Chicago Bears need to make a big play for disgruntled Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler
When Bears wide receiver Earl Bennett needed a quarterback to throw him passes during Bennett's Pro Day a year ago at Vanderbilt, he called Jay Cutler. It was a local call, and Bennett already knew the number.
Though it is unusual for an NFL starting quarterback to serve in the capacity of practice arm, Cutler obliged. Cutler was Vanderbilt's quarterback in 2005 when Bennett finished second in the Southeastern Conference with 79 catches for 876 yards and nine TDs
The two former Commodores obviously shared a bond from that one season together in college and they also happen to share an agent, Bus Cook.
Of all the reasons the Bears need to thrust themselves into the middle of increasingly realistic trade talks with the Denver Broncos for the disgruntled Cutler, his history with Bennett is low on the list.
But the rest of the reasons remain so obvious that it would be like starting a discussion about Chicago winters by pointing out that it helps to have a shovel.
The Bears have missed the playoffs two straight years. They are a franchise that never has had a modern-day franchise quarterback. They have a GM in Jerry Angelo on record this off-season saying he is "fixated," on fixing the position. They have a defense respected around the league.
They also can read and, despite the lack of activity this off-season, it is presumed their phones still work.
They would offer Cutler a Midwestern option close to his Indiana roots, a chance to play for his favorite boyhood team and, if they're smart, a fat, new contract that helps compensate for the lack of big-play receivers on the roster.
Other NFL teams need quarterbacks too. The Jets, Lions, Vikings, Buccaneers and Browns all have been mentioned in various reports as potential trade partners with the Broncos.
To sit idly by after Cutler officially has requested a trade from the Broncos would be professional negligence by the Bears. One day Kyle Orton still can develop into a solid NFL quarterback. Cutler already is.
Ever been to one of those chain restaurants where the menu specials require you to choose one selection out of different categories and combinations for a certain price? That's the way the Bears should consider structuring any trade proposal to the Broncos.
Under one heading would be expendable players of good enough quality to pique interest: Orton, Brian Urlacher, Nathan Vasher, Marcus Harrison. Pick one, Broncos GM Brian Xanders.
Under another would be corresponding high 2009 draft picks: Orton would come with a third, Urlacher with a second and Vasher and/or Harrison with a first. Mix and match, Broncos coach Josh McDaniels.
The third category would be 2010 draft picks. Whatever the Broncos think they still would need, make it available.
Is clinging to the possibility of a second-round pick next season really worth sacrificing for the reality of a Pro Bowl quarterback? The NFL team that finds a way to trade for Cutler instantly becomes the team that enjoyed the best off-season. The Broncos instantly would have the worst.
Young franchise quarterbacks on the verge of their prime just don't become available every day, every year or every decade. That isn't exactly breaking news in Chicago. Around here, that's like telling people to watch out for potholes.
This isn't just a window of opportunity for the Bears; it's like the doors of an airplane hangar opening wide type of opportunity.
"Really, it's best for me to move on," Cutler told ESPN.com.
Anything else Cutler said before and after that, to the ears of Bears' fans, is just noise.
If Cutler would get another chance to throw to Bennett again in a Bears uniform, Chicago would forgive Angelo for letting unwarranted faith in the second-year receiver justify the GM ignoring available veteran wide receivers on the market.
Offensive-minded coaches such as McDaniels prefer to be so in sync with their quarterbacks that they agree on the same flavor of chewing gum. The Cutler-McDaniels marriage doesn't look like one even counseling can save. These things happen.
Honestly, the reasons matter little in Chicago. If Cutler comes off as slightly petty in all this, fine. It's petulance worth paying for to a team that never has had a quarterback with such potential.
