Dec. 30, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) walks off the field after defeating the Detroit Lions 26-24 at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
The waiting is the hardest part. Waiting for rookie camp to open, OTAs, June cap casualties, training camp, preseason and finally the opening kick-off of the 2013 NFL season. As Chicago Bears fans, our waiting is magnified, because we are eager to see what impact the Marc Trestman regime has on our Beloved. Are we beginning a new Ditka-like era of dominance with an all too quick fall from grace? Will it be a Wannstedt-like era of mediocrity and shame all too recognizable with comparisons of football players to puzzle pieces that “fly around the field” with too many “ah-ah-ah’s” thrown in? Are we beginning another Lovie-like era with its slow southern drawl and teams just good enough to save coaching jobs? Or, is this something new entirely?
Regardless of what form the new regime takes, one aspect is markedly different from all of the others. This regime is starting with a franchise-caliber quarterback in Jay Cutler. None of the previous regimes had that luxury and by all accounts, Emery and Trestman are betting big on Jay Cutler. Betting big without a contract extension? How can that be?
The Bears currently sit with Cutler as the only NFL quality starting quarterback on its roster. Sure, Josh McCown is a nice back-up and Matt Blanchard has some tools, but he is not ready for the big stage. The Bears have invested significantly in its O-line this offseason through free agency and the draft all in the spirit of keeping Cutler upright. I won’t go into whether or not they have just added more chicken shit into the mix in the hopes of making a great chicken salad or not, but they have clearly made the O-line a point of emphasis. It is almost to the point where I think the competition for those 8 or 9 roster spots can do nothing but ensure that we will have the best O-line Jay Cutler has ever taken a snap behind in his tenure as a Bear. By my count there are 15 OL-men on the roster and 9 of them having starting NFL experience, so the competition will be fierce and under OL guru, Aaron Kromer, let’s hope the cream rises to the top.
By investing this much on the O-line and by not drafting or bringing in anyone who would compete with Cutler, Emery and Trestman are pushing all their chips into the middle of the table and come hell or high water, Jay Cutler is going to be their starting QB for the long-term. What remains to be seen is how much money that costs the Bears after this season and Cutler’s contract is up. I cannot see a scenario where Cutler plays himself out of a job or where this new regime after ONE season will “go in a different direction” at the most important position on the field. No, I think that time has passed and the gauntlet has been laid down…this is Jay’s team, post the Urlach-a-lypto now and Emery and company are going to fix what’s broken around him.
Hmmm…fixing what’s broken around a franchise quarterback seems like such a novel concept and I wonder why it took so long for management to figure that out…
CAN I GET AN AMEN?!?!?!?!?!?
The DeCon has spoken, so let it be written, so let it be done…