The reaction to the Jay Cutler trade has really surprised me. Some say the Bears gave up too much. Some say Cutler was acting like a baby. You could certainly make those arguments, but aren't the Broncos still the biggest loser in this deal?Chicago gave up two first rounds picks, a third and Kyle Orton in exchange for Jay Cutler and a fifth. As I see it, Cutler was drafted in the first round, so that cancels out one of those picks, and they had no need for Orton any longer. So an extra first rounder and a drop down from third to fifth doesn't seem unreasonable to me for your first franchise quarterback since Sid Luckman in the 1940s (or so I'm told).
It seems that from the second Cutler heard he was being discussed in trade talks, he was done in Denver. New head coach Josh McDaniels said Cutler made no effort to mend the relationship, and that's probably true. Maybe he overreacted. Maybe he could have handled it better. But you don't try to trade your franchise quarterback.
It took the Broncos almost 10 years to find a replacement for John Elway. Ten. Years. They had finally found the guy they could count on for the next 10 years, and then they traded him. Cutler threw for 4,500 yards and 25 touchdowns this season, and made the Pro Bowl. If the Broncos had a defense, they'd have been in the playoffs. But they had their leader to build around; they were on the right track.
Well, it's time to start over. Sure, they got three good draft picks out of it. But unless one of those picks is a quarterback better than Cutler, they lose. I don't care if they get a star running back, elite left tackle and a stud linebacker, they lose. You can't win without a quarterback. There's a realistic chance it will now take them another 10 years to replace Cutler. How is that a good deal?
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I don't think enough has been made about how Josh McDaniels botched this whole thing. It's his fault Cutler got pissed off. You don't disrespect your franchise player after he has the best season of his career. And then to politick with him that he's acting like a baby when you're the one on a power trip in your first stint as HC is idiotic. More than likely, Cutler still has upside — regardless of playing in a new system. There's a lesson to be learned by McDaniels: Don't shit the bed. Alright? Because now you have to lay in it. The rookie coach needs to understand that only a part of his job is installing plays. The other part is massaging the feelings of your star players and motivating them to be the best they can be. How is Cutler supposed to feel after giving the Broncos his best season to date, a pro bowl in tow, and still be thrown around in trade rumors? I'll tell you how I'd feel, like I'd been screwed.
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