If you haven’t been living under a rock, then you have heard the news:  Jay Cutler is a Chicago Bear.

On April 2, General Manager Jerry Angelo made a bold move that will either make or break his career when he acquired the Denver Broncos quarterback.

In the trade, the Bears gave up this year and next year’s first round picks, a third round pick, and current quarterback Kyle Orton.  They received Cutler and a fifth round pick in return.

Now, it is no secret that the Bears have had quarterback problems, but is Cutler the QB the Bears need?

More than likely, no.

The problem with the Bears isn’t the fact that they don’t have a good QB.  The problem is that they have no receivers for him to throw to.

The Bears’ best receiver is Devin Hester, a defensive back in college, who began his career as a return specialist.  Hester has hands of stone.  He is improving, but is it enough to be a major threat in the 09-10 season?

It’s doubtful.

The most Hester is probable to do next year is to keep the pressure off of running back Matt Forte, while making a big play here or there.  He is no Larry Fitzgerald or Steve Smith and won’t be for many years.

The Cutler deal may also not be a good trade because he might have some issues adjusting to the Bears’ offensive scheme.

Denver is a pass-happy team with many good receivers.  Chicago is a run-first offense with two somewhat decent receivers.  Adjusting for Cutler is going to be a difficult process, and if he has low stats, he has had attitude issues in the past that might show themselves.  Cutler is very good with good receivers, but those just don’t exist on the Bears, unless they spend their first draft pick on the best receiver left.

One reason Cutler might be good is because he is an excellent scrambler, something the Bears haven’t had in the past.  With an aging offensive line, the new Bears QB is going to need to be good on his feet.

Most Bear fans were worried about Kyle Orton being the quarterback.  However, Orton was not a horrible QB.  He was okay.  He was great when he was healthy, and then played almost the entire season hurt.  Now that he is gone, the Bears no longer have any back-ups who have had playing time or previous experience.

Jay Cutler is going to be an improvement over Kyle Orton, but not by much.  The Bears now have a quarterback who can handle the pressure of being a starter. 

Still, this move is like the boy with his finger plugging the hole in a breaking dam.  It may fix one hole, but it is no solution to a much bigger problem.

--Submitted by Dave Maz, Media Manager