Cutler should re-write the Bears record books for QBs. He's a better quarterback than what they've had. I don't like a lot of things he's done off the field, but as long as he doesn't steal Lance Briggs' sports car and stays out of jail... I think we'll put up with his act.

My reservations with this deal, and I apparantly didn't communicate this very well in Thursday's Sun-Times, lie as much in the Bears coaching staff as they do with Cutler. Forget the Bears 90-year history... just look at what the Bears offense has done, particularly the play of the QBs, during Lovie Smith's regime and going back to Ron Turner's first run as OC. It's not an impressive record. Grossman didn't develop and he showed flashes. Orton showed flashes, then regressed. I don't buy the theory it's the receivers, either, because when those two QBs were going well, the receivers -- even the great Bernard Berrian, Rashied Davis and Brandon Lloyd -- looked like playmakers. I don't have much trust in Turner and Pep Hamilton to make Cutler better than he already is.

That doesn't mean I'm disappointed they're giving it a shot. Angelo's move(s) were so unBearlike. They NEVER have made the big move before. Ever. Bryan Cox was a big signing in '96, but he didn't play the most important position on the field. I applaud Angelo for stepping up and pulling the trigger, something invariably reserved for 31 other teams in the past.

Cutler strikes me as a baby. Even if he felt Denver was a bad organization, he should have returned the phone call from his head coach Josh McDaniels. It's okay to disagree and even continue to demand a trade, but not returning your coach's call is insubordinant, disrespectful and childish. I want a cocky quarterback, but also one who realizes he's a part of a team. I'll be eager to see if Cutler is that. I hope he is, but if I were betting on it, I'd bet on Cutler to be the next dislikeable Bears star.

Another angle to this trade is the draft picks the Bears forfeited. If that's the price of poker, fine. But I can't help but think Angelo has a tremendous fear of hearing "The Bears are on the clock" when it's still the first round. His first-round picks, with Harris and Olson excepted, have been bad. Still, if he fears the first round and always is willing to trade those selections, that's not good. You can't pass on higher rounds just because your record is sub-par there. You still have to stand at the plate and take your swings at some point.

In the overrated department: Cutler passing yards. As someone pointed out in another thread, the Broncos defense was horrible late last year. Trailing as often as they did, of course they're going to be slinging it. Cutler, I think, averaged 38 throws per game last season. Gaudy passing stats are great in fantasy, not always great in reality. Troy Aikman didn't rack up 350-yard games with Dallas, but he won three championships. I understand he also had the NFL's all-time leading rusher to give the ball to, but the point is this: big passing stats do not translate to wins/championships.

Synopsis: it's a good time to be a Bears fan. It's a bold move... exciting. But take caution with your excitement. Don't forget that Cutler still has a way to go... and the Bears don't possess a staff with a proven track record of bringing guys to that next level. And if Cutler winds up being a colossal jagoff.... it could be a distrraction for the team... while giving talk shows and message boards plenty of fodder.

Can you order his jearsey yet?

And Cutler said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the offensive line, and let it divide the end from the tackles. And Cutler made the firmament in the name of Pace, and divided the defense which were under the firmament from the slot receivers which were beyond the firmament: and it was so. And Cutler called the firmament Protection. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

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You know me like that.

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Has there been a #6 since K. Butler?

Dan I remember a guy named Brett Favre who had issues in Atlanta and a reckless abandon when he got to Green Bay and somehow grew up and put it all together but again he had guys like Holmgren , Gruden, Reid and many others to mentor him. Cutler reminds me of a young Favre but Brett had coaching and weapons to work with and I don't see Lovie being the mentor type and if the Bears do shit the bed next season would they bring in Chicago native Mike Shannahan and reunite them together?

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"lET ME , Worry about Luca Brasi"

NO!! NO!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!


DO NOT bring B. Favre into this!!! He has nothing to do with anything. NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

It's killing my buddy not to have a Mic in his hand on a day like this. ..Hang in there Mackey !!!

At least I have a keyboard, STU. ... not to mention a fine recipe for champagne lemon chicken, thanks to your Rachel Ray lovin' ass.

It's absolute bullshit that we can't hear D. McNeil's thoughts about the trade & O. Pace signing today. I could give a flying fuck about what L. Holmes, D. Hampton, M. Murphy, H. Teinowitz, C. Defalco, the 2 to 6 gigglefest on 670 or what Waddle & Slapdick have to say.

ESPN 1000 sucks without D. McNeil.

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The rumor is Rachel Ray loves sausage stuffed into her oven. The back of the oven that is. I had hockey chick ready for me to baste her muffin the other night with my culinary bravado. You were just shocking her with you're views on the 5 on 3 power play.

CRAM IT!!!!

D. McNeil is not a windsock.

OMGGGGGGGGGGGG

I agree with most everything you are saying here Mac, and the way he's handled the departure in Denver was very weak. But one of the problems with the incredible amount of coverage stories of this nature receive, I'm looking at you ESPN, is that it erases everyone's long term memory. If it didn't happen in the past two weeks, we've forgotten about it.

Wasn't it just about a year ago that Cutler was being praised as a leader for calling out Brandon Marshall for his off-the-field transgressions? I believe there was a DUI as well as some ridiculous injury due to "horseplay", and Cutler received universal praise for speaking up. Now doing that publicly may be up for debate, but my point is, prior to this whole trade fiasco, has Cutler done anything to make you belief he won't be that franchise guy we've been searching for?

Best case, we've got that franchise QB. Worst case, he's Jeff George. Either way, it'll be entertaining.

You read that pile of crap column yesterday where he wrote all those inaccurate statistics saying why the Bears shouldn't get Cutler?

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I thought D. McNeil made some excellent points in his "piece of crap he wrote". I'm sure he still feels the exact same way, even though the trade has given him excitement for the upcoming 2009 campaign.

His two main points against the acquisition of J. Cutler are: 1. His Erratic Play 2. Immaturity. Even the biggest J. Cutler supporters cannot dispute these two caution signals.

Let's take a closer look:

1) D. McNeil starts by stating: Cutler's erratic play is reason enough for Bears general manager Jerry Angelo to pass on cutting a deal for the disgruntled Denver Broncos quarterback. If you need more, Cutler's immature attitude, coupled with the Bears' inability to reach players with those issues, are reasons to steer clear.

.... and backs up his description about the erratic play with these facts:

Cutler has been in the league three years, and his next playoff appearance will be his first.

Blame fantasy football. Big numbers have distorted reality so much, we can't decipher what's good anymore. Cutler threw for more than 4,500 yards last season and made the Pro Bowl, but when the Broncos needed him to be ''the man'' and take them to the playoffs, he spit the bit.

Denver lost to Carolina, Buffalo and San Diego in its final three games. Cutler, who earlier in the year said he had a stronger arm than Hall of Famer John Elway, threw two touchdown passes and was intercepted four times in that stretch. His passer rating was lower than 50 in two of the losses.

.... and then follows it all up with this funny quip: Sounds more like Rex Grossman than Elway.

LOL.

2) To further make his point about the erractic play, D. McNeil provides the reader with more facts. Let's take a look: Cutler threw 25 touchdown passes with 18 interceptions and posted an above-average 86 rating in 2008. He also contributed largely to bad losses to Kansas City -- after a 3-0 start -- and to Oakland in Week 12 at home.

3) The immaturity has been a large issue for the local football squad and here D. McNeil explains: If the Bears had a track record of making good soldiers out of questionable characters, it would be easier to have an open mind. I struggle, however, to imagine coach Lovie Smith and his wingmen helping Cutler see the light.

They didn't do it with Tank Johnson. Or Cedric Benson. Last year, Tommie Harris became a sideshow.

4) To further ad his doubts, D. McNeil supplements his arguement with thoughts about L. Staff and his smith: Even if the Bears were able to tame Cutler, there is no evidence they're able to unlock his potential. The Bears never have developed quarterbacks.

5) D. McNeil wraps up the article acknowledging that K. Orton is not the answer: It's true the Bears have more questions than answers about Kyle Orton, but Orton shares more with Cutler than people know. With their teams fighting for a wild-card berth, both posted sub-50 ratings in two of their final three games last season.
Both will be 26 when the season begins. Both have shown flashes, then performed like clueless rookies, long after their first seasons.

..... before bycrackying us with this: Both have a fondness for scruffy facial hair.


6) Continuing his stance on J. Cutler's poor attitude, D. McNeil closes with this: I don't see Orton petulantly not replying to a text from his head coach, however, when Smith praises the play of Brett Basanez in a preseason game this August. Orton likely won't be baited into a war of words with another quarterback in his division, the way Cutler was last year with San Diego's Philip Rivers.
Dare I suggest that Orton -- the kid made infamous for an Internet photo of him slurping sour mash in an Iowa bar during his first season -- has a leg up on Cutler when it comes to maturity and leadership?

7) In closing, D. McNeil reiterates what he believes is a MUST intangible of an NFL quarterback; leadership. Something that we all know K. Orton has failed to demonstrate as well as J. Cutler: A good leader must be willing to be unpopular. So far, that's the only part of the job Cutler has down.


So G. Klooptoz - I don't really see why D. McNeil can't still hold these same reservations about the trade but, at the same time, be excited for the 2009 Chicago Bear season. A new era has begun.

Linda S.

Great POST Linda

Gloopan - I hear there is a little blue pill that can help you with that issue you are having with your flag....

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Does your cat make too much noise? Try KITTEN MITTENS!


Charlie: Oh shit. Look at that door dude. See that door right there? That door marked 'Pirate'? You think a pirate lives in there?
Dennis: I see a door marked 'Private.'

gloopan strikes and exposes the hypocrite again !!!! ,all you ass kissers can go lick some macnuts

Da Ma Ne,

I agree with you on your call for guarded optimism, but I think the important thing to consider is that for the first time in my 41 years on this planet the Bears have made a BOLD MOVE. Was it costly? Depends. I think we all know that Jerry has Pre-Traumatic First Round Draft Syndrome for the most part. He swings and misses more than most.

While Cutler will bring up the quality of the receivers that the Bears have, I still feel we need to get someone that will be a difference maker. Can Hester be that person? Depends on if they install GPS in his helmet to run the precise routes. Cutler will be able to make up for some deviations, but not all.

Pace will be a huge help as will the upgraded line, but not all the work is done yet - I hope.

For once the era of fans wishing for the backup QB in Chicago will come to an end and that is reason enough to rejoice.

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Does your cat make too much noise? Try KITTEN MITTENS!


Charlie: Oh shit. Look at that door dude. See that door right there? That door marked 'Pirate'? You think a pirate lives in there?
Dennis: I see a door marked 'Private.'

Great - a mult of Gloopan - just what the world needs.

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Does your cat make too much noise? Try KITTEN MITTENS!


Charlie: Oh shit. Look at that door dude. See that door right there? That door marked 'Pirate'? You think a pirate lives in there?
Dennis: I see a door marked 'Private.'

we need more voices that dont drink the idol kool-aid,and constantly agree with everything their man crush spouts out of their pie hole.we already have numerous members of the mac ALS .........deg. dave to macs rescue again

That's ok - just make sure you and all your mults keep clicking on Da Ma Ne articles. SAWBUCKS

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Does your cat make too much noise? Try KITTEN MITTENS!


Charlie: Oh shit. Look at that door dude. See that door right there? That door marked 'Pirate'? You think a pirate lives in there?
Dennis: I see a door marked 'Private.'

Agreed. I would also add that 1 Pro Bowl appearance is not any guarantee of greatness. I seem to remember another Bronco QB making that trip...I believe his name was Griese.

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“Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office.”- JD Vance
“My god, what an !diot.”- JD Vance tweet on Trump
“I’m a ‘Never Trump’ guy”- JD Vance

Windsock.

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Gloopy needs help again. He just wrote this: Mac has already admitted that he fabricated this stat.

I didn't admit to fabricating anything, you moron. I admitted I made a mistake. Get back to your paint by numbers.

I broke down your entire damn article for him and he's still struggling with it.

I just don't know what else to do.

Hey G. Klooptoz - there's a really disgusting franchise a few hours north in Green Bay, WI. Go there and support that trash and leave us and our new franchise quarterback alone!!

I don't know how immature he is. His coach and his owner lied to him. I think this would have been handled differently if maybe they had been more honest. Cutler didn't drag this out into the open either, he didn't go to the media, and I don't know that he did much to make this worse or at least as bad as it could have been. He has never been buddy buddy with his teammates but has shown he can work with them and produce. I'd give him that chance here.

It concerns me that his play was erratic. In a lot of the games they lost they weren't scoring a lot of points.

Time will tell if this was the right move. See how the draft goes and who we could have had and what they develop into. He is already the best qb the Bears have had. I'll support him til he no longer deserves that support if that day ever comes.

Worst part of this thread is that Stu is handing out Rachel Ray recipes. That is bad.