A person with knowledge of the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity because the terms hadn't been announced by the team said the Broncos would receive two first-round draft picks, a third-rounder and quarterback Kyle Orton in return for Cutler and a fifth-round draft pick this year.
Your correct, the Bears best WR last season was Devin Hester and I'd rather have Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal but the Bears do have a good TE in Olsen and one thing the Bears do have is a solid RB in Forte, a guy who can not only run the ball but also catch it out of the backfield. Play-action will be available to Cutler in Chicago, something that wasnt available for him in Denver. Also the Bears have more talent on defense than the Broncos did last year. Definitely not having Marshall and Royal to throw to wont help though as you said.slurp said:The Bears don't have receivers of the caliber he had in Denver ..... we'll see who made who look good I guess. I think Denver made out very well considering and Cutler gets to be loved in Chicago as he seems to need. I don't think he'll make em good very soon though. He got his trade, hope he's happy.
Excellent comments Bob. Absolutely great comparison between Cutler and Brees. Last year also with Denver with the injuries in the backfield opposing defensive ends were just able to pin their ears back and tee off on Cutler, having Forte in the backfield will provide protection for Cutler in that just the mere threat of run or play-action can slow down a pass-rush.Bob Loblaw said:I view this as what Brees did for New Orleans. There were no major receiving stars there either, but Brees brought some firepower there, they had a steal in Colston (7th round pick), a solid RB in Duece plus the Reggie Bush excitement and a ton of emotion following Hurricane Katrina.
The Bears have that gunner now, a good RB in Forte, an explosive deep threat in Hester, Earl Bennett at WR who was Cutler's main target when they played together at Vanderbilt U, and a much better defense than the Saints had.
Exactly. Plus the offence should get more time of possession and not put so much stress on the defence. Not sure what type of passing yards Cutler will have but he should put up some pretty good numbers.Bob Loblaw said:I think people -- namely Bears fans and those who are itching to rip Cutler at the first sign of a struggle -- have to realize that he will not throw for 4,500 yards this year. He may not hit 4,000.
Cutler doesn't have Marshall and Royal; he has a running back now so he won't have to throw for 300+ yards every game; and he has a defense now, which means he won't have to put up 30+ points for the team to win.
And the biggest gain for the Bears will be how his addition will help the defense. This is a squad that saw an awful lot of three-and-outs from their offense. Now they'll see some extended drives, they'll get their rest and will be much fresher when it counts.
The receiving corps for years in Chicago have been an issue and certainly Rashied Davis and Brandon Lloyd are 2nd tier receivers at best, but I will say that the Bears have a solid TE in Olsen and lets not forget how Devin Hester played down the stretch last year, he was consistently getting behind secondaries and consistently drawing defensive PI calls. Last year however Orton was underthrowing HEster and there were numerous occasions where Orton missed Hester for what would have been sure TDs. I think Cutler will make those throws. I am very interested to see how the Cutler/Hester connection develops. Also, lets remember Tory Holt is still out there and granted his best years may be behind him but he can still be productive and if I were the Bears I would try and acquire him.Bob Loblaw said:I think people -- namely Bears fans and those who are itching to rip Cutler at the first sign of a struggle -- have to realize that he will not throw for 4,500 yards this year. He may not hit 4,000.
Cutler doesn't have Marshall and Royal; he has a running back now so he won't have to throw for 300+ yards every game; and he has a defense now, which means he won't have to put up 30+ points for the team to win.
And the biggest gain for the Bears will be how his addition will help the defense. This is a squad that saw an awful lot of three-and-outs from their offense. Now they'll see some extended drives, they'll get their rest and will be much fresher when it counts.
The Broncos running game has long been a unique one. They used Alex Gibbs Zone-Blocking scheme which requires smaller offensive lineman , (my Falcons employed this same scheme for 3 years during the Jim Mora Jr regime and led the league in rushing all 3 season). The success of the Denver Broncos running game over the last 10-15 years has more to do with the zone-blocking scheme employed by the offensive lineman and less to do with the actual backs themselves (no disrepect Terrel Davis). The zone-blocking scheme is basically zone blocking on the play-side and cut-blocking on the backside. The only drawback with this scheme is that because it requires smaller offensive lineman , pass-pro is compromised in most cases. The fact that Cutler is a mobile QB somewhat negates that drawback. With Orton not being very mobile, I think the pass-pro in Denver will get exposed.slurp said:Granted Cutler now has a TE to throw to so his short game may be improved. I'm throwing out the RB comments because the Broncos (except for last year when they were decimated at RB) have always had top flight RB production no matter who they plugged in. And a lot of em could catch.
Cutler is now playing for the Bears who have a short passing game out of necessity. That's not Cutler's strong suit and certainly not why he made All Pro. He's a downfield QB and likes to stretch the field and he'll most likely be unable due to talent or coaching philosophy. He may surprise and his short game could improve but it certainly isn't the team he would have picked if the choice was his. He went from one of the league's top offenses to one of it's worst. The Bears offensive troubles go beyond QB.
On the other hand, I expect Orton will play better for the Broncos than most expect. Daniels does know how to coach QBs.
I actually have to disagree with this comment because I did see several Bears games last season and the reason the Bears started to utilize Devin Hester on offense was to give them a vertical (or deep) threat to replace the departed Bernard Berrian (Vikings). There were several instances last season particularly down the stretch when Devin Hester got behind the secondary and Kyle Orton underthrew him. I can assure you, one thing that wont happen with Cutler is he wont underthrow a receiver. There were times where Hester had the DB beat and he had to slow down b/c the ball either hung up in the air or was underthrown, thus allowing the defensive back to recover and make a play on the football. Devin Hester got behind the secondary with such regularity that he was on many occasions drawing defensive PI's or illegal contact penalties.slurp said:Cutler is now playing for the Bears who have a short passing game out of necessity. That's not Cutler's strong suit and certainly not why he made All Pro. He's a downfield QB and likes to stretch the field and he'll most likely be unable due to talent or coaching philosophy.
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As a Bears fan, I suppose I have to give my two cents.ckupets04 said:I actually have to disagree with this comment because I did see several Bears games last season and the reason the Bears started to utilize Devin Hester on offense was to give them a vertical (or deep) threat to replace the departed Bernard Berrian (Vikings). There were several instances last season particularly down the stretch when Devin Hester got behind the secondary and Kyle Orton underthrew him. I can assure you, one thing that wont happen with Cutler is he wont underthrow a receiver. There were times where Hester had the DB beat and he had to slow down b/c the ball either hung up in the air or was underthrown, thus allowing the defensive back to recover and make a play on the football. Devin Hester got behind the secondary with such regularity that he was on many occasions drawing defensive PI's or illegal contact penalties.
I have mentioned on some of the cutler threads that I believe that the Bears misused Hester last season by using him too much on offense because it took away from his special teams ability. In fact correct me if I'm wrong Captain but didnt Daniel Manning perform better in the return duties than Hester last season?Captain Fantastic said:As a Bears fan, I suppose I have to give my two cents.
1. I don't like the move. While not being privvy to the insider knowledge of the Denver locker room or front office, I can say that Jay Cutler has acted like a ninny in this situation. He has never proven to be a winner or a leader in the past and he acts like a jackass at times - not something you want to see out of your quarterback. Plus I think da Bears gave up too much for him. Orton is a solid quarterback who could be very good in the right system (the Bears' offensive coordinators of the past 20 years or so have been, in a word, offensive.)
2. The Bears have serious issues on the offensive line (I'm very worried that Orlando Pace may be shot) and receiver. Plus the defence is getting up there in age and lacks depth, particularly at DT, safety and linebacker, where Urlacher is totally overrated and is on the decline. Giving away 3 high draft picks does not help. I especially hate giving up the 3rd rounder, where you can get very good value. Plus who's the backup QB now? Brett Basanez? Caleb Hanie? Another position that needs to be addressed, along with the hit in salary cap dollars.
3. Devin Hester is NOT a good receiver. He is a #3 receiver that can spread the field at times. Yes, he sometimes "outran" coverage, but that was more due to the fact that defences didn't respect the Bears' passing game, Hester as a receiver or Orton/Grossman as quarterbacks. Hester drops the ball too much, period. Plus, his play at receiver definitely took away from his play as a return man, where he is arguably more valuable as a game-changer. He should only be on the field on offence for third downs and passing series.
The receivers in Chicago are totally underwhelming. Earl Bennett? Rashied Davis? Devin Aromashodu, John Broussard and Brandon Rideau? Are you kidding me? Tight end Greg Olsen has a case of the dropsies and Desmond Clark is on his way out. Kellen Davis is a backup at best. One word sums up the receiving corps: U-G-L-Y. There's no Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Tony Scheffler, Brandon Stokley or Daniel Graham here. And no Mike Shanahan as coach - he was the true "mastermind" <ha!> behind the Denver offence.
Here's hoping to a few key free agent pickups and a good draft in the 2nd and much later rounds. And that the defence can hold up. And that Hester re-finds his return magic. And...
There are def only 3 first round calibre QBs available in the draft, Stafford, Sanchez and Freeman. I think Sanchez fits the system in Denver the most but failing that I would def take Freeman if they arent able to move up to make a play on Sanchez.addicted2whiskey said:I'd be patient.... Simms was a pretty darn good qb before he got hurt. Orton will make a great backup. Josh Freeman would be a great understudy and should be on the board when Denver uses Chicago's pick in this draft. If he's not there I'd rather Denver look at a solid defensive player.
