Jay Cutler Could Be Lost for Season – Including Playoffs

If you’re waiting for the cavalry to come riding in on January 1st in the Metrodome if a playoff berth is on the line, you might be in for a rude awakening.  Jay Cutler spoke to the media on Wednesday for the first time since he had surgery to repair the broken thumb he suffered in the Bears’ Week 11 win over the San Diego Chargers and he didn’t paint as rosy a picture as the Bears might have you believe.

"“I’d want to play next week if they’d let me, but I don’t think that’s going to be in the cards,” Cutler said. “It could be I’m done for the season. I just have to be smart about it and realize there is a long-term picture here.”"

When you start hearing words like “long term picture” it doesn’t sound like he’s prepping for the Christmas game in Green Bay or the New Years Day regular season finale in Minnesota.  Jay wouldn’t rule it out, but when describing the limitations from three screws and two pins helping his thumb heal there are limitations.

"“It’s just a matter of if they’re not hindering me throwing, if I’m comfortable with them, if they’re not pinching,” Cutler said. “There are a lot of factors.“I’m going to lose a little of flexibility in my thumb. Dr. Viola was very cautious in where he was pinning that, and where he was putting those screws to make sure I could throw without complications. We’ll have to see week-by-week and take some X-rays and some CT scans to see if the bone’s healing like it should. I don’t want to put a real number on it because I just don’t know.”"

Lovie Smith is sticking to his guns on his previous statements about Cutler’s return.

"“A possibility?” Smith said. “Yeah. It’s a possibility. … Until someone tells me that he’s not, we’re going along like he will be able to come back. And nothing was said otherwise. Surgery went well.”"

Sorry, but I’m no longer buying Lovie’s shpiel about the injury.  The tone Cutler brought in the press conference is a lot more realistic.  Not optimistic, not pessimistic.  Realistic.  That’s a tough reality to grasp.  Now let’s hope that Cutty’s grasp of the football is back to normal for the playoffs on January 8th.  And let’s hope the Bears can get there with Caleb Hanie.