Brian Urlacher supports Jay Cutler

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Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said Tuesday he supported Jay Cutler, who allegedly mumbled an obscenity about booing fans at Soldier Field, because Urlacher thinks players should be able to respond to hecklers.

"If the fans want to boo, why can't we say what we want to say?" Urlacher said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "They're allowed to say what they want, so can we."

It's uncertain what Cutler muttered under his breath as he walked off the field for halftime Sunday. The fans were booing after a half that saw Cutler sacked six times, throwing an interception and generating a quarterback rating of 18.1 before leading the Bears to victory in the second half.

Cutler refused to clarify his remarks -- which were guessed at by lip readers watching Fox's coverage -- during the "The Jay Cutler Show" on Monday on ESPN 1000, but he did say he was mad at the Bears' offense and not the fans.

"I told (Brandon Marshall) when we got into the locker room, he's like, 'They booed us.' I was like, 'I know, I would boo us, too,' " Cutler said Monday. "It was ugly, and we didn't snap out of it until 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

"Rightfully so, we got booed. Chicago fans know it was a lousy performance. We know it's a lousy performance, and hopefully when we come back on the Sunday night game (against the Houston Texans on Nov. 11), we'll do better for them."

But Cutler wouldn't join the debate about what he said, which was a topic on many websites and other outlets.

"I'm not going to get involved with it," Cutler said. "I can't control these things, what websites say. So we should have been booed. Rightfully so, we got booed and we have to get better. That's that."

Urlacher knows one way to stop the booing, which hasn't been a chronic problem this season for the 6-1 Bears.

"Hell no, I don't like (the booing)," Urlacher said. "I'm sure no one likes getting booed.

"The way to fix it is (for the team) to play better, I know that much. If you don't want your fans to boo, play better."

But Urlacher also understands that Cutler has become a lightning rod for critics.

"He can't win," Urlacher said. "The guy can't win, that's all there is to it. The craziest thing to me is people get on our head coach (Lovie Smith) because he doesn't say enough to the media, because he doesn't show enough emotion. Jay shows a ton of emotion, and people get on him as well. What's the difference?

"I don't get it. I'm behind Jay. I'm behind coach. I don't get the criticism of both of them. (Booing is) going to happen, we know that. We have to play better and they won't do that."

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