His teammates and coaches seem to have his back, that should count for something. And yes, i know Urlacher called him a B word last year shortly after he joined the bears, but even Brian seems to adamantly defend him now.
Much of this hate from cutler seems to originate from his surliness with sports reporters. The reporters feel slighted, who in turn dog the guy in their articles, on TV, etc. Personally i respect cutler more for this - sports reporters aren't the most noble or agreeable bunch, and some are out and out scumbags of the highest order.
Could Cutler be (or at least act like) a better teammate? Almost certainly. I don't think he or anyone deserves to be called a gash when his knee won't allow him to do his job.
Look back at that game - he was throwing off his back leg a lot and wasn't looking too sharp when he was in. Pulling him out was the right move.