Then this season happened. Smith brought the Bears to an 11-5 record and a playoff win taking them all the way to the NFC Championship game. They lost to the Green Bay Packers, who eventually won the Super Bowl, but they did seal the fate for the Bears coaching staff in limbo.

Smith, however, looked like he’d be back even had his season been less than stellar. The risk of bringing in a new coach with the possible owners lockout looming seemed to be a big problem for management all over the NFL.

So Smith is back, but he will face bigger challenges next year. He’s going to have to contend with a very strong division that features the Green Bay Packers, the Detroit Lions that are on the come , and the Minnesota Vikings who are ready to take the next step back to where they were.

They are also going to have to figure out what to do with the controversy that is Jay Cutler. He hasn’t been heard from or seen since he ended up on the sideline of the biggest game of his career. Lovie will have to figure out how to get the most out of Jay and the most out of his team.

To the credit of Cutler he wasn’t working with much. His number one receive was a converted cornerback who was undersized and didn’t possess the skills necessary to play the wide out position with real consistency. He had a flawed offensive line that made it hard for him to find the time behind the line of scrimmage.

This year Cutler seems to be humming. The team posted 9 wins in their first 12 games and surprised the NFC. The surprise isn’t that Cutler is playing well, it’s that the rest of the football world isn’t giving him the credit he deserves. He is headlining a balanced attack and has found a consistent receiver in Earl Bennett.

The key is that Cutler is showing that he isn’t finding himself for the first time, but rather that he is playing the way he has always been capable of. Peyton Manning, whom many consider to be the best quarterback in the NFL, is having the same struggles that Cutler had last season and it seems to be due to a weak line, bad receivers, and a struggling defense. However, Manning doesn’t get nearly the criticism that Cutler gets. Some is due to a long track record of excellence and some due to a media coddling that Cutler doesn’t get the benefit of. But Cutler at least has a team with true playoff hopes.

Sure, it’s fun when a quarterback and walk into a bar and sling a few dirty jokes with the common folk. It’s nice when a quarterback remembers the name of the guy who brings him his pads before the game. It’s nice when a quarterback appears like he wants to win for his city. The truth is though, does anyone really care if Cutler cares about winning for his city or not? No.

At the end of the day a quarterback has just one job. His job is to win football games, and whether or not Jay Cutler likes to knit on Sunday’s, or read to the blind should have no bearing on his ability to play football. And honestly, all the rhetoric that has been made about Cutler being an unlikeable guy is pointless too. He is what he is and it should matter little.

Joe Montana, arguably the greatest quarterback of all time was never much of a people person. He never seemed to have the personality of  a superstar. He seemed quiet from all accounts and kept to himself. Yet, he was so successful in the playoffs and won Super Bowl rings. Four of them if you are counting.

On the flip side there is Donovan McNabb, he was a tremendously liked quarterback who was friends with the media and teammates alike, but won nothing. Who would fans rather have under center?

Pace is slotted at left tackle which should move Chris Williams to right tackle.  Pace has battled injury problems each of the last two seasons but is a great upgrade to the Bears offensive line if he can remain healthy for most or all of the season.

Technorati Tags: Chris Williams, Jay Cutler, Orlando Pace

The move gives the Bears the quarterback they’ve been missing for the better part of a couple decades while the Broncos get a servicible quarterback (who will compete with Chris Simms for the job) and a couple of first round picks they can spend upgrading their terrible defense.  There is also the chance that the Broncos package their two first rounders (or some combination of their 12 picks in this draft) to move up or acquire another quarterback.

Technorati Tags: Chris Simms, Jay Cutler, Kyle Orton