By this point, everyone has seen the vicious hit Bears quarterback Jay Cutler sustained last week from Lions defensive tackle Ndamakung Suh. Fortunately, Cutler only suffered bruised ribs from the hit and avoided what could have a significant shoulder injury. He toughed it out and finished the game against the Lions, but the injury left him feeling uncomfortable during the duration of the game.
There hasn't really been any clarification on what Cutlers injury entails other than bruised ribs. Cutler has expressed being sore all week, but has been able to practice. In my experience, bruised ribs can be nagging, linger, and take a long time to heal if damage to rib cartilage is involved. Just about every breath you take is an uncomfortable reminder of the problem, and most defenders will try to hit you in the rib strike zone, which is below the neck and above the waist just due to the rules of the game.
It will be imperative for Cutler, when facing the Carolina Panthers, not to take any unnecessary hits. Bears fans should look to see if most hits to Cutler are focused to the midsection area. Panthers players know where Cutler is hurting. Put the New Orleans Saints Bounty nonsense aside, but it is only realistic to expect Cutlers ribs will be targeted from a rules standpoint alone It is the area of the body most quarterbacks take hits within the pocket and is also why bruised ribs take a long time to heal because those hits keep aggravating an already sore injury. Every time I thought I was healed, I would get tagged inflaming the area again and the healing process had to start over.
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Running out of bounds, sliding, and throwing the ball away all need to be utilized by Cutler starting against the Panthers. Cutler, the organization, and Bears fans know all too well what life can be like without their starting quarterback on the field from last season.