Cutler bruised, bloodied after 4 Browns sacks

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CHICAGO – Jay Cutler was battered, bruised and bloodied, but not beaten.

Cleveland’s defense was all over the Bears’ quarterback Sunday, sacking him four times and knocking him down on several other occasions. Although it was not an aesthetically-pleasing performance by the offense, Cutler earned a degree of respect from his first-year teammates for the way he handled it.

Cutler didn’t complain or rip his linemen. He spoke of how all the Bears offensive players needed to improve after their 30-6 victory against the Browns at Soldier Field.

“[Cutler] is tough,” safety Danieal Manning said. “Down the field he makes runs and you can tell he don’t like to slide much. He wants to get that extra yard and that’s something big. You want to rally behind a quarterback like that.”

The offense might have better taken advantage of the field position the defense handed it had Cutler not been on the run almost the entire game.

“He was hit too much,” center Olin Kreutz said, “obviously we have to block better than that.”

The worst hit of the game came in the second quarter when Browns defensive end Kamerion Wimbley hit Cutler helmet-to-helmet and was flagged for roughing the passer. That play helped prolong the Bears’ first touchdown drive, but Cutler momentarily was stunned and bit his tongue, which bled for a good portion of the game.

“Jay is not going to complain,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “Of course, he took a few more licks than we would like, but some days are like that. It does say a lot about him that he can sit in there.”

Cutler completed 17 of 30 passes for 225 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. His passer rating of 66.7 was one of his lowest for the season.

“Defensively, they had a great game plan,” Cutler said. “You have to give a little credit to Cleveland and [defensive coordinator] Rob Ryan. He had a great plan.”

Cutler particularly remembered getting hit by 350-pound defensive tackle Shaun Rogers.

“Shaun Rogers is a big guy,” Cutler said. “Every time he hits you, it counts for two.”

Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner said one time was too many for Cutler to get hit.

“It was all the way around,” Turner said. “We’ve got to take a good look at what we’re doing and make sure we’re not doing too much, because we’re making too many mistakes.”

If the Bears are going to mount any kind of playoff run, Cutler’s well-being is imperative. He was asked if he could repeatedly withstand hits like he absorbed Sunday.

“I hope we don’t find out,” he said.

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