Bears Blitz

Published by Frank Bonincontri on May 27, 2009
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The Jay Cutler era has begun in Chicago. Finally, a franchise quarterback for a team who has had a revolving door of quarterbacks since 1992.

Cutler to Chicago has picked up more steam than Obama to D.C., and Chicago is already 12th in the premature ESPN power rankings.

While I agree this was one of the best off-season moves by the Bears in a very long time, I don’t believe he is the key to a Super Bowl for 2009. 

Will he be the face of the franchise for the next 10 years? I would hope so.

On paper, we have all but anointed him as the savior. Statistically, I see little improvement.

Let’s look at some interesting stats. In 2008, Denver finished 8-8 with 370 points scored, while Chicago finished 9-7 and 375 points scored.

Defensively, Chicago has the advantage, but looking closer, the Bears almost mirrored the Denver defense. The Broncos finished with 25 sacks, 6 interceptions, 9 forced fumbles and 2 defensive touchdowns.

Chicago finished with 27 sacks, 22 interceptions, 8 forced fumbles and 4 defensive touchdowns. The key stat? Interceptions.

Chicago gave its offense more opportunities, but they did not capitalize on them. Will Jay Cutler make the most of those chances?

Not necessarily. In Denver, Brandon Marshall made 104 receptions for 1,265 yards and 6 touchdowns. Eddie Royal grabbed 91 receptions for 980 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Tight ends were always in the mix with Tony Scheffler and Daniel Graham combining for 72 receptions, 1,034 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Who will he be throwing to in Chicago? The Bears top receiver was actually their running back. Matt Forte hauled in 63 receptions for 477 yards and 4 touchdowns. The top receiver was Devin Hester pulling in 51 receptions for 665 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Greg Olsen was the teams top tight end and combined with Desmond Clark for 95 receptions, 941 yards and 6 touchdowns. The Bears do not have a legitimate deep threat, although Devin Hester could be if they had someone to compliment him.

Offensively, can Jay Cutler duplicate what he had in Denver? Not likely. There is just not a respectable wide receiver tandem in Chicago.

I believe Cutler will move the ball through Olsen and Clark, but what happens when teams take them away or they are staying in to create holes for Matt Forte?

Chicago ranked 21st in pass offense in 2008, while Denver produced the third-ranked offense. It comes down to weapons and I don’t believe the Bears have the weapons on the wide reciever front for Cutler yet.

The running game is solid and the addition of Orlando Pace will be huge if he stays healthy.

On the defensive side, Denver ranked 27th against the pass and 26th against the run. What that tells me is that Denver was winning on Jay Cutler’s arm alone.

In Chicago, he will have help. The Bears shut down the run and had the 5th ranked rush defense in the league.

The problem was the pass defense. The Bears ranked 30th in the league, and also similar to the Minnesota Vikings, opposing teams would bail on the run and use the passing game to overcome the lack of rushing attack.

What does this mean for Jay Cutler? Chicago is going to give him the opportunity to score, but how will he take advantage of it? When comparing the 2008 Denver and Chicago teams, they were actually very similar.

I believe the missing ingredients are the wide receivers. Chicago will be a better team with Cutler, but taking them to the promised land in 2009 is a tall order.

I believe the future is bright and they will be a force, but for 2009 he will have to make the best of what he has.

Football is the ultimate team sport and there are many pieces of the puzzle that must come together to produce a Super Bowl team. Jay Cutler is a main ingredient, but that does not make the main course.

The Chicago Bears as a team, are the main course.