To slide or not to slide That's question for Cutler

Source: Chicago TribuneSept.迷你倉 23--Two viewpoints continue to collide in the evaluation of the only run Bears quarterback Jay Cutler delivered during Sunday's 40-23 win in Pittsburgh.The play came with 9 minutes, 15 seconds remaining, with a once commanding Bears lead thinning, with Cutler needing to make a play under fourth-quarter pressure and trying his best to convert a third-and-10 from his own 26.So when the Steelers defense brought heat and Cutler couldn't find an open receiver, he tucked the ball and took off.He dashed to the 25, then the 30, then the first-down line at the 36.Clutch effort. Good vision. Nice escape. Right?Still at the 38, rather than sliding to end the play, Cutler lowered his throwing shoulder and slammed it into Steelers safety Robert Golden.Chancy collision. Dangerous decision. Risky move with a fortunate result.So should Cutler have had the wherewithal to slide? Or was his crash into Golden the latest sign of a gutty leader giving his team every last ounce of his effort to pull out a win?After all, that Cutler run prolonged a Bears drive that ended six plays later with a 17-yard TD toss to Earl Bennett, a score that provided a 34-23 cushion.To be clear, Cutler isn't awaiting a final verdict on the debate on whether he would have been better off sliding. He's glad he ran on the play and pleased he finished the scramble with such authority. And for the critics who want him to be safer and smarter in the future? An apology isn't coming."I'm sorry I'm not sorry," Cutler said on his radio show Monday night on ESPN 1000 with Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman.Earlier in the afternoon Monday, Bears head coach Marc Trestman offered his evaluation, calling for more caution from Cutler but understanding the quarterback was determined above all else to pick up the first down."We want him to slide whenever he can," Trestman said. "We want him to give himself up. As I said, I think he would have if he was more comfortable with where the (first-down line) was."On his radio show Monday evening, Cutler said he had yet to discuss the play with his head coach after meeting with him Mon儲存ay morning at Halas Hall. He also took on additional tough but playful questions from Waddle with the same cocksure sturdiness he hit Golden with. When the former Bears receiver said Cutler's rugged run was both a way to win over teammates and to get the back-up quarterback more time on the field, Cutler laughed."I know what I'm doing out there," he said. "So thanks for your concern. I appreciate it. ... I'm not looking for your admiration. I'm just trying to pick up a first down in the fourth quarter."The thought process, Cutler continued to assert, was simple. The Steelers were gaining momentum, within 27-23 and threatening to continue their rally. The Bears needed a drive. And on top of that, Golden was at a standstill when the hit occurred."I had to get the first down," Cutler said. "You saw some of the spots out there. You never know. Especially, when you start sliding they usually (mark the ball) from where you start. So I just had to make sure. I don't really ever like diving headfirst. Because you don't know what's going to happen at that point. People can dive at you. Helmet to helmet. I'm just not a fan of that."Cutler couldn't promise he wouldn't ever make the same bold move again. But he did joke that he may pull back a little bit in the next couple of weeks."Because," he said, "teams are going to see it on film like, 'All right, we can take a shot at him.' So now? Just slide, slide, slide, lull them back to sleep and then when we need it in three or four weeks ..."Well, we'll all see what happens then.Yes, the tone of the entire Bears season might have changed dramatically Sunday night had Cutler separated his right shoulder on the collision. But he didn't. And the run itself was a part of a critical drive that helped the Bears improve to 3-0."It was an exceptional run and just another part of Jay that we're seeing," Trestman said. "It was a very important play at a very important time in the game."dwiederer@tribune.comTwitter @danwiedererCopyright: ___ (c)2013 the Chicago Tribune Visit the Chicago Tribune at .chicagotribune.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉