I was not expecting to hear anything about Jerry Angelo.

I presumed he was still on vacation until September 1st, until football commanded his attention. The GM for the Bears was one of the most despised in the city, where falling on ill favor is not that easy. Fans, while loyal and passionate, are usually comfortable here. It is hard to find a terrible rant about a sports figure in Chicago. Jerry Angelo, however, was on the verge of finding Windy City protesters at his house.

The Bears’ 2008 season proved nothing, except that the Bears had a franchise that desperately needed help. Questions popped up everywhere and it seemed that we would have to wait for the draft to have any of those questions answered.

The I hear on 670 the Score immediately upon getting into my car, “The Sun-Times website is reporting that the Bears got Jay Cutler.” Terry Boers stays on the mic reporting the story, while Dan Bernstein clearly pushed the rolly chair back from the mic and said, “Good GOD!” You would think that a stripper walked into the studio with a huge cardboard check, with his name on it.

The news about Cutler coming to the Bears was shocking, an amazing franchise move, something warranting exaltations.

But I paused.

I paused because of my not-so-emotional connection to the Bears. I am a transplant, and while I love the team and the city, my mind immediately began to dissect the pick, the pros and cons. Here’s what I got:

PROS

1. Jerry Angelo is alive and cares about his job. In fact, he has an eye for football talent; in fact, he actually seems to understand the amazing loyalty of Chicago’s fans and will try to reward that by performing the duties of a competitive GM.

All kidding aside, this was huge for Angelo.

On ESPN radio The Afternoon Saloon declared April 2 “Jerry Angelo Day”. The GM has never been a fan favorite but won over hearts by making a decision that will help the franchise in the long term.

2. Jay Cutler. Dude is All-Pro. He’s up and coming at 25 and has proven his competitive edge in the AFC West with a team that struggled last year with injuries and a brutal defense. Finally a quarterback will actually hold the football for the Bears whose major value is not the jokes you can throw around about his neck beard or errant passes.

3. The fans get a shot of life at long last. Bears fans weren’t thrilled about the future of the franchise at the end of last season. The McCaskeys couldn’t hide behind the accidental NFC championship in 2005 and Brian Urlacher. Moves needed to be made, so they were.

CONS

1. When I think of Cutler, I think of the highlight reel of him hitting Brandon Stokely in the slot, Eddie Royal deep, and Brandon Marshall in the end zone. Then I thought about Rashied Davis tripping on poorly run routes, Devin Hester apologizing to Lovie on the sideline cause he can’t run anything but a streak, and Greg Olsen dropping balls.

Who the hell does Cutler throw the ball to?

Yes, Brandon Lloyd showed some talent last year and barring injury maybe he’ll do it again. Of course you hope that Hester and Olsen improve with a talented QB placing the ball or else they’re just more dead weight waving around their two handed “U” on MNF. I understand that things will have to build around him but with a great running game you hope that Cutler doesn’t waste that deadly arm on pitching the ball to Matt Forte 35 times a game.

2. The cost was monumental. It is a fact that the Bears have a terrible history with first round picks but you must understand the value of those picks for two years is humongous. You can kiss that chance at grabbing Jeremy Maclin or some other first round caliber receiver you desperately need (I won’t even consider Crabtree or Harvin, because that’s just unreasonable…)

Forget replacing the aging and injured line. Last year’s 1st rounder, the OT Chris Williams went down with a flimsy back before he even saw the inside of Soldier Field and now you got to look to the later rounds to find that kind of talent again. I’m sure it’s out there, but the Broncos certainly now have a monopoly on it.

3. The buildup could hurt. Let’s remember, Cutler had one All-Pro year. Yes, he is talented. Yes, he can play. Is he Jesus? Well, if you’re going on looks alone Kyle Orton was just as close to this team’s personal Jesus. The reality is, we know nothing yet and if it proves to be a whole lot of not-that-great then this city will have blue balls for the next decade.

4. IF JAY CUTLER IS INJURED OR HIS DIABETES ACTS UP, REX GROSSMAN IS REQUIRED TO PLAY QUARTERBACK, DUE TO THE LOSS OF KYLE ORTON. REXTASY REMAINS DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO THE FOOTBALL, FOLKS.

Are we excited? Damn right we are.

Football season has new blood in this city. Enough blood that I might start inviting people over to watch the games again because it’s worth getting excited about. Unfortunately, Jay Cutler hasn’t even been fitted for his jersey, and has a lot riding on him.

It was a great day in Chicago. For a city that has never had a quality QB, at least not a consistent one, loyalty was rewarded and fans are thrilled. Well done, Mr. Angelo. Perhaps if the Bears go 11-5 this year and win the division with Cutler, April 2nd 2010 will be Jerry Angelo Day. We’ll have to wait and find out, though, and now fans are happy to wait.

(And remember to check back this Thursday for the Week 10 Fantasy Football Sleeper Focus for that late playoff push.)

On with the show:

ON FIRE…. Any team Defense that is playing the Oakland Raiders. You can count on that Defense, unless of course it is the Cleveland Browns D, who plays to the level, or lack thereof, of their opponent. Oakland is pathetic at best, and most high school teams could play them and chalk up a “W”.

Tim Hightower, RB-Cardinals ON FIRE. He was my sleeper when I started my posts this year, and has done nothing but continue to gain confidence and carries each week. Remember, Tim Hightower is a rookie, was a 5th round draft pick, and just stole Edgerrin James’ starting job. No, better yet, he ran away with it, literally. Hightower posted a 1 Touchdown, 109-yard day on 22 carries yesterday. Remember, Edgerrin James only had 3 100+ yard games in all of 2007 and it doesn’t look like he will get any in 2008.

Kurt Warner, QB-Cardinals ON FIRE. Everyone had written this guy off years ago. The 37-year old landed in Arizona to serve in the back up role for Matt Leinart. It has not quite gone that way. Kurt Warner again beat out the former first round pick in the pre-season and has not looked back. Warner has a 104.2 QB rating with 2,431 yards and 16 touchdowns. Warner is having an MVP-like season. The Cardinals offense looks fantastic and Kurt Warner is the biggest reason why.

Chris Johnson, RB-Titans ON FIRE. As of late, I had advised everyone to start both Titans running backs, even if you have them both on your team. I still stand by that, as Tennessee stands by being committed to the run. This past week however, Chris Johnson took a step out in front of his partner in crime, LenDale White. Johnson had 24 carries to White’s 8. This 3:1 ratio of carries continued even though White broke off a 54 yard scamper. Both are quality starts, and I still recommend having both on my team, but I was asked before by one of my readers which one I would rather have, and my answer was then and still is Chris Johnson.

Bill Cowher, Former HC now Football Analyst. ON FIRE. Ok, this is a pipe dream for me, but I can hardly stomach another horribly coached Browns game where they give up an enormous lead to a pitiful offense. Romeo is a nice guy and all, but I want FIRE on the Cleveland Browns sideline. Who better to get the Browns over the landslide of losses to the Steelers then the Chin. Remember, the Chin has Cleveland ties, and I don’t remember EVER seeing Pittsburgh blow two touchdown leads. This Browns team is a playoff-caliber team, just like last year; and just like last year, the Browns will not make the playoffs again. I will make this prediction though: this team will win against the Titans if they are still undefeated when they play them. I say this just because the Browns play to the level of their opponents. Oh yeah, it would be an added bonus if Kellen Winslow didn’t play that game. Remember, Browns are 2-0 without Winslow with wins over the at-that-time undefeated Giants, and the Jaguars.

ON ICE… Any player on the following teams, including team defenses, due to their poor offensive play. The Cowboys, Raiders, Seahawks, Rams, and if no Orton, the Bears as well. You can remove a few teams from this list when Steven Jackson and Tony Romo return. The rest appear to be screwed for the duration.

I am not ready to give the Bengals any classification yet, but you have to admit that Cedric Benson looked impressive against the Jags, and Ryan Fitzpatrick is starting to look more like the Fitzpatrick who produced in St. Louis. With Benson’s performance on Sunday, this shows you how horrible the Bears offense will become if Rex Grossman has to continue to take snaps.

Please check back in on Thursday for this week’s fantasy football focus.

By the way, props to ESPN and it’s fantasy “guru” Eric Karabell (right) for his advice on starting Justin Fargas over Matt Ryan at the offensive flex position. It was in a live chat, so I can’t link out to it to properly take him to task. But I am definitely glad I didn’t listen.

Kurt Fraschetti

profootballinsight@live.com

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[tags]fantasy football, nfl, sports forum[/tags]

I am so disgusted after the Browns loss to the Ravens that I can’t bring myself to write a recap yet. So…

Let’s procrastinate with a little bit of news on the Chicago Bears.

The Chicago Bears took over sole possession of first place in the NFC North today with a 27-23 victory over the Detroit Lions, despite falling behind early and losing uber-hot quarterback Kyle Orton to an ankle injury. Orton was carted off the field in the first half and replaced by former starter Rex Grossman. Many fans and viewers, as well as the team, naturally feared the worst when Orton was carted off the field.

However, it appears that the Bears and their fans can breathe a slight sigh of relief. ProFootballTalk.com is reporting that the injury to Kyle Orton is not considered to be season-ending. Apparently, the Comcast postgame show in Chicago reported that Orton does not have an injured ankle. It is too soon to tell how long how he might be out, but certainly the current prognosis is better than the dire one feared by Bears fans everywhere.

(Update: According to ESPN.com, Kyle Orton will be out a month.)

Stay tuned to the Chicago Bears news page for the latest updates regarding the status of Kyle Orton.

The winless Lions actually led this game 23-13 at halftime. In defense of the embattled Rex Grossman, who did lead the Bears to a Super Bowl just a few years ago, he accounted for both second-half touchdowns for the Bears. He threw a TD to Rashied Davis and ran for the go-ahead score with 5:36 remaining in the 4th quarter. The star of the day for the Bears though was rookie running back Matt Forte. Forte did not please fantasy owners by failing to get into the endzone, but he ran for 126 yards on 22 carries and provided a consistent threat that helped to keep the hapless Detroit defense off balance.

Despite his two scoring plays, Grossman finished the game only 9-19 for 58 yards and did throw a pick. So I don’t think any Bears fan is going to feel totally comfortable if Grossman is under center for any extended period moving forward. Obviously the best situation for the Bears is to get Kyle Orton back as quickly as possible and resume the surprising rhythm with which he had been leading the resurgent Bears offense.

[tags]chicago bears, kyle orton, rex grossman, nfl, football[/tags]