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Jay Cutler no answer to Chicago Bears' woes
Huddle up? Not with this confused quarterback
Rick Morrissey
In the wake of the news
April 3, 2009
If Jay Cutler doesn't raise red flags, Bears fans, you are color blind. From all appearances and indications, he has the maturity level of larva.
Two weeks ago, he demanded the Broncos trade him. On Wednesday, he said he had wanted to stay with the Broncos all along.
On Friday, I'm guessing he will say he's ecstatic about the Bears and deep-dish pizza.
This is exactly the kind of steely resolve you want in your huddle, isn't it?
Well, you're about to get it. The Bears on Thursday traded their first- and third-round picks this year, their first-round pick next year and Kyle Orton to the Broncos in exchange for Cutler, a 2009 fifth-round pick and a six-pack of baby formula.
Here's hoping Cutler gets his act together, but the past month hasn't been what anyone would call "good."
Mind-set is extremely important in the NFL, and no one seems to have any clue what Cutler's is. On Wednesday, he talked with FoxSports.com, and it was as if he said, A guy demands to be traded and people actually take him seriously!
"I was surprised they decided to trade me this soon," he said before the deal was struck. "I didn't want to get traded. This wasn't me. [The Broncos] had been going back and forth saying things, wanting me to be their quarterback and then they didn't.
"I really didn't want this. I love Denver. I really like my teammates. I didn't want it to get this far."
This has to be a land-speed record for revisionist history.
Let's try to recall the chain of events. Cutler was severely miffed when the Broncos' new coach included him in a proposed deal that would have brought then-New England quarterback Matt Cassel to Denver. Cutler pouted that the Broncos said bad things about him. Cutler insisted that he be traded.
More recently, he expressed surprise at the turn of events that put him on the trading block. He also said Denver never tried calling him over a 10-day span ending Tuesday, to which Broncos owner Pat Bowlen reportedly said: Would you care to see the telephone records?
And Cutler is the guy you want in your huddle, Bears fans?
If the Broncos wanted to punish him, they succeeded. They traded him to the Bears. He will get here and wonder where the Chicago versions of Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal are. And then general manager Jerry Angelo will have to put an arm around him and inform him the Bears don't have any wide receivers.
John Elway in his prime would have a hard time succeeding with this group.
All we have heard the past few weeks is Cutler is better than Orton. And it's true he's more talented. But I'll say it until I'm navy blue in the face: The Bears need wide receivers, not a quarterback. It's why some of us were willing to put up with Terrell Owens. Putting up with Cutler doesn't sound fun or necessary.
That didn't stop the lust for him from reaching levels that would make Pamela Anderson blush. Few people in Chicago want to look beyond his gaudy stats. In the last three games of 2008, all losses, he threw two touchdown passes and four interceptions. The Broncos had a three-game division lead with three games left and didn't make the playoffs.
Cutler was upset new Broncos coach Josh McDaniels showed him no respect. The quarterback forgot two things. First, he has been a starter for only two years in the NFL. Second, everyone in the league is a commodity and subject to the whims of the people who sign the paychecks.
It's not personal. It's business.
When it comes to throwing yourself at the Next Big Thing, Chicago is no different than any other city. Fans couldn't wait for Rex Grossman to get a chance. Then they couldn't wait for Orton to get a chance. Remember all the gushing over Orton last season until he hurt his ankle? And now fans can't wait for somebody else. Until another somebody else walks by.
The Bears decided they had to get the quarterback position right. Translation: Angelo wasn't sold on Orton and didn't want to pay him. He's about to pay Cutler a lot of money to be the leader on offense.
And those wide receivers the Bears desperately need—where will they come from when there are no draft picks or money?
Cutler said he loved everything about Denver, including the fans and his teammates. Yet he wanted out at the first hint of trouble. Why should anyone believe it will be different in Chicago?
rmorrissey@tribune.com
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Jay Cutler no answer to Chicago Bears' woes
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