I think that if football was like a family then I'd handle the situation pretty much like McDaniels and co. handled it.
But it's not, and whether Cutler is just being thin-skinned or not, McDaniels has really put himself in a nasty situation, especially for a 32-year-old first-time head coach. We see how fans act all the time on a board like this, and if the Broncos look bad next season the fans will have one hell of a whipping post to work with.
Ideally, Cutler would have sucked it up and played the game. But crap, if the best QB ever can't keep his panties from bunching at every perceived slight, why is anyone surprised at this kid's reaction?
The ideal world versus the real world - in the real world, McDaniels screwed the pooch. He'll either get lucky and get away with it, or it'll screw his career right up.