The Chicago Bears took a giant leap forward in their bid to return to the Super Bowl by acquiring quarterback Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos. The Bears traded away Kyle Orton, and two first round picks including the 18th pick for 2009. The Bears also added former Pro Bowl lineman Orlando Pace to protect the blind side of their star quarterback and the future of the Bear’s NFL franchise. What does the signing of Cutler do for the Bears? Let’s take a look.

For years now, the Bears have had less than stellar quarterback play. With last year’s emergence of star running back rookie Matt Forte, the Bears now have a one two punch on offense that rivals pretty much any NFC club. Add that to the regular stingy Bears defense and you have a recipee for success in a big way. The Bears are getting a huge upgrade not only for their passing game, but the running game as well. As a matter of fact, nobody will benefit more than Matt Forte, as the playaction passing and running game will pay huge for him.

Last season, Forte had to often face eight men in the box, and the safeties faced little in the way of a passing threat in Chicago. With Cutler under center, the vertical passing game changes drastically. No longer will the safeties be able to sneak down into the box and stuff the quick Forte. One on one, Forte is nearly impossible to tackle. He will get a lot more room in the running game with Cutler slinging the football around the field.

Cutler is nothing if not accurate. Consider his numbers last season; 4457 yds on 384 completions, 25 touchdowns, and a quarterback rating of 86. Those numbers are insane when you consider the lack of a rushing attack in Denver last year, and the fact that the defense was constantly giving up points and putting the game on Cutler’s shoulders. The games in which the Denver defense held the opponent to 21 pts or less translated into a 13-1 record for Cutler. That is impressive and telling considering that Cutler will have that on a regular basis in Chicago.

Will the Bears reach the Super Bowl with Cutler under center? Only time will tell as sports can change overnight. There is still the issue of no real marquee receiver to throw to. The Bears are surely going to go after that next, and the landscape may change drastically by the time the season starts. One thing is for sure, however, and that is the Bears are set at the quarterback position for the first time in a very long time. That has to make Chicago Bears fans smile pretty big…..and Cutler too.