My opinion on the Jay Cutler situation from the NFC Championship Game is not important. To be brutally honest, neither is yours.

You think he quit on his teammates when he came out of Chicago's loss to Green Bay with a knee injury, that's fine. I think he could have been tougher and tried to play, especially if had enough energy to ride a stationary bike, but that is the competitor in me whose athletic prowess is restricted to Texas hold 'em and Putt Putt. What do I know about the pain threshold of NFL players? And again, what do all these non-player experts on radio and TV know either?

I would tend to give more credibility to past and present players who question Cutler's heart and demeanor after coming out of the biggest game of his career.

On Monday, it was confirmed through an MRI that Cutler sprained his MCL.

Of course he did.

I'm not trying to question the integrity of the Bears medical staff, but let me just forward this theory. No matter how that MRI came out, it was going to be reported that Cutler was injured. Seriously injured. Could you imagine if ESPN had announced this on the bottom scroll: BREAKING NEWS ... Cutler's knee is fine. No damage. Could have played. Further X-rays showed lack of other organs.

I have never sprained an MCL, but I'll bet there are fans who wish he had tore something. Anything. If he was going to allow Todd Collins and some guy named Hanie play in his absence, darn it, rip something in half!

All I know is that the doctors in this case prevented some crazy reaction in the Windy City. If it ever gets leaked that Cutler did quit and could have played, there will be more than jerseys being burned in Chicago.

That toddlin' town would go Cutler Crazy, and rightfully so.

Kudos to the MCL sprain. A QB has never needed that kind of medical report more in the history of the NFL than Chicago's signal caller did in the wake of a true mess.

- Bill Tilton