Behind Enemy Lines – Jay Cutler Edition
I’ve grabbed the camouflage that I frequently don during the regular season to get the scoop on the Jay Cutler situation from around the league. Check out this video of Bronco’s Head Coach Josh McDaniels discussing the trade:
Check out the Kyle Orton comments at about the 3:23 mark of the video. Interesting to see how he’s viewed by his new team.
Speaking of Orton, he has already arrived in Denver, raring to go.
"“I couldn’t wait to get out here and get to know the guys, first and foremost,” Orton said Friday afternoon inside the Broncos’ locker room. “And then dive headfirst into learning a new system.”"
It’s not a good sign when the opening of the article introducing the new quarterback starts out like this:
"OK, fine, Jay Cutler has a stronger arm than Kyle Orton. Big whoop. True, Cutler in three years has bigger career passing numbers than Orton has in four years. Whatever.Given the events of the past five weeks, here’s why Orton should bring comfort to Broncos fans: He’s already made it inside the building."
If the best they can say about Orton is that he showed up, that’s not exactly knocking anyone over with praise.
The article goes on to say that Orton showed up “dressed casually” and having shaved his gameday beard, so it looks like he’s looking for a “clean slate” as well. Orton was given jersey number 8 in Denver, which has been a jinx here in Chicago for the like of Rex Grossman and Cade McNown. For Kyle’s sake, I hope that doesn’t carry over to Denver. I always liked Orton and wish that he wasn’t included in the trade – he is a perfect backup QB.
Former Bronco great John Elway chimed in on the Cutler trade in Woody Paige’s column:
"“I’m disappointed. . . . It’s a sad day for one of the elite franchises in football and all the Broncos fans, and I’m sad.”Mr. Bronco, the greatest player in the history of Colorado professional sports, genuinely was conflicted when he heard the large, but expected, news.“Too bad they couldn’t find a way to fix it. I had been hoping they could put it back together.”For 10 years, since Elway retired after consecutive Super Bowl victories, the Broncos have been searching . . . craving . . . praying for a worthy successor to The Duke of Denver, but it was not Brian Griese or Jake Plummer, and Cutler now is not to be.“Jay’s a great talent. I think he can really play the game and has a chance to be a great quarterback in his career,” Elway said. “But they went so far down the road, and I guess there was no turning back.”"
The Broncos have been searching for 10 years? Boo freakin’ hoo! Try searching for a real franchise QB since World War II and give me a call.
Bernie Lincicome, a long time Chicago Tribune columnist and more recently Rocky Mountain News columnist, who has now been relegated to the blogosphere, had this to say:
"Cutler got a team with a defense, a team with a running game, a team with a proven coach, with an established coordinator and, if a little light in the pass catching area, a team with time to fix that.As will be seen soon enough, it was Cutler who made Brandon Marshall a Pro Bowler, not the other way around.The Bears are now not only measurably better than they were, they have every right to believe that they are. The Bears have the best quarterback they have had since Jim McMahon, who was more a force of nature than a quarterback.The Bears now have the best quarterback in the NFC, no insult to Drew Brees. And they have him for the next decade. The Broncos should check and see if they still have their wallets and underwear."
Maybe it’s not fair to put Bernie in the “Behind Enemy Lines” post, but he has an interesting perspective having spent time in both cities, most recently Denver.
Here’s what they had to say in Cheeseland, in Mike Vanermause’s column in the Green Bay Press Gazette:
"Life in the Green Bay Packers’ division got a whole lot more interesting thanks to the Chicago Bears’ desperate attempt to solve their more than half-century-old quarterback problem.AdvertisementThe Bears paid a staggering price to acquire Jay Cutler on Thursday, a move that will make or break the career of General Manager Jerry Angelo.It will also provide a fascinating case study in the NFC North involving the Packers, Bears and Minnesota Vikings."
Okay, Mike, call the Bears desperate if you must, but we’ll see what you think when the Bears offense drops 50 on you opening night at Lambeau!
Meanwhile, my Vikings colleague had this to say:
"And now we have to deal with a Bears team that sports a real quarterback. Does this make Chicago the favorite in the division?"
I’m glad they are getting a grip on the reality of the situation.
Meanwhile, the Lions blog had this to say:
"HA HA CHICAGO. Ya’ll gave them the tractor, the cattle and the pick up truck. How are you going to run your farm Ol’McLovey? 2 first rounders, a third and Kyle Orton? Good lord! The Bears have really leveraged their future. Granted, they don’t do very well drafting in the first round. I mean, they aren’t LIONS Bad, but they’ve had quite a few first round busts in the past decade."
Any team that goes 0-16 never gets the right to laugh again. Not at anything, not at anyone. Ever. Never.
Well, I’ll have more Cutler analysis to come. The next time he has a bowel movement, we’ll have it for you here first on All Things Cutler, I mean, Bear Goggles On.
JAY DOWN!!!