I am going to say NO!

Kyle Orton for Jay Cutler? No response needed for that one, but what the heck... I always liked Neckbeard, but then again I liked Rex before him and whoever was under center before him (Chandler, Miller, etc...). Cutler is a Pro Bowl QB and will give Bears fans a substantial reason to route for the offense.

Third Round pick? Eh... Lance Briggs and Bernard Berrian were 3rd round picks but so were Michael Okwo and Dez White. Not to mention, the Bears still have another 3rd round pick. :-)

Now two first round picks? Am I the only one not taken back by this? The NFL Live crew made this seem like a suicide move by the

Please look at the past 10 years. How many players are proven starters for the Bears as of the last game of the 2008 season?

THREE in TEN years.

 3 out of 10 (No pick in '06 but 2 in '03). Urlacher, Tommie Harris, and Greg Olsen. Chris Williams still not yet a proven starter. I will take those chances anyday of the week to get a young Pro Bowl QB.

If nothing else, I lean to one thing: "I think the Bears made a good move." - Mike Ditka

 I am going to start this post with saying I was excited when the Bears drafted Kyle Orton a few years ago. As a Big Ten football fan, Orton was a great college QB. Great skills, good poise, excellent leadership...

This Purdue QB was going to be a great QB for whatever NFL team drafted him. A 3rd string All American behind Heisman winner Jason White and future Heisman winner Matt Leinhart. He was destined for greatness, I was sure of it! Then in the 4th round of the 2004 NFL draft.... my favorite team... The Chicago Bears... who had 1st round pick Rex Grossman... drafted Kyle Orton! I shocked and stunned. Grossman was still a young prospect with tons of potential, The Franchise QB. "The Bears were loading up at the QB position? What gives?" I thought to myself. Well, after Rex got hurt his 2nd season in a row... Orton was given the nod to hand the ball off to the playoffs his entire rookie year. Then Rex took back over and struggled aimlessly with consistency... I then asked myself again if these were the same two QB's who tore it up at the college level? Same name, same players, obviously different games.

Orton, while having a very favorable record in his NFL career is not seen as an elite QB. Far from it. He is seen as a "Game Manager". What happened to that crazy kid from Iowa?

Surrounded by medocre talent on the offensive side of the ball, Orton is crippled by his lack playmakers and his lack of... something. Confidence? Ability? I don't know!

I WAS a Grossman advocate (and willing to admit a mistake). I am also a strong supporter of trading for Cutler, but at some point I thought Orton could be THE GUY! I could still be a stong supporter of Kyle if someone can answer one question...My question to you and to him is... does Kyle Orton know he can be THE GUY? He certainly doesn't look like it anymore. I'm no NFL analyst or a GQ promoter, but the Bears probable starting QB's general preciption is far from it was when he was a Heisman hopeful at Purdue...

He went from Robo-Orton demolishing every secondary in his path to looking like a homeless bum who Lovie found on the streets of Chicago. And HEY, most people are thinking it, if I'm the only one saying it.

I doubt the Bears are going to trade for Jay Cutler or Brady Quinn and probably won't sign Jeff Garcia or Byron Leftwhich (Thank God) or whoever else these forums will be talking about... Orton is THE GUY for at least one more year. So here is my advice for you, Mr. Orton... Be the man. Act the part, dress the part, and come on Sundays with your game face on. We need a QB. (WE = Bear Fan Nation) You have the potential to be THE GUY. We are tired of hearing how great the offense looks in mini-camps and in preseason. Get out there and live up to your potential. Stop getting your picture taken tryin to feel up hot women in bars with that drunken, sweaty look on your face. Get in the gym, so you don't under throw Hester anymore. Slam your fist on Lovie's door and tell him you need 1 or 2 more receivers... weither it is Torry Holt, Marvin Harrison, Darrius Hayward-Bey, Hakeem Nicks, or Jerry Rice out of Retirement... I don't care as long it seems like you do!

Act like THE GUY and I can guarentee you have at least one more supporter.

With all the mass T.O. drama going on, one of the bigger NFL stories is getting overlooked... ESPN reports Torry Holt has asked to be released from the Rams.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3954188

In my opinion, Torry Holt is this years BEST wide receiver free agent. Better than T.O., Houshmanzadeh, Coles, or Harrison... He could make a huge impact on a team like the Bears. Not just on the field but in the locker room as well. With Lovie's ties to the Rams, it may help the situation. But regardless, he should be seriously considered by the Bears if the Rams grant him his request.

I can't say that I blame them. It has been reported by ESPN.com that Terrell Owens has been released by the Dallas Cowboys. Now with all the high tension receiver talk, I know this will draw buzz...

Will the Bears go after T.O.?

Well, if you have been living under a rock for the past 10 years you may think... "Hey, There is a chance!". Then you don't know the Professor, J.A. But in all seriousness Good Luck Mr. Rosenhaus trying to find any team for your old, loud, troublemaker of a receiver. I would personally rather see a cheesehead on a statue of Ditka then T.O. in a Bears uniform.

According to the NJ.com, Laveranues Coles has been released from the Jets.

I believe this to be an actually decent option for the Bears to consider. He isn't a big receiver but he is a solid & productive player. He is 31 years old, which seems a lot better of an investment then a 36 year old Harrison. I think Coles, Hester, and perhaps getting a taller receiver in the draft (Heyward-Bey??) may really turn around the Bear's receiving core.

Your thoughts?

ChicagoBears.com's Chalk Talk recently had a question out to Larry Mayer about the option of trading a first round pick to the Browns for Braylon Edwards. He was against it due to a Edwards' down year. I'm curious to know what your thoughts are on this.

Personally, I think Edwards was just in a slump this year but could be back to being one of the better recievers in the game like he was two years ago. Using a first round pick on Edwards would be a better bet then using it on an unproven prospect. Granted, the Bears will need a QB to throw him the ball.

The Bengals released perennial pro bowl offensive tackle Willie Anderson today. Even though he isn't much of an improvement in making the Bears o-line any younger, he would make them considerably better until Chris Williams can return and contribute. Anderson has been to the Pro Bowl every year since 2003 and should seriously be considered by the Bears.

I like the thought of Chris Simms too, but it doesn't matter if the Bears have the best QB in the league, if the Bears can't run the ball and if the QB doesn't have the time to throw the football then the offense won't produce anything.

'"Grossman connected with tight end Fontel Mines on a deep seam route and threw a strike on a deep out that was dropped by Brandon Rideau. But the former Florida star was booed by many in the crowd of 24,977 following most of his incompletions... In fairness to Grossman, he often had little time to throw while working behind the second team offensive line. On one occasion, he avoided a sack by heaving the ball into the stands."  - Larry Mayer (www.chicagobears.com)

Are you serious? You do understand Practice is where a team goes to get better and get into rhythm. How can you boo your own team's players at a practice? I don't care if he fumbled every snap. Grossman is not my favorite quarterback in the league, maybe not even on this team, but when the guy is working on getting better the last thing he should have is Bear's fans booing him. Maybe it's just me, but I don't boo a player on a team I'm a fan of because he is having  a bad game/night. I'll boo him if his name is Cedric Benson and I know the guy just doesn't want to work. If you do feel like bashing your own players then do it (It will REALLY help them play better), just don't cheer for them the next time they have a good play, because then you just look like Giants & Jets fans.

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I know the talk of the time is in the draft right now, but I think the Bears should look at Bryant Johnson for a good possession receiver. I am not sure of his status with Arizona, but I know he planned to be an UFA in '08. I think he has the potential and tools to be a good replacement for Moose. I don't think he has really gotten the opportunity to do anything being behind Boldin & Fitzgerald. Yet, he has good size and is known for having good hands and running good routes.