Kyle Orton & Jay Cutler – midseason review
Without a doubt, the biggest name to move this offseason in the NFL was Jay Cutler. In return, the Broncos got Kyle Orton, yes, that Kyle Orton, ~the one that make Chad Pennington look like he has a cannon~. Meanwhile, the Bears got their missing piece. For years, they had been plagued with T-Rex Grossman, Chad "Cardinals" Hutchinson, Craig "tOSU" Krenzel, Brian "my Dad's Bob" Griese and yes, Kyle Orton Hears a Who. Sure Kyle managed the game well enough but the offsense was anemic none the less. In short, the Bears and their fans were dancing in the streets. The Broncos and their fans, they were wondering what hit them. They thought they had a franchise QB and an all-star receiver (Brandon Marshall) with the makings of a Harrison & Manning type combo.
But now the Bears had all their pieces: Urlacher healthy, a stud young RB in Forte, a stud player adapting to WR in Hester, a fantasy darling TE in Greg Olsen and a QB who could sling the ball all over the place. Brett Favre you've got nothing on JayBaby when it comes to chucking the ball around. Forget about 2008, this would be 2007 and a Super Bowl berth all over again.
Errrr not so much. Things started going downhill rather quickly for the Bears. Urlacher got hurt in the first game of the season. The Bears O-Line looks as old as the hills and as a result, Forte hasn't been fortissimo, more like pianissimo. Orlando "Salsa" Pace is what most thought he was, old and not so good anymore. Jay? Well, Jay's been alright but probably just that, alright. 83.8 passer rating, 14 TDs and 12 Ints. He's also fumbled seven times but only lost one, likely helped by the "we were around when Stonehenge was built" group playing line. The Bears, well, they are 4-4 and frankly it doesn't seem like they are on the ascendancy.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the Broncos are 6-2. Being in an offense that runs first and playing with a defense that allows few points has allowed Orton to do what he does best, manage the game. Kyle Orton is not a QB who is going to dig you out of a huge hole, period. Kyle has a passer rating of 88.2, 9 TDs and 4 Ints (3 vs Pitt). He has not lost any fumbles. Brandon Marshall is finally back to the kind of production we've come to expect and it seems like Josh McDaniels has gotten more out of the team than anyone expected. All that being said, the Broncos seem to be a team that is tapering off a little too. The Ravens and Steelers have certainly exposed some flaws.
In summary, the Bears aren't the clear winners that everyone thought they were. Fit matters, I'm not sure Cutler is right in CHI, nor am I sure that he was right in DEN. It appears Orton Hears a Who is the right guy for the current DEN offense but the next 8 games will tell us more. Additionally, no matter who you have playing QB, the offensive line is paramount, they can make a good QB look bad and vice-versa. Lastly, defense of course matters, Orton's numbers would be decidely worse were he always playing from behind, but so far he hasn't been so much.
Solid conclusions are hard to grasp so far but this trade has been anything but a slam-dunk...when many thought it would be.
Here are side-by-side stats for both QBs.
