Phew. The NFL is a fun league.

The Denver Broncos have traded Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears (pending a physical examination). I am not going to go into details about the trade because this story is going to be on every news station today but I can throw in my 2cents.

What a deal!

I like both QBs involved in the trade, Cutler and Horton.

I remember watching Horton during his rookie year (camp and preseason) and thinking, "this guy definitely has some talent". I told my brother at that time that Kyle Horton should be able to play in the NFL for sure; and then I picked up Horton for my Fantasy Football team that season. Unfortunately, the Bears lost their minds in giving the reigns to Rex Grossman and it looked like Horton would not get a chance to reach his potential. Fast forward a few years until today and it looks like Horton has finally made a name for himself - just not on the football field. He will now (potentially, assuming the trade goes through) go down in history as part of the Jay Cutler trade.

As for Cutler, he would do well to embrace this deal whole-heartedly. He is leaving an increasingly competitive division in the AFC West to go to a relatively easy NFC North division. Nothing can beat having to play the Packers, the Vikings and the Lions twice every season; anything short of 3 wins versus that division would be a disappointment. That leaves 10 games for the Bears to pound out wins. Something tells me the Bears will be making some noise next season and I can not wait for the official 2009 schedules to be announced.

One thing is for sure, the August 30th preseason matchup between the 2 teams will be sold out.

Both teams come out as winners in this trade. The Broncos are poised to start off the Josh McDaniels era with a fresh bang along with 10 draft picks. The Bears are poised to make another deep playoff run with the acquisition of Cutler and Orlando Pace along with (most likely) a newly minted WR from the draft. If the Cardinals can make the Superbowl, the Bears can do it too. Cutler certainly should not be lacking any motivation to prove himself.

2 other teams that greatly benefit from this trade are the Minnesota Vikings and the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers no longer have an excuse if they do not win the AFC West division and the Vikings better start working the phones to acquire a Premier QB soon - for example, Donovan McNabb (McNabb and AP, imagine that!). This year's draft just got interesting.

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It is about time

I mentioned in a previous article that the Jay Cutler-Josh McDaniels-Denver Broncos issue was getting too drawn out (well, I alluded to it anyway). It seems like the whole ordeal will soon be at an end.


It all started when Josh McDaniels (the new Broncos Head Coach from the way of the New England Patriots) had some sort of discussion with the Kansas City Chiefs about a possible trade for Cutler in exchange for Matt Cassel and this did not go over well with Cutler. He has since stated that he no longer trusts McDaniels or the Broncos and claimed irreconcilable differences.


It is about time the Broncos brass showed some balls in this matter. I love watching Jay Cutler play and there is no denying how talented or exciting this guy is on the football field however, he just is not being reasonable. How many times does McNabb's name come up in trade talks? Drew Bledsoe played for how many teams? Kurt Warner, how many teams has he played for now?? That goes with the territory. Cutler should not trouble himself with all the he said-she said rhetoric. He has talent, he can play at a high-level and he is a young guy; who cares what stance the Broncos have? He needs to protect his family and his welfare 1st, his teammates' 2nd, the fans and then the Broncos. It seems to me that he was expecting too much from the Broncos.


Hopefully, Cutler does get traded for Cassel or a high draft pick. If the Broncos want to start over with Stafford, great. Cutler should use this as motivation to go after the title next season because, no matter what team he plays for now, he has all the support he will need to be successful. I hope he does not talk to the media anymore until it is decided when and where he will be playing once the season starts. I wish both parties the best of luck.

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When Jeff Fisher Shows Up With A Monkey, Vince, Run!!

Jeff Fisher is not backing off his Owners' Meeting statements that indicated that Vince Young would have to work his way back into the starting lineup. uhmmm. I have always respected Fisher for everything he does for football including his being the longest tenured coach and Co-chair for the NFL competition committee; however, he is losing me on this one.

This reminds me of another QB named Steve Young. For years, the elder Young was pretty much stuck in the shadow of one Joe Montana - year after year - until finally the 49er brass allowed him to just go and play ball. Of course there are some clear differences between the 2 Youngs that anyone could easily point out but they would be ignoring all the similarities. VY10 is an absolute legend for his numerous accomplishments same as the elder (except Vince won the national title). They both also experienced some hardships very early in their careers.

I definitely still think VY10 is a great talent right now and it is shocking to read and hear about Fisher's stance on the QB. It seems to me that Vince better start looking to another destination and fast. Like I said at the top, I respect Fisher. He has always come across as a good coach and a decent man but his words are not particularly re-assuring. With 3 years still left on a Rookie (7 year) contract, Vince Young really needs to start taking control of his own faith. It might just be the right time to move on. It is not easy and probably the Titans will be antagonistic about the possibility of him leaving, however he has to move on to further his career. The Jets could use a QB. The Vikings (yes, Vikings) could use a QB. The warm weather Tampa Bay Buccaneers could use a QB. Young's agent needs to get Raheem Morris on speed dial asap. It is admirable that VY10 has done all the right things up to now but his mentality going into training camp and the preseason has to be starting the season as the starting QB for the Tennessee Titans. Kerry Collins is a good QB, much like Joe Montana in his declining years, and that is commendable. Regardless, Vince Young has to be the starter in Tennessee right now. Coach Fisher, you need to give him a chance right now.

VY needs to be more assertive as this kind of loyalty to Fisher is like walking a tight rope on a slippery slope. A year and great talent will be a terrible thing to waste. Kerry Collins just is not the answer and Fisher needs to be honest about that much because there is no way you (Vince) will become a great QB if you are only getting limited reps as a backup QB and not in game situations. The Titans have a good defense, good special teams, great running game....what is the problem here??? Get 'er Done.

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