Have “Da Bears” Finally Found a Franchise Quarterback?

I truly believed I would never see it. It seemed just as possible for the Chicago Bears to have a Pro Bowl quarterback as it is for Kevin Federline to have a successful rap career. I am serious. If anyone has been a true Chicago Bears fan as long as I have, they know the frustration I have felt for the passed 16 years or so. If I had a dime for every time I have yelled at Rex Grossman on television, I would be throwing money around like Pac Man at the clubs on a nightly basis.

To everyone’s surprise, the Bears recently traded for Jay Cutler. Not only was I hesitant to believe they were even involved in the Cutler sweepstakes, but I was almost positive there was no possible way they would actually win. When I eagerly glanced at ChicagoBears.com and saw Cutler was acquired, I almost shed a tear of happiness, as I’m sure many other die hard Bears fans wanted to do.

Jay Cutler, who played his last three years with the Denver Broncos, apparently was upset when he discovered that his new coach Josh McDaniels was attempting to trade him for New England Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel. I know McDaniels had previously worked with Cassel at USC, but I still cannot believe an organization was willing to trade a young Pro Bowl quarterback in the prime of his career. The Bears jumped at the opportunity and landed the Pro Bowl quarterback. Sure, they paid a significant price by giving the Broncos Kyle Orton and two first round draft picks. However, Cutler is exactly what the Bears have lacked for so long and desperately needed, a big-time quarterback.

In 2008, Cutler was voted to the Pro Bowl after completing 62.3 percent of his passes for a Broncos-record 4,526 yards, 25 touchdowns, 18 interceptions, and an 86.0 passer rating. He is only 25 years old and has as good an arm as anybody in the league. With this being a quarterbacks’ league now a days it is a great move for the Bears. Many people will argue that Cutler will have nobody to throw to in Chicago. The Bears still do not have a dynamic number one receiver, but they do have some weapons.

Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark are two very skilled tight ends and have put up solid numbers for the Bears. Devin Hester improved and put up positive numbers at receiver the second half of the 2008 season and everyone knows what type of big-play threat Hester can be on any given night.

Matt Forte has been a phenomenal addition to the Bears and gives them a consistent running game. When a team can run the ball effectively, as the Bears can, this can open up the passing game tremendously. I know the receivers are not the best asset of this team, but I truly believe a quarterback as good as Cutler will make them better.

I also know people are going to question Jay Cutler’s record as a Bronco. Cutler is 17 and 20 as a starter while Orton is 21 and 12. People fail to realize that Cutler’s defense in Denver was the second worst in the league while Orton had a spectacular defense with the Bears prior to this past year. Is Rex Grossman a better quarterback than Jay Cutler? Absolutely not. If going by record alone, however, he would be. This is why I believe this argument is absolutely outrageous.

The bottom line is, the Bears have made 42 changes to their starting quarterback since Jim Harbaugh started in 1992. To put this into perspective, Brett, now “Jet” Favre has started every Packers and Jets game since September 27, 1992. Is Jay Cutler finally the savior and long-term solution at the quarterback position for the Bears? There is no way to know for sure, but even if he isn’t, it was worth the risk.