First to the naysayers. If you believe that the eighteenth pick in this year's draft or the late first round pick in next year's draft will make as significant a contribution to this organization as Jay Cutler, then I beg you to take a look at the drafting success of the Chicago Bears over the last decade. I believe in Bill Parcells' "psychology of results." You are what you are. Jay Cutler is very damn good. First round draft picks might be.
I am happy today. Happy in a way I haven't ever been during a Chicago Bears off-season. My ballclub, the goddamn Chicago Bears, decided to go out and get themselves a quarterback. A damn good quarterback. They gave up whatever they needed to give up to make their team better. Now they are the front-runner in the NFC North. Now they are a legitimate contender for the Super Bowl.
When fifty-three men wearing navy and orange walk into Lambeau Field on a Sunday night this September, they'll be led by the best quarterback in the history of their franchise. This isn't hyperbole or exaggeration. This is the best quarterback in the storied history of the Chicago Bears. The Jay Cutler Era begins in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Is there anything better than that?
I've written extensively on why this is a good move. Today is a day to simply enjoy it. At 6:00 ET (5:00 CT), settle yourself on the soft cushions of your living room couch. Crack open your beer of choice. Maybe fire up a pot of chili. Boil a polish sausage. Grill a hot dog. Order a pizza. But don't forget to turn on ESPN News and watch the introduction of the next ten years of Chicago Bears football.
AND OH BY THE WAY....
For those of you who own a Kevin Butler jersey from the 80s, 90s...he also wore number 6. You only have a change a letter.
GOTTA COUPLE BUCKS ON THE CREDIT CARD?
Click me.
#2 Smitty said . . .uno!!!!!!!!1
April 3, 2009
#3 jeremy34 said . . .Anybody want Plax?
April 3, 2009
#4 Urlacher FTW said . . .Whoooooooo!!!
Custom ordered Bears jersey with the 6 on the back and the name 'Finally' ???
It is still setting in that we have Jay Cutler on our team.
April 3, 2009
#5 do said . . .The more I think about it, in hindsight getting him was a no brainer. Regardless of the off field stuff the guy does have the ability and an over 80 passer rating.
The only argument that really holds any water is that if he gets hurt we essentially lost 2 starters instead of 1 but in the end I think the risk will be worth the reward.I just really hope this guy grows up a little so we don't have to worry about a drama queen.
April 3, 2009
#6 Scabbyeggs said . . .Great post Jeff. It feels like football season in April, best offseason EVER.
I REALLY hope that Denver uses 2 of it 1st round picks to trade up to take Sanchez. If this happens will people say how bad of a deal they got? Because essentially we threw in an extra 3rd round and a backup QB (who probably would not have been a bear after this year) for a PROVEN commodity that is 25 years old, entering his prime, threw for 4500 yards (and he threw them to a WR drafted in the 4th round and a guy that was drafted to be a special teams player in the 2nd round, sound familiar? except we have a guy drafted in the 3rd round that set all kinds of records with CUTLER IN COLLEGE).
Also this is a bit off topic but I was reading a Queens fan say that it doesnt matter who our QB is becuase they have AP. Well here are each players stats from last year. Keep in mind it was Forte's rookie year and AP has been in the league for 2 years.
AP
Total Yds Total TD Fum
1885 10 9Forte
Total Yds Total TD Fum
1715 12 1Oh and AP had 5 more touches so dont say that Forte had more opportunities than AP.
Would you rather have 170 more yards (roughly 10 more a game), 2 LESS TDs, and 8 MORE FUMBLES???
Lord knows that I would take Forte any day, and I can not see anyone saying other wise.
April 3, 2009
#7 jdawg said . . .In one day the bears went from being sorely fucked to having one of youngest most talented offenses in football and completely shifted the balance of power in not only the division but in the nfc itself. Jeff we bears fans are lucky to have a wordsmith like you to show us that were not nearly excited enough. Oh yea and fuck jim rome!
April 3, 2009
#8 iowabear said . . .I officially dig those AP stats.
I guess we can all start chanting:
RUN DEVIN RUN!
again
April 3, 2009
#9 Wayne said . . .I've gotten over my initial Orton sadness, and can now embrace this move fully. I'm just waiting for the city of Chicago to send an "I'm sorry" giftbasket to Jerry Angelo.
If he had any sort of hint that this could happen, he slow played his hand to perfection, getting a better OL and his quarterback.
The thing that bothers me most is that Vike and Pack fans are buffering themselves from this move by numbly and stupidly saying, "yeah, but who's he gonna throw to?" While our WR's are unproven, Hester demands respect and I'm optimistic about Bennet refinding a chemistry with his once and current teammate. We have a Pro Bowl tight end in Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark still knows how to catch a football, and unlike Minnesota, we have a complete tail back that can run, block, AND catch a pass.
This season held excitement for me, and now holds even more. As for the draft, I see a repeat of a couple years ago when the Bears only drafted two offensive players out of about 9, the first one being J.D Runnels (whatever happened to him anyway).
April 3, 2009
#10 The Ghost of Halas said . . .He is not the best QB we've had yet Jeff. He hasn't played a down for us and without an upgrade to our receiving core he won't ever be. He has got to have someone to throw through. If we land Holt or Bouldin or now even Plax then I'll say this a good move. To give him the same personnel that Kyle had isn't going to cut it. And if that happens, what real use was this trade?
April 3, 2009
#11 Pd said . . .Jay Cutler: "The bottom line is, I'm a Chicago Bear and I'm happy to be here."
I love the graphic below Cutler:
JAY CUTLER
BEARS QBApril 3, 2009
#12 Babootycall said . . .#9-- you dont think cutler can do more with devin hester and greg olsen than orton could? Maybe instead of praying for a pass interference call everytime we throw deep we will finally complete some of those passes.
our WR corps isn't without talent... maybe they just needed a QB who can make every pass.
plus you are forgetting the long term effect. A vet WR would not even consider chicago prior to cutler because its were "recievers go to die." Now that we have a ligit QB don't be suprised if we can't lure in a real #1 over the next couple years.
April 3, 2009
#13 DaBoysInBlue said . . .Now all we need to do is to trade the rest of our draft picks for a fullback so that Ron Turner's favorite short yardage/goalline play (the extremely effective fullback dive) will work. Then there's no stopping us!
Go BEARS!!!
April 3, 2009
#14 HesterFan23 said . . .Hi all! First-time poster here. Very very excited first-time poster! Anyway, I've been following this blog for a while now, thanks to Jeff for running it and a great read.
Something that caught my attention over on the Larry Mayer blog on Cutler, here's a quote from his first entry:
"I particularly enjoyed hearing from a warped friend who’s a fan of the Minnesota Vikings complaining that the Bears had Jay Cutler while the Vikings were going to start Sage Rosenfels this season. Good luck, John!"
Maybe it's the same Vikings fan John that trolls the blog here?! lol
Look forward to posting more in the future. GO BEARS!
April 3, 2009
#15 Vizzini said . . .How awesome was it to see Cutler sit there and talk about the future? This upcoming season is getting exciting. I'm hoping for a pretty decent FA signing in the WR category as well as the second round pick being used on one.
April 4, 2009
#16 Albert In Tucson said . . .OK, I'm on board the wagon. Where do the Bears go in the draft with the new moves?
April 4, 2009
#17 Max said . . .First: Smitty, Plax will busy be doing time in prison to be of any help to anybody next season. HE''s in denial but his lawyer has already tried to strike a deal KNOWS there WILL be jail time.
Second: All those trying to pronounce who 'won' and who 'lost' on this deal need tojust zip it for a year or two because that's how long it will take to ultimately judge this deal.
Third: Speaking of jail time, what Mark Schlereth was spewing yesterday on NFL LIVE was absolutely criminal. "The Bears are now worse". Huh? He dissed the O-line and told how they'd lost both starting tackles from last season and then conveniently failed to mention Chris Williams , or the signings of Schaffer, Omiyale and, laughably, ORLANDO PACE ON THAT DAY! Feel free not to let the facts get in the way of your position, Mark. If ESPN had any real journalistic ethics (HAH!), they would tell Ex-BRONCO, Schlereth he was off this story. But they don't, and won't.By the way, Mark, WHAT is with that jet black dye job on your hair while your beard is orange & gray? Who do you think you are kidding? And you just gotta LOVE how suddenly K.O.'s stock shot up because Denver actually thinks he has valueas an NFL QB. When he was a Bear those mopes couldn't wait to run him down. NOW, suddenly, they cite his excellent record as a starter. They are SOOOO lame at the 4-LETTER Network.
Fourth: Those dissing Cutler for wanting out should know that Cutler left because he had the clout to do it. Good for him. He didn't want to play for McDaniel so , Adios! Those critizing him for it only need to remember John Elway telling Indianapolis "Thanks, but no thanks" and Eli Manning doing likewise to San Diego.Hmm, wonder how that worked out for those 2 guys?
Fifth: I joked about Jeff putting up a GET BOLDIN thread but, alas, he also would need to be traded for and the cupboard is now bare. What's the story with Torry Holt? Washed up? Overpriced? On the radar or not?
IF there's anything left in his tank he would seem to be the perfect compliement to Hester.As usual, other that that, I have no opinion on these matters.
April 4, 2009
#18 FRESNO CA BEAR FAN said . . .Get. . . Holt. . . Please. . .
That is all I am going to say. Ive spoken my piece in regards to Cutler, and that is that.
April 4, 2009
#19 jeff said . . .i loved the conference! i loved how he presented him self....he seems like a good guy and he will fit great with the team...
April 4, 2009
#20 Al In WI said . . .the #1 hot search on AOL right now is...."Chicago Bears"
April 4, 2009
#21 Z said . . .My friends our long provincial nightmare is finally over. We have a quarterback. A real one. An honest to God Elite NFL Quarterback for the first time since 1988!! No longer do we have to debate the “potential,” of Grossman, or the “steadiness,” of Orton. No longer do battle lines have to be drawn over the quarterback issue that has divided fans for seemingly forever. We are all Jay Cutler supporters. Jay is our quarterback. This is awesome.
BTW, yes we need to make a serious play for a legit receiver. I think we will be fine with Hester as a # 2 and the emergence of Bennett or a new rookie, but we need someone to carry the mail. I think that someone is Tory Holt.
Ps: The Bears have the best QB in the division.April 4, 2009
#22 Duff Diggler said . . .I am still in shock today. I woke up and was like, Oh yeah we f'ing got Jay Cutler and then checked the internet to make sure I didn't dream that shit. Let's see what Holt has left in the tank. He will at least mentor all these young WR's we are going to have out there. And yes WR's and other players are going to want to come here more now. They know we are serious about trying to improve and win, now. Come on Pace blow Holt's phone up until that voicemail box is full and he has signed on the dotted line. And JA I have been one of the worst as far as criticizing you and making jokes at your expense. I was wrong. If your reading this please accept my apology. You have earned a "you never know what JA might pull off" for the rest of your time here.
Is every single Bears fan on Earth excited about the possibilities right now? Just might be.
April 4, 2009
#23 Duff Diggler said . . .I said maybe a month ago to take a look at Ramses Barden. Now more than ever i encourage you all to do so. If Earl the Squirrel can (and should be able to) rekindle the mojo he and cutler had, Barden should be a perfect fit!!!
Then we'd have our burner and reverser: Hester
Our go to posession "hands" man: the Squirrel
Our 6'6" go up and get it guy: Barden
...not to mention our TE tandem and Forte's catching/screening/and check-down ability.If this OL can just do a pretty good job, we should be a premier offense...
ages of possition players:
Cutler: 26 (next month)
Hester: 26
Forte: 23
Olsen: 24
Bennett: 22
+whatever WR we draft will be 22
...there is SO MUCH opportunity for this O to grow up, TOGETHER..... sky's the limit my friends!!!!anyway, here are some link to Barden.... they compare him to Colston!!! i think we can get this guy with our 1st comp pick in the late 3rd round....
http://www.nfldraftdog.com/Small%20School%20Football/ramses_barden.htm
http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=61522&draftyear=2009&genpos=WR
April 4, 2009
#24 O-Line wins games said . . .Oh yeah. I need to apologize too....
Dear Jerry (+staff and ownership),
I'm sorry, and thank you. For a while there (my whole life), I thought the bears were taking advantage of the fact that they do, in fact, have the largest market for football. The largest because NY has a split fan base, as did LA when they had teams. Anyway, I see now that you do give a shit, and your balls aren't located in VMs purse. You have answered my football prayers. Therefore, I apologize. I don't mean to stretch an inch into a mile.... but.... can we pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease have a WR now??? They'll want to come now..... BTW, thanks also for indirectly sticking it to players like Berrian! Good thing his biggest reason for leaving chicago was the QB and not the money (yeah right). I'm sure he shed a tear....
April 4, 2009
#25 Grubowski said . . .16 - Amen on the 3rd point.
Schlereth is a loser. Elway was interviewed and said that it was a sad day in Denver and that he was personally very sad. I loved how they talked Orton up too, that is the first time I have ever heard that on ESPN.
April 4, 2009
#26 moose said . . .I've had a hard on since Thursday. I'm glad the Bears finally had the balls to pony up for a franchise free agent . Now lets get Cutler a supporting cast and start playing January ball.
The only thing I was sad to see given up in the trade was Kyle Orton's neck beard.
April 4, 2009
#27 Anonymous said . . .You Bear fans crack me up.Are you blind to how bad your team is? Your not one of the worst but you are far from the best even in the weak NFC. Your line is one of the worst in the NFL. It tells alot that Orlando Pace is an upgrade as he is a long in tooth injury prone lineman, that is why St. Louis got rid of him. Williams your right tackle was your left tackle but wasn't good enough to play their and he had back surgery in the offseason. The rest aren't even in the top fifteen at their positions. The receivers? HA! Don't get me started here! I suppose you are going to tell me Devin Hester is your number one? He would be no more than a third receiver on most teams and if he was on the Broncos he wouldn't be better than the fourth guy. Your number two receiver, Bennett hasn't caught a pass in two years of NFL play! And while Greg Olsen is a top ten tight end he ain't no Tony Gonzales! Your best offensive weapon is Matt Forte who is good but he had 300+ carries last year and will get the same this year making him an injury waiting to happen. So how exactly is Cutler going to make you better? Do you really think he will throw 30 scores and 4000 yards in that pathetic offense. Wait I forgot to mention how Ron Turner is not only one of the most conservative play callers in football but his offenses have been ranked 26, 27, 15, 28 in his four years there, and you can't blame the quarterbacks as he has the rep as a quarterback killer. Not to mention that when he coached Illinois he offered JayC a scholarship them pulled it and Cutler never forgave him for that. Can you say drama! And if you go back to his first stint from 1993 to 1996, you see similar numbers. Lovie Smith is a run first , second and third, all defense kind of coach and that ain't gonna change. What about the rest of the team? Special teams and defense used to be good but since your Super Bowl season in 2006 both have gone downhill. Defense because of age and they are one of the oldest defenses again this year. They also went from being ranked 6th in 2006 to 28th in 2007 and 20th last year. Special teams were special when Devin Hester was the full time returner witness how he got you to the Super Bowl three years ago, but he now is catching passes. Add all this up and in a weak Central division you might break nine wins and could even get in the playoffs but that is it. Look at the reality of your team and Jay Cutler being their won't make any difference. And wait until after next season when he and his agent, Bus Cook look to get the max contract for the guy and you can play offseason drama with him. ENJOY!
April 5, 2009
#28 Foxtrot Tango Packers said . . .First of all, I didn't read all your bullshit, but noticed you think Earl Bennett has played 2 NFL seasons.
He was a rookie last year. At least do your fucking homework but you try to insult our team.
Also noticed you spelled Gonzalez wrong, any real football fan would know a hall of fame TE's name, I mean it's on his fucking jersey, if you actually watch games.
Moose is your handle? Yeah you guys are set at QB with Delhomme, what a fucking joke of a QB, how many INTs did he throw last year in the game against the Cards, like 6 or 7, what a joke.
April 5, 2009
#29 Z said . . .Maybe moose, like all other NFC fans, just when "oh shit" when we signed Jay. Go ahead and hate while Jay torches your team for 350 yards, i can't wait to hear your excuse then. you sir, are a douche
April 5, 2009
#30 Tory said . . .While it is tempting to dissect and point out all of your flawed logic, your numerous factual errors show that you are either extremely lazy or extremely unintelligent which in either case means it would most likely be an even bigger waste of time than this is. While we are not ready to be declared the best team in the NFC, (and I have read every post and not one person has said that but you must be fearing it and it does have a nice ring to it doesn't it) we have put ourselves in a position to be a few players away from being a potentially dominating team in all 3 phases of the game. Scares the shit out of you don't it?
April 5, 2009
I'm a Bronco fan, here's my take: http://toryhobson.com/articles/2009/04/05/the-cutler-era
Cutler's great, but man did the Bears give up A LOT!
April 11, 2009
Here at DaBearsBlog, you are free to kill us or the Bears as you so wish. You are not free, however, to be an asshole. So if you spew racism or ill-meaning foul language (cursing about football is just fine) or anything of that ilk, your comments ain't gonna last long, jerk.