Come To Think of It: Advantage Bears in the Jay Cutler Trade

Jay Cutler > three draft picks and Kyle Orton. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

Sure, I'm a Bears fan and may be a little biased. But I feel that Chicago got the better end of this trade with Denver for one simple reason: Quarterbacks like Cutler don't grow on trees.

For if they did, we would have plucked one off of that tree a helluva long time ago. It's been more than 60 years since the Bears have had a young talent as good as Cutler at the QB position. Yes, Sid Luckman was his name and it's embarrassing to think about all of the QBs the Bears have gone through since then.

Jim McMahon won a Super Bowl for us, but he couldn't stay healthy. And he didn't have the arm of a Jay Cutler.

Yes, he is not perfect. He throws interceptions. But he is a gunslinger and gunslingers take chances. Like Brett Favre, he will have his detractors. But if his career is even half as good as Favre's Hall of Fame career was, we'll be happy.

And yes, the Bears need more help. But that's a topic for another day, another time. Right now Bears fans should take the opportunity to bask in the glow of the huge balls that GM Jerry Angelo has demonstrated by making such a bold move. It's unprecedented in Bears history.

It's stunning, actually.

Almost lost in all the excitement was the signing of Orlando Pace to bolster the offensive line and protect Cutler's blindside.

But back to the argument at hand. Draft picks are nice, but they are no guarantee of success. Just ask Angelo. (I couldn't resist).

And while Kyle Orton is what they call a 'system quarterback', he is average at best. He will likely never approach the capabilities of a Jay Cutler. He's decent, but doesn't have the arm strength or confidence to do some of the things that Cutler does.

Look, the QB is the most important position on the football field and maybe the single most important position in all of the major sports.

Also, consider this: Denver traded a Pro Bowl QB at the tender age of 25 (he turns 26 later this month). That just doesn't usually happen.

Now, some of the talking heads at ESPN and other media types are saying that Denver won because they showed Cutler who's boss. No, they didn't. They gave in to him by granting his wish to be traded.

And then there is the opinion that Cutler is a spoiled, petulant child. That opinion doesn't appear to be accurate either. If anything, Denver's 'not ready for prime time' 32-year old coach was the one who displayed inexperience in this whole mess. He had a strong-armed Pro-Bowl QB but wanted Matt Cassel instead?

That was stupid. Sure, Cassel knows the New England offense that he is familiar with. But you know you're walking into a situation where your QB is already upset that they fired a coach he admired, yet you come in and rub salt in the wound by basically telling Cutler you don't want him?

That's petulant, folks.

Call it coddling if you must, but a QB is a different breed and has to be handled with care. Confidence and respect in the eyes of your teammates is critical to their success and sense of self-worth.

So, when your new leader comes in and tells everyone that he wants a different QB, how does that potentially affect your teammates' confidence in their field general?

I'm not making excuses for Cutler, both sides made mistakes in this thing. But let's move on and enjoy the moment as Bears fans.

We have a real QB. Wow. What are we going to talk about without our annual QB controversy, come to think of it?