Bears guard Lance Louis would not have been injured if quarterback Jay Cutler completes his pass to receiver Brandon Marshall. And Cutler knows it.
“I feel bad about the Lance Louis injury, place that one on me,” Cutler said Monday during the opening of his radio show on WMVP-AM (1000) with ESPN’s “Waddle & Silvy.”
On a play-action play, Cutler overthrew an open Marshall over the middle in the third quarter. The ball went off of Marshall’s fingers and was intercepted by Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield.
But with that said, Cutler isn’t to blame for defensive end Jared Allen’s leaping hit on an unsuspecting Louis during Winfield’s return. Bears coach Lovie Smith and defensive end Israel Idonije both said the hit was unnecessary. Smith and Cutler also said they expect the NFL to fine Allen for it.
Louis was placed on injured reserve Monday after undergoing an MRI. A league source told the Sun-Times that Louis suffered a torn left ACL.
Louis has been the Bears’ most consistent offensive lineman this season. Before the Vikings game, Marshall praised him for his tenacity.
Cutler said after the Bears’ 28-10 win that “any guy who has a lot of desire like [Louis] is going to go in there and give his best effort.” Louis is in the final year of his contract and was in talks for an extension.
“Lance has been solid for the last couple of years,” Cutler said during his radio show. “He cares deeply about his performance and the offensive line’s performance. He’s kind of the rock out there, so to lose him, it would be tough.”
