Jay Cutler received plenty of criticism after exiting midway through the Chicago Bears' 21-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the 2010 NFC Championship Game with a sprained MCL.  Among those who questioned Cutler's courage that day were Maurice Jones-Drew, Deion Sanders and Darnell Dockett, but I can assure you that none of them were questioning the testicular fortitude of the Bears' quarterback following last night's game.

Even if Cutler decided not to return after being slammed to the ground during the second quarter by Detroit Lions defensive tackle, Nda

mukong Suh, I'm sure no one would have said a peep.  But Cutler did return, miraculously, after sitting out just one play.  And he did so to a standing ovation, which isn't something he has been treated to all that often as quarterback of the Bears.  And even after heading to the locker room prior to the end of the first half to have his ribs x-rayed, Cutler came back in the second half and played through the obvious discomfort, leading the Bears to the 13-7 victory.

Here's a look at the hit from Suh which caused that obvious discomfort:

Cutler's statistical performance on Monday night was far from stunning (150 yards and a touchdown), but he did overcome a substantial amount of pain  in order to lead his team to the victory and a 5-1 record on the season.  So, does this mean the legend of Cutler could be growing in Chicago?  I guess that will all depend on how many more victories and gutsy performances the Vanderbilt product has in store for the 2012 NFL season.