Is Jay Cutler Da Bears' Personal Jesus?

Getting Jay Cutler on the Bears' roster is big news. It was a big trade; it is a big deal. I'll go into why, but right up front my conclusion is that no matter what you think about the Bears, they are a better team now than they were a week ago.

Now will it make us into a Super Bowl team? Did we give away too much? That absolutely CANNOT be decided now. There's no way to know that for three or four more years.

If the Bears win a SB with Jay, it was worth it. Period. If the picks we sent to the Broncos are busts, it was worth it. If we don't win and they aren't busts, it wasn't. Here's the thing: that's all in the future. All you can say, right now, is that the Bears are better than they were.

First compare Orton to Cutler. Orton is average, maybe a bit above. But he is not a franchise, long term solution. He is a stopgap wherever he goes. Cutler is a young, talented QB that has every potential to be the franchise QB that every NFL team craves.

Second, the draft picks we sent to Denver were a first and third round this year and a first round next year. So what, we don't get another Cedric Benson or Rex Grossman for the next two years. The Bears draft strength has always been in the later rounds: Matt Forte, Lance Briggs, Devin Hester etc etc etc.

Although we gave our third round pick up, we still have a compensatory pick we got for losing Berrian to the Vikings last year. We still have a pick in every round BUT the first.

Giving up picks of unknown potential for someone who IS known isn't a horrible idea. We can still draft a quality WR in the second round and a good DE, CB or safety in the third. We didn't dry ourselves out!

So, the biggest question is does the QB make the WR or does the WR make the QB. Clearly: Both. I can't tell you how many games last season Hester had to SLOW DOWN for Orton's pass which gave the defender a chance to catch him and make a play.

He's not a No. 1 yet, but he has been a receiver for 1.5 years. Ever. He's doing better than some pure WRs.

Earl Bennett has never caught an NFL pass. And? He's automatically terrible? He left college as a Jr. and had to adjust to a new speed in the Pros without the help of his Sr. year. I don't think that's an automatic death sentence.

Add that to the fact that Cutler was so impressed with him, he came back and threw to Bennett for his pro-day last year. These two already have a chemistry which is SOO important to successful tandems.

I'm not saying they'll be the next Marvin Harrison/Payton Manning, but just that he's unproven. Unproven doesn't mean he's a bad player. It doesn't mean he's a good player. All it means is we have to wait and see what the kid's got.

So again, was the trade too much? Maybe. Maybe not. There is absolutely no way to tell until the results come in within the next few years. Do the Bears suck? No. They have young receivers with a lot to prove.

They still have holes to fill, and they lost some of the potential to fill them. But in return they have a guaranteed starting QB for the next six to eight years.

As for the Bears biggest need ASAP: WR. Giving up the first round pick does change things, but doesn't mean an armageddon for the Bears. There was not one WR selected in the first round of last years draft.

In the second round you had DeSean Jackson and Eddie Royal. Quality WRs can be found outside of the first round! For all you Packers fans: Greg Jennings also in the second round a few years ago. Guess who the Bears got in the third round in '04? Bernard Berrian.

Yes the Bears have holes, yes they still need some help. But they've fixed (however temporary it may be) their OL and have added a bit of help in the secondary through free agency.  They've also improved their coaching staff.  Say what you want about Marinelli as a head coach for the Lions, but he is a great position coach and will make our front four a better unit.

Cutler is not the Bear's personal Messiah or their golden ticket to the Superbowl. They will have to play well, as a team and make things happen with an unproven roster.

Jay Cutler is simply an answer to the Bears' biggest question of the last three decades. He puts us in a better position to win than we were before he came to Chicago.