Here’s a little trivia question for Chicagoans:  Which one of these things does not belong in Chicago?

If you said anything but good quarterbacks, you are either not from Chicago or just retarded.  Jay Cutler is coming to Chicago, and almost a century of sub-par quarterbacking is out the window.  Yeah I’m drinking the kool-aid, and it tastes amazing.  Don’t get me wrong, the Bears did not fleece Denver by any stretch of the imagination.  We had to give up 2 first round picks and Kyle Orton to bring this guy in, but it was worth it.  The Bears now have a legitimate, talented quarterback locked up for the next 3 seasons (he signed a 6 year $48 million deal in 2006).

What does this mean for the Bears?  Well there are a few things that need to be re-examined in light of this unbelievable acquisition.  First of all, the offense will have to be re-invented.  Jay Cutler threw for over 4500 yards last season and 25 touchdowns.  He is pretty accurate and has a cannon for an arm.  Ron Turner will have to open up the playbook to take advantage of this kid’s arm.  In terms of wide receivers, obviously the Bears still have room to improve.  It would be ideal if they could go out and get a great receiver to line up next to Hester, but for now the situation isn’t as bad as it might seem.  Cutler immediately makes our current receiver corps a lot better.  He’s got two great receiving tight ends and a deep speed guy in Hester.  Also by stretching the field, it will open up all kinds of holes for Forte, who barely needed those holes to have a great year in 2008.

Second, the Bears need to make sure that they can protect Jay.  The offensive line was terrible at pass protection last year and the question marks have continued to pile up this offseason.  Hopefully Chris Williams will be decent and the acquisition of Orlando Pace will give the Bears a tackle that can actually pass-block.  Kreutz is clearly in a decline and the rest of the line is either too young, too slow, or just plain bad.

Third, Chicago needs to completely rethink their draft strategy.  While all kinds of offensive players were being tossed around as possible picks, the Bears need to recalculate where they are at.  No wide receiver picked in the second round will be able to step in and help right away.  Instead the Bears need to focus on getting some defensive backs and possibly a linebacker.  An offensive lineman makes sense here too, but no wide receiver in the 2nd round!  If they can’t acquire someone at that position through trade or free agency, they should just go with what they have and draft a receiver in a late round that has potential and upside.

Wow.  I can’t believe the Bears actually got a Pro Bowl quarterback.  I’m still in shock.  Obviously there will be more to come on this topic.  Oh and I hope the Broncos enjoy our late first round pick next year.