Is the turf at Soldier Field to blame for Cutlers injury?

Now I know what you are thinking, Cutler hurt his thumb not his knee or ankle.  But the very reason the Bears have said time and time again why they choose not to instal field turf (player safety) at Soldier Field may be what caused Cutler to go down.  The Bears have said that they want to keep the field safe for the players and that field turf is less safe then the sod they currently have.

On the play that Cutler broke his thumb and perhaps the Bears season Johnny Knox slipped on his route causing Cutler's pass to be picked off.  This has been a problem at Soldier Field for years.  The footing causing players to slip.  Now on the play if you watch closely you see a puff of dirt and sand shoot up as Knox is making his cut and BAM down he goes.  The pass is picked off and as Cutler is trying to make a play on the ball he breaks his thumb.  Now I am aware that this is a bit of a stretch but you can not deny had Knox not fell not only would Cutler not have been injured but the Bears probably score on that drive.

How long Cutler will be out is still not determined Lovie Smith says he will be back before seasons end but this is the same man who said that Gabe Carimi would not be put on the IR after his knee scope saying that "minor procedure and IR do not go together"  So forgive me if I don't believe his assessment.  The Bears have 6 games remaining all winnable when Cutler is at the helm including Green Bay.  I realize that Green Bay is playing better football then any team in the league but I also believe that the team that has the best chance of beating those Packers is the Bears.

This is not a drinking the Kool-Aid moment either.  The stats show that the Bears play the Packers better then anyone else in the league so it is not a huge jump to think that is a winnable game especially considering that the Pack may not have a lot to play for at that point.

Now what is a realistic goal for wins with Caleb Hannie behind center?  I think 4-2 or even 5-1 is not out of the question.  11 or 12 wins and the Bears are in the playoffs.  The real problem I have is a team that was coming together at the right time and had a real shot to go deep in the playoffs will need to reshuffle not once but twice ( if Cutler does return)  Cutler will need time to find his form once he returns.  Lets hope they can get it together quickly.

The Bears will also need to sign a veteran QB while Cutler is out who will that be?  Kurt Warner is a no he said that he does not intend to "un-retire"  David Garrard is coming off back surgery and won't be ready for weeks. Maybe Marc Bulger can be coaxed out of retirement. Or dare I say Brett Favre?  Buz Cook is his agent same as Jay Cutler so you never know!  Lets keep our heads up and hope for a speedy recovery and BEAR DOWN!!

Special thanks to my best friend Keith for the idea about this post!