Bear Brethren,

It is a wonderment to observe the new disciples of JayC working themselves into a lather in an attempt to convince themselves that he is the godsend, the final puzzle piece that has given our Bears the franchise quarterback for which we have so long dreamed. And it is fitting that they must also continue to denigrate the skill and ability of the now departed Kyle Orton in order to lift our new celebrity superstar up to an even loftier pedestal. It is the Chicago Way. And as Nelson Algren conjectured, Chicago is a rigged game, and boy have we ever been snookered.

We begin by questioning the objective analytical abilities of Bear fans and football experts. Apparently most of them are ignorant of Kyle Orton’s incredible success at the collegiate level while playing for Joe Tiller the master of "basketball on grass" at the quarterback factory of the Big Ten that is Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He represented the next in a long line of great Qbs from Len Dawson through Bob Griese, Mike Phipps and Drew Brees. If not for one disastrous play during his final year he may have won the Heisman and been a top draft choice. Cutler was recruited by no Big Ten school even though he came from Indiana.

Orton’s lack of arm strength is some kind of urban myth perpetuated and embellished by the jealous and mis-informed. His only interception this year has been a 65 yard "Hail Mary" that he put right on target. At the tender age of 18 he out dueled a 28 year old strong armed pro Jon Kitna in a test of distance. Yet KO’s critics maintain Cutler is superior. Orton has set records for his error free passing, but it is Cutler who is lauded for his accuracy.

While with the Bears Orton had the opportunity to play under the tutelage of Ron Turner whose offensive genius and imaginative play calling are challenged perhaps only by no one other than our own beloved John Shoop. I think RT deserves much of the credit for hiding KO’s talents under a bushel basket and destroying his professional reputation. And despite every obstacle, being thrown into the fire and then ignored, operating behind a substandard O-line, fighting through painful injury and being deprived of quality receivers, he still managed to lead them, especially at home, to an incredible record of victories. Conversely, our new franchise quarterback and first time Pro-Bowler has never achieved a winning record as a starter in college or the pros.

This blind devotion to a player who has yet to live up to his promise is hard for me to swallow. I know some of the Bear beat reporters have been so enthralled that they’ve acted like teenagers on a first date. But I would expect true fans not to be as gullible. But what is even more difficult to understand is the need to besmirch Kyle Orton. His critics must be blind to the talent I have been observing for the past seven years. Perhaps it is his cow-eyed resemblance to Gomer Pyle. Maybe it was his low key manner in a very edgy town. All I know is that I saw a smart, tough, gutsy, talented quarterback who the Bears were lucky to pick up on the fourth round and who has continued to learn and improve just as his maturity and experience have grown.

But what rankles me most is that the discussion continues as though this was a heads up deal. It was not. Even if JayC is a superior QB to KO, and I maintain that he is not, he is not better by a first round draft choice, and certainly not two of them. Jerry Angelo has mortgaged the Bear’s future on the Arm of Mr. Cutler, a bad bet in a rigged game. The Bears had no first rounder this year and will have none next. The Broncos had two in ‘09 and will have two more in 2010. Who in their right mind can say the Bears made out in that deal?

I had looked forward to a healthy Kyle Orton leading the Bears to a championship season. I now hope for the best but with less confidence. Like many of you I wish Kyle Orton much success in Denver. But unlike you, I think Chicago got the short end in this deal and will be paying for it long into the future. Uh, oh, I just heard "Old Noodle Arm" got named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. Well GOLLLLL-Y.

I finally feel compelled to enter the verbal fray, so here are my two bits on Kyle Orton and the Broncos. Now that he is 18 and 2 as a starter at home, and now that he has the Broncos off to their best start in a decade while throwing but 1 interception (which was nearly intentional ), I am confident he will do the job in Denver. Not that I ever doubted him, but the media and fans both in Denver and in Chicago were so negative about his ability and so lavish in their praise of Jay Cutler, that even I began to have questions.

I am a lifelong Bear fan and can still remember listening to them on the radio as their great defense destroyed Y.A. Tittle and the NY Giants in the NFL Championship game of 1963. I was looking forward to this season and a healthy and experienced Kyle Orton in full control of the Bears offense. I was stunned when I got the news that the Bears had traded for Jay Cutler, giving up TWO NUMBER ONE DRAFT CHOICES and Kyle Orton. I was actually more shocked by the loss of these high picks. A football team’s future depends on the draft, and I think the Bears made a fatal mistake with this trade that won’t show up for a while. Simply put, you can’t trade your number one and expect to succeed. Trade two number ones for anybody short of one of Archie’s sons and you have lost your mind.

And speaking of Franchise Quarterbacks, who pinned that label on JayC? One Pro Bowl and he is anointed a football god, an all time great in the making. Soon after the trade I began to research this FQ and found his bona fides suspect. The collapse and failure by the Broncos last season made me wonder. The fact that he had never led a team to a winning record, college or pro, caused concern. The fact that no Big Ten teams signed him to a ride, even though he grew up in the heart of the conference in INDIANA, baffled me. And I was troubled by the gossipy feud that the media said led to his banishment from Denver. But when he arrived in Chicago, our media and sports pundits swooned before him. I wanted to ask David Haugh, Bear reporter of the Tribune, if he had sent flowers to JayC, or maybe even asked him out, so extravagant was his praise. The best since Sid Luckman they shrieked. So what, I thought. Luckman led the Bears even before my time, during WW II, pretty much NFL prehistory.

On the other side of the scale was Kyle Orton, under-rated and unappreciated. When the Bears drafted him, I couldn’t believe their good fortune. A player who once might have been a high first rounder they get in the fourth. Save for the aftermath of one disastrous play his Senior year against Wisconsin, Purdue might have been in the Rose Bowl and he might have won the Heisman.

Orton comes from that bastion of college quarterbacks, Purdue University in West Lafayette, INDIANA (see the connection) and includes a lineage of Len Dawson, Bob Griese, Mike Phipps, Mark Hermann, Jim Everett, and Drew Brees and rightfully stands in the highest ranks of that pantheon. He holds records for avoiding interceptions at every level of competition, yet JayC is the one praised for his accuracy. As an 18 year old he out dueled a 10 year older pro Jon Kitna in distance throwing, but it is JayC with the strong arm. I don’t think I saw one Orton pass that Cutler would have thrown better. He also showed several times that he could lead a long and crucial drive. I can’t wait to see the Broncos open up the vertical game and let Orton fling it.

Kyle Orton had tremendous success for the Bears, success that went largely unrecognized in the Big Windy. Operating under the chained restraint of the imagination challenged Ron Turner, he still managed to lead the Bears to a victorious season as a rookie. When the quarterback savant (nothing but a golden arm) Rex Grossman returned, Orton suffered through clipboard splinters and earphone ache. Last year, deprived of Bernard Berrian, the Bears only gifted wideout, he still managed to lead the Bears to a winning record and he often led them to rally to a fourth quarter lead only to have their vaunted defense go in the tank.

What a break this trade has been for Orton. With the Broncos he gets to play behind arguably the best O line in the pros. The extra pick from the Bears allowed them to help their defense and still draft Knowshon Moreno, a legitimate contender for Rookie of the Year. The Broncos have a solid receiver corps and Kyle likes his tight ends so I look for Scheffler and especially Graham to get more attention. And the defense? Suffice it to say that the Bears at their best and healthiest were no better.

I am hopeful that the Bears will have a successful season, but to my mind, there is a lot that smells there. Thank you Denver for Johnny Knox (5th rounder from trade) because there is no established wide receiver. The O line is suspect, Kreutz being over-rated and Pace being over-the-hill. The defense has suffered some serious injuries and may not hold up. And they have been lucky (missed FGs) in a couple of their victories. Jay Cutler showed his dark side with the bleak night in Green Bay and he better not show that side again.

I look forward to following the success of Kyle Orton and the Denver Broncos and plan to watch as many of their games as I can. Kyle is one smart, tough and capable QB, and with the obviously shrewd coaching staff of the Broncos he will make the fans happy. Remember that whenever Kyle Orton takes the field it is Orton and Robert Ayers and a great player to be chosen later lining up behind Casey Weigmann. What a trade and boy did the Bears get snookered. With Orton, Ayers and Moreno the Broncos definitely had the best draft of 2009. That reminds me, is Ayers going to get to play more in light of the season Dumervil has been having?