feb. 2.
Not to be outdone, the executive directors at the 5-at-10 wanted more recruiting, so here you go.
Today's column was on the tentative nature of verbal commitments and rankings, but you know this already. The biggest thing being that rankings are difficult to surmise on signing day.
So let's rewind and look at the top five class according to Rivals.com from last year and see how they fared:
1. USC - Receiver Robert Woods made an immediate contribution, but top-ranked prospect Seantrel Henderson left after the NCAA sanctions were announced.
2. Florida - Led by defensive end Ronald Powell, this is one of the best defensive line classes in recent memory. Plus safety Matt Elam and quarterback Trey Burton were instant contributors.
3. Texas - Jackson Jeffcoat, Jordan Hicks and a number of defensive players saw action, but was that more a product of the 5-7 struggles for Texas or because of their production?
4. Auburn - Wow. Running back Michael Dyer set a school freshman rushing record by topping 1,000 yards and was the offensive MVP of the BCS title game. Defensive linemen Corey Lemonier, Kenneth Carter and Jeff Whitaker each saw meaningful minutes. Craig Sanders became one of the team's best special teams player. Junior college transfer Brandon Mosley became a starter at right tackle, and another junior college transfer - Heisman Trophy-winner Cam Newton - also had some success.
5. Alabama - DeMarcus Milliner played a lot as a freshman and is going to be a star at cornerback. The Tide's class would have looked a lot better if not for the 11th-hour defection of Keenan Allen, who was a freshman All-American at Cal last fall.
Reshuffled after year 1 of the 2010 signing classes, the order is probably Auburn, Florida, USC, Alabama and Texas. But that's after one year, and it could easily change after another season.
Swiperboy, really?
There is always drama surrounding the University of Tennessee men's basketball. It's like Muzak in the elevator, whether you notice it or not, it's there and more times than not it's not good.
Anyhoo, the most recent development was the school looking into reserve forward Renaldo Woolridge's possible secondary violation of using a Knoxville nightclub for a music video. Yes, you read that right, let's just move on.
Woolridge, who apparently fancies himself as a budding music star, was just scouting the spot and received no extra or improper benefit according to the UT athletic department.
It's always something, right?
This time it's a reserve basketball player that prefers to be called Swiperboy and says he's about hip-hop not rap. Here's an idea Renaldo, why not make a push to prefer to be called a starter and say you're about defense and rebounding?
Basketball primer
The 5-at-10 feels obligated to you, dear reader, and we are going to make every effort to offer helpful tips as we speed toward the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Believe it or not, we're less than 60 days from selection Sunday, so we must move quickly.
There are two games tonight to keep an eye on.
First, Purdue at Ohio State (9 p.m., ESPN) is a matchup of two teams with real Final Four aspirations. Watch and see which you like better.
Second, Auburn at Arkansas (7 p.m., ESPNU) is worth a look to see what two teams with zero Final Four aspirations look like. In fact, if you see any team that resembles either the Tigers or the Razorbacks, eliminate them from your master NCAA pool sheet. Now. In fact, any team that has lost to the Tigers or the Razorbacks must also be eliminated.
All-Pro team
Did you notice that the NFL All-Pro team had three former UT Vols? And Peyton Manning was not among them?
Wow, congrats to Dallas tight end Jason Witten, Texas running back Arian Foster and New England linebacker Jerod Mayo, each for Vols recruited by former UT coach Phillip Fulmer.
The 5-at-10 couldn't help it so here's the breakdown by college program:
Tennessee 3 - Witten, Foster, Mayo
Miami 3 - Reggie Wayne, Devin Hester, Ed Reed
Michigan 2 - Tom Brady, Jake Long
USC 2 - Troy Polamalu, Clay Matthews
Then one each from Texas (Jamaal Charles), East Carolina (Vonta Leach), UAB (Roddy White), Wisconsin (Joe Thomas), Bloomsburg (Jahri Evans), Fresno State (Logan Mankins), Ohio State (Nick Mangold, Drake (Billy Cundiff), North Carolina (Julius Peppers), South Carolina (John Abraham), Oregon (Haloti Ngata), Nebraska (Ndamukong Suh), Kent State (James Harrison), Ole Miss (Patrick Willis), Cal (Nnamdi Asomugha), Pittsburgh (Darrelle Revis) and Texas A&M (Shane Lechler).