Jay Cutler ‘Highly Unlikely’ For Packers Game, But Early Return Is ‘The Goal’
Speaking to the media for the first time since injuring his groin, Jay Cutler hopes to be back sooner than expected.
Originally expected to miss at least four weeks, Cutler let the football world know that the October 20 injury won’t keep him down for long. It’s also not going to hold him back.
“Whenever they give me the green light, we’re going to go in there rocking and we can’t look back,” Jay Cutler said. “So whenever that happens, you’ll see me out there.”
While Bears coach Marc Trestman wouldn’t rule out Cutler for their game against Green Bay on Monday Night Football, he did say Cutler’s return for the Packers game is “highly unlikely.”
Jay Cutler was injured early in the second quarter of the Bears game against the Washington Redskins when sacked by nose tackle Chirs Baker. Backup QB Josh McCown finished the game in Cutler’s place; McCown completed 14 of 20 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
If Cutler does not play against Green Bay, his next opportunity to return would come in Chicago’s rematch with the Detroit Lions, to whom Jay and the Bears lost 40-32 in Week 4. After all, teammate Brandon Marshall has already predicted Jay Cutler will return against Detroit.
“Brandon is a teammate, and he’s optimistic that his teammate will be back,” said Trestman. “He’s not the doctor.”
Cutler will certainly want to avenge that earlier loss, but returning at less than 100 percent won’t his team. And Jay Cutler has already said he won’t take a more cautious approach to playing, with his contract up at the end of the season.
“I’m not going to,” Cutler said. “Each game is valuable, especially second half of the season. So the sooner I can get back, the better I’m going to feel helping these guys out.”
If the original four-week prognosis stands, based on what doctors have said is typical for Cutler’s injury, the Bears won’t have him back until the November 24 game against the St. Louis Rams.
Can the Bears succeed without Jay Cutler? How do you think Josh McCown is doing in Jay Cutler’s place?
