If Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler had to guess which player in the NFL is the most disliked, his sore ribs might inspire him to pick the Detroit Lions' Ndamukong Suh, and according to a list published by Forbes on Wednesday, Cutler would be right.
Suh, who violently slammed Cutler to the Soldier Field turf on Monday night, was the least liked NFL player in a survey of fans conducted by Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research. A player's popularity was based on the percentage of fans who responded with "like" or "like him a lot," and Suh rated just 19 percent.
In his two NFL seasons, Suh has developed a reputation as a dirty player and has been disciplined by the NFL numerous times for hits. He wasn't penalized for his hit on Cutler, who said it was a clean hit and admires the way Suh plays. Suh infamously stomped on the Packers' Evan Dietrich-Smith during a Thanksgiving Day game last season, drawing a two-game suspension.
Fans don't like Cutler much, either, according to the survey. Cutler finished second among the least liked at 21 percent, while the Philadelphia Eagles' Michael Vick was third at 23 percent. Rounding out the top five of least liked players was the San Francisco 49ers' Randy Moss (24 percent) and the Oakland Raiders' Matt Leinart (26 percent).
The most liked NFL player was the Pittsburgh Steelers' Troy Polamalu at 63 percent, followed by the New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees and the Green Bay Packers' Charles Woodson at 62 percent. The Denver Broncos' Peyton Manning (59 percent) and the Packers' Aaron Rodgers (58 percent) rounded out the top five.
Cutler's teammate Brian Urlacher was eighth among the most liked players at 57 percent. The other most liked players are the Patriots' Rob Gronkowski (sixth), Redskins' Robert Griffin III (seventh), followed by Urlacher, the Packers' Donald Driver and the Lions' Matthew Stafford.
Cutler, whose sideline facial expressions and body language seem to be a weekly topic for analysts, has had his disagreements with the media. But he signed on for the "Jay Cutler Show," a weekly one-hour radio show on ESPN 1000 this season, and he said it has helped him convey a truer picture of his personality.
"Winning helps, too," Cutler said. "Anytime you win, it's going to be a cure-all. We lose and it's ... after the Packers' week (the Bears' only loss in Week 2) we were back at DEFCON 5."
Rounding out the top 10 of least liked players are Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks Tony Romo and Kyle Orton, the New York Jets' Santonio Holmes and Mark Sanchez and the Kansas City Chiefs' Brady Quinn.