If you are a Bear fan, you are bummed this morning, not because the Bears lost but because they could have just as easily won.  And it has nothing to do with Jay Cutler.

I'm not going to pin this one on Cutler.  Sure, he had a bad first half.  Sure, he left with an injury that some fans (and apparently other NFL players) found questionable.  But he's not the reason the Bears lost.  And while some may question how tough he is, I'm not going there.  Back in the day, he probably would have played, but in this era of players being worth millions of dollars and the league and the doctors being aware of long term effects of injuries, it's not a surprise he came out.  If, as Bears coach Lovie Smith asserts, the doctors made the decision, it's fine.  Just ask any of these guys who played in the 60's about their artificial hips and knees and the effects of cortisone.  If you want to blame someone for Cutler being removed from the game, blame the lawyers.

I don't begrudge the fact Cutler had to come out.  My only criticism is that when he did he sat by himself in a corner rather then trying to rally his teammates.  You didn't see Cutler on the sideline with a headset or a clipboard or beating his teammates on the shoulder pads.  Instead, you saw him brooding on the sidelines like someone ran his puppy dog over with a pick-up truck. There was a total disconnect there and if the fans and his teammates have an issue with him from yesterday, that perhaps is the only legitimate one.

One more thought: Let's say, for the sake of argument, Cutler gutted it out and played and rallied the Bears to victory but then couldn't play in the Super Bowl.  I suppose many of you think Caleb Haney would be Johnny on the spot doing his best impression of Earl Morrall.  How'd that work out in Super Bowl III?  Not too good.

Sure, Cutler sucked in the first half.  But so did just about everyone else in a Bears uniform.  Realistically, had he not been injured, it is well within the realm that he could have rallied the Bears to a victory.  But we'll never  know, will we.

Back to the game.  Apparently, the Bears thought the game started at 4pm because that's when they showed up.  I told you yesterday that the injury to Chris Harris was a red flag.  On the opening drive, that's where Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers attacked, knowing that Harris couldn't come in on the ball.  In fact, after the game, Lovie Smith said the Bears switched out of Cover 2 to man defense because he was concerned the Bears couldn't hold serve.

That got the Bears defense going and the much ballyhooed Aaron Rodgers looked like a mere mortal in the second half.  Unfortunately for the Bears, their final game tying drive was stopped short by a horrible third down call (a reverse?  Really Mike Martz, really?) and the final pick by Green Bay's Sam Shields. 

Let's put this in perspective, because there are many Bears fans that need it this morning (you Cutler jersey burning idiots know who I am talking about.) No one, and I mean no one, outside of the Bears themselves ever thought the Bears would have even whiffed the Championship Game.  To take arguably the best team in the conference (despite their record) to the mat was a positive achievement.  Sure, the Bears were healthy most of the year and a bit lucky, but luck and health are a big part of the equation.  You saw what happens when two key pieces of the puzzle, Chris Harris and Jay Cutler, get injured in crunch time and when the breaks like a critical third down reception get wiped away by a holding call.

The big takeaway from yesterday for me is despite all the Cutler b.s., this was a winnable game and it might have been a win had the Bears played a sixty minute game.  I didn't think Aaron Rodgers was that scary yesterday, nor did I think the Packers defense was impenetrable.  I think you need to hang this one on the Bears as a team, who if they would have come out hard from the opening bell may not have trailed 14-0 at halftime and could have won a closer game.

In any case, it's over.  I'll deal with the Cheeseheads the best I can until Big Ben kicks their ass in two weeks and then I will be able to smile again.