How do you define toughness in the NFL?
Is it being a big hitter? Is it being able to play every week? Is it being able to tolerate pain and play through it?
There's no easy way to define toughness, but it you want to try and get an idea of exactly what it is, you should take a look back at Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler's performance from Sunday.
Cutler has been called a lot of things, much of it not nice, but for all the people who have Cutler on a continual loop of negativity, tough is one word that even they can't say doesn't fit.
Cutler has taken a beating at times in his career, but playing two weeks after he suffered a bad hamstring injury shows that not only is he tough, but he loves to play the game a lot more than many think. The initial prognosis was that he would miss two to five weeks, but he insisted on playing against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, and actually wanted to play last week in Seattle.
Cutler not only played against the Raiders, but he played well and his late-game drive to a Robbie Gould field goal gave the Bears a 22-20 victory, their first of the season. Cutler was 28 of 43 for 281 yards and two touchdowns, again playing without top receiver Alshon Jeffery.
The often-wrong narrative that Cutler isn't tough, which took on a life of its own when he was knocked out of the 2010 NFC Championship Game loss to the Packers with a knee injury, should cease to exist. Cutler was hurt much worse than he let on that day, and the team let him twist in the wind without revealing the severity of it.
Against the Raiders, Cutler played behind a line that was without left tackle Jermon Bushrod and lost center Will Montgomery during the game. The staff did the wise thing and had him play out of the shotgun because of his injury.
Cutler still makes mistakes, and made one when he threw a fourth-quarter pick in the end zone, and he will still try and fit passes into spots that they don't belong. But anybody who doesn't think he loves to play is nuts.
He practiced all of last week, but went into the Raiders game with a bit of an uncertainty -- even though he fought to play the week before. Playing the way he did against the Raiders opened a lot of eyes around the Bears' facility, cementing him as a staff favorite, despite what you might have read elsewhere.
Coach John Fox said he was "a tough son of a buck." Others in the organization marveled at how he played through the pain -- and flourished.
It was Cutler's team Sunday, which might sound strange to a lot of Bears fans and observers. That's the type of performance that could perhaps make some warm to him. Not likely, but you never know.
Cutler had his pass picked off by Charles Woodson in the end zone in the fourth quarter, and you could hear the critics wind up the Rip Cutler Doll: Cutler being Cutler, so typical.
After the Raiders went ahead 20-19 with just over two minutes left, Cutler took the Bears from his 20 to the Oakland 32 to set up the winning field goal. He converted on fourth-and-5 from the Bears 25 when he hit Martellus Bennett for 7 yards. He was 5 for 8 for 41 yards on the winning drive.
The Bears were lifeless on offense last week against Seattle, getting shut out with Jimmy Clausen. That might have taught some Bears fans how important Cutler is to that team.
Even those who don't like him would have a hard time saying this is a passer who won't play through pain.
Toughness. Jay Cutler has it, and he showed his new staff how much he had against the Raiders on Sunday.
After the game, Bennett was asked about Cutler being criticized too much. He compared him to Jesus.
"They threw rocks at Jesus, and Jesus was an excellent guy who did a lot of awesome stuff," Bennett said. Of course someone said Jesus didn't throw picks.
Cutler can't win. But at least he showed Sunday just how much he cared.
More Musings from Week 4:
 |
Atlanta Falcons |
| The Atlanta offensive line continues to be one of the most-improved units in the league. They opened gaping holes in the Texans defense as the Falcons blew out Houston. The line, a sore spot in Atlanta for years, has really taken big steps forward. If it plays like it has the past two weeks, Atlanta could be a dangerous team all the way to the playoffs. At 4-0, the Falcons are heading in that direction. | |
 |
Buffalo Bills |
| The Bills are taking on the personality of their coach: Up and down and pushing the edge. The Bills were penalized 17 times against the Giants. That's way too many. That's the second successive home game where the Bills have been flagged a bunch. They lost both. Rex Ryan is an up-and-down coach, and his team is the same way. They need to be more consistent. ... Just when I thought Tyrod Taylor was the answer at quarterback, he came out and was awful against the Giants. He just never seemed to get it going. Facts are facts: He's limited as a passer. They have to scheme up ways for him to be an effective passer, which didn't happen against the Giants. Taylor is still learning. That will show up. | |
 |
Carolina Panthers |
| Panthers corner Josh Norman had a second pick-six in four weeks, making him a real candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. Norman is in a contract year, and he's making the most of it. Cha-ching. | |
 |
Cleveland Browns |
| There is no excuse for a player jumping offside on a field-goal attempt, which is what happened to end the Cleveland-San Diego game, giving the Chargers a second chance. After Josh Lambo missed a 39-yard field goal, he got a second chance when Tramon Williams was offside. He nailed the 34-yard attempt to give San Diego a 30-27 victory. That's a coaching mistake. That's on the staff. The last words should always been don't jump the snap. Bad break for the Browns. | |
 |
Indianapolis Colts |
| The Colts have now won 15 consecutive games against division foes, which ties a league record. They won this one without Andrew Luck to take over first place heading to a division game Thursday night in against the Texans. Luck is expected to play in that game. | |
 |
Jacksonville Jaguars |
| When the Jaguars got rid of kicker Josh Scobee for a sixth-round pick in a preseason trade, the unknown in keeping big-legged, first-year player Jason Myers was how he would handle things in pressure situations. They found out against the Colts. Myers missed two field goals with a chance to give Jacksonville a victory, one at the end of regulation and another in overtime. The one in regulation was from 53 yards out, so that's somewhat excusable. But the kick in overtime was from 48 yards. He has to make that one. Scobee missed four kicks in four games for the Steelers, which led to him being cut. I can't imagine he would be back, but you never know. | |
 |
New England Patriots |
| The Patriots have used nine different line combinations this season, and that's not counting goal-line packages. The rotation of linemen is odd, but it helps to have Tom Brady at quarterback. Plus, the Patriots are so young inside with three rookies in the middle of their line. It might actually help keep them fresh. It's something to keep an eye on moving forward. The Patriots rotated guys some early last season, but they settled on a group as they made their Super Bowl run. I expect that to happen again soon. It will help when center Bryan Stork gets back from injury. | |
 |
New York Giants |
| Give credit to the Giants for their road victory over the Bills. They were big dogs, but found a way to handle the Bills defense and limited Tyrod Taylor to almost nothing until late in the game. I always say coach Tom Coughlin does his best work when his team isn't expected to win. They weren't at their best against the Bills, but found a way. They have to be considered a real factor in the NFC East now. | |
 |
New York Jets |
| Jets running back Chris Ivory runs like he wants to hurt people. He ran for 166 yards against the Dolphins and every run seemed violent. That's his style, but it makes one wonder if he can last. You can run around people at times. | |
 |
Philadelphia Eagles |
| The heat is on Eagles coach Chip Kelly. There, I said it. Most will say that's not the case, but it should be. His team is 1-3 and this is his handpicked group of players, his guys. For all those who said Kelly would revolutionize the game, think again. He has had some success, but he still hasn't won a playoff game, his offense isn't close to being complicated, and his team better turn it around or he won't even make the playoffs this season. Now comes word that running back DeMarco Murray isn't happy with his role. Why did Kelly pay Murray all that money if he's not going to use him? He had eight carries in the loss to the Redskins on Sunday. It's never wise to pay big bucks to a back on a second deal, and this looks like another example of that. What do I know? Kelly is the great innovator. He's the guy who's going to change the game. Then again, I have as many NFL playoff victories as Kelly does. | |
 |
St. Louis Rams |
| I am not a big believer in picking running backs in the top 10, but Todd Gurley looks like the real deal. He had 146 yards on 19 carries against the Cardinals, and looked like a future star. Gurley ran hard and had the speed to bounce it. St. Louis upset the Cardinals in large part because Gurley ran it down their throats in the second half. Smart kid, too. He made sure to stay inbounds late in the game after two long runs. | |
 |
Washington Redskins |
| When quarterbacks play bad, I rip. That's why I have to give props to two guys I've ripped here, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins and Browns quarterback Josh McCown. Cousins led the Redskins to a victory over the Eagles by completing 31 of 46 passes for 290 yards and a winning score with 26 seconds left. McCown didn't lead the Browns to a victory over the Chargers, but he did his best. He threw for 368 yards and two scores. He became the first Browns quarterback to throw for 300 yards in consecutive games since Otto Graham. | |
