While this site was intended as a forum to discuss the positives and negatives in trying to trade Jay Cutler while his value is still high, recognizing the fact he’s is one of the few assets on a team in need of a complete overhaul, much of the discussion has turned into a Cutler vs. Orton debate.  I guess the Cutler / Orton table on the homepage didn’t exactly calm the storm, either.  A few words on the two QBs:

Many of the Cutler supporters on the site (they are usually the same ones using profanity directed at yours truly) keep wanting to point out things like the bad year or two that guys like Favre and Manning had in their careers.  They also point out that Cutler has no help around him, Orton has talent around him, and I know nothing about football.  While the last statement might have some merit, suggesting that Cutler’s cast is terrible while Orton’s new team is stacked is suggesting that EVERY talent evaluator of the NFL got it wrong before the season started.

Looking back at many of the media’s preseason picks and NFL rankings heading into this season, I can’t find a single source that put the Broncos ahead of the Bears, but here we are, looking at a 5-9 team going nowhere in Chicago and an 8-6 team with playoff hopes in Denver.  The analysts knew all about Lovie Smith, Ron Turner and their coaching styles, so as much as I dislike what they’ve done to the franchise, those things were taken into account when 4 of the 8 football analysts from USA Today picked the Bears to go to the playoffs.  Guess how many picked Denver? 0.

At ESPN.com, it was more of the same.  Of the 16 experts, a few placed Chicago in the playoffs and no one picked Denver.  Another blogger ranked the teams based on talent and put the Bears 15th and the Broncos 31st.  Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN.com actually complimented Denver and liked their chances, but still put them behind Oakland in the AFC West.  The NY Daily News ranked Chicago 11th and Denver 26th.

You can probably pick apart any single prediction, but it’s obvious that the consensus before the season started was that the better team was the Bears.  It’s tough to blame an entire lost season on a single Brian Urlacher injury, so at some point you have to criticize the players for not playing to their perceived talents INCLUDING CUTLER.  On the flipside, Denver should be credited for playing above their perceived talents INCLUDING ORTON.  The funny thing is that this is an ongoing occurrence.  Orton’s teams are met with indifference and he unimpressively plugs along and gets WINS.  Cutler’s teams are met with high hopes and praise but the LOSSES continue.  How can you argue with results?