Okay, so I didn't write much this week (other then entries about Cutler and Favre).  I had ideas, but just didn't take the time to write them down.  In fact, I don't really have much for this edition of Week In Review.  I am just too lazy to be witty, so I will keep this brief.  Really brief.  Real . . . brief . . . .

Sorry, I think I am actually dosing off within my writing.  Did you know you could do this?  I did--I didn't know . . . you get the idea.  So, to start off, I am going to list off some of the plans I had and how they worked out . . .

Write About My Positions on different hot topics - Yeah, so, you see, that's kind of time consuming and really boring.  You understand why I haven't followed through on that yet.

Write on a mostly daily basis - Okay, so that's just silly.  Why add more entries no one will read?

Create Review Blogs that Would Make fun of past works - I'm not really a funny person, so . . .

Write . . . wait, I know this . . . write stuff that I had in my head that I never . . . wrote . . . down .  Because you are interested in this drivel.

(Heavy yawn; yes I wrote that down)  Now, for a brief review of the blogs for this week.  At least I follow through on one promise!

Cutler

      Favre                       They are kind of similar

                Hate blogs

                                                           You know, about how childish both quarterbacks act.

                        Jay Cutler . . . Jay Cutler . . . Bears still suck

                                                                             Bus Cook is an evil, evil man

                                               Possibly the devil, or at least a close relative

                             Ted Thompson and Josh McDaniels should join a Bus Cook group, to support each other

                 The Broncos management, Mike McCarthy, and others affected by Favre should be there too

                                                                      Bla . . . Bla . . . Aaron Rodgers is still the best

                                                                                                    Oh, and underdogs are cool (See Michigan State)

I think that covers most of it.  Except, of course, my list of topics: Cutler, Favre, Rodgers, Thompson, and McDaniels.

And a list of names to boost my rating: Packers, Broncos, Bears, Kyle Orton . . . Terrell Owens, Tony Romo, . . . Greg Jennings, Brandon Marshall (Yes, I know the last names had nothing to do with my blogs, but I don't care.  In fact, I'm bored of this.)

So, until next week (when my review will be reduced to complete gibberish and my blogs will be incomprehensible), do . . . . . . . something.

I'm done.

The first statement I remember regarding Jay Cutler whenever I see or write his name is one that was repeated frequently during the months before he was drafted:  Cutler is the next Brett Favre.  He has all the skill--the strong arm, the escapability, the gunslinging mentality--leading to the comparison to the infamous and legendary quarterback.  Until now, I didn't entirely buy into the comparison.  I mean, these days, there are plenty of quarterbacks with strong arms who managed to escape pressure and make tough throws (including the Packers current quarterback, Aaron Rodgers).  There had to be something more to make him deserve this distinction (assuming it is the honor people make it out to be).  Now, after the controversy surrounding Jay Cutler and the recent, public divorce, it finally makes sense.

But not in the sense that would be considered praise-worthy.

Be prepared for me to spout some anti-Favre rant.  You know, because I'm a hater.  And note that, with those statements, my tongue was planted firmly in my cheek.

I mean, how often do two quarterbacks force a painful divorce over the span of one year?

I know your problem thinking they are not the same situations.  Ted Thompson forced Brett Favre into retirement and then traded him when he was too stubborn to take him back.  Jay Cutler became upset when the new coach became interested in trading for a quarterback he coached with the Patriots (Matt Cassel), which made him feel unwanted.  The two situations are different, so how do they compare?  It is not how it happened that matters, but how they acted during the event.  It is the characteristics that I find strikingly similar.  Consider the following:

1. Both players acted as though they are bigger then the team.  Both Brett Favre and Jay Cutler presented attitude that management should bow to their every command and should raise them on a pedestal.  For Favre, it meant he should be the one to make decisions; he should be released and play for the Vikings (yes, all evidence points to this, especially since he did communicate with the Vikings and also demaned he be released, though Favre-fans want to believe he intened to play for the Packers); he should be in control.  For Cutler, his actions suggest that no other player should even be considered and that the mere suggestion of a trade is demeaning; he felt he was above management and that any talk of trade should be followed by him leaving management.  Both players have no regard for management and how business works.
2. They both believed they were not wanted by the team.   Okay, so maybe they were right in feeling dejected, but neither of them, apparently, had the strength and will power to overcome these feelings .  For Favre, when he felt that he was needed (i.e. no one grovelled at his feet), he retired; when Cutler felt he was needed (he was hurt by the trade talk), he refused to make amends.  Why didn't either one man up and say "I'll show them; I'll play despite this insecurity."  Well, this is my theory:
3. They both have fragile egos.  They want to feel that they are regarded highly.  They need to see this in their managements actions
4. They both want attention .  I mean, why else make a point of stretching out the situation as long as possible?
5. They both put themselves before the team .  This is slightly different then the acting bigger then the team.  In this case, they don't care about how it effects the teammates.  I mean, did Favre care that Aaron Rodgers was already integrated into the offense and trying to develop leadership?  Did he care that this created a distraction for the young team?  Does Cutler care that his offense is now without his leadership and will have to rebuild?  That is selfish.
6. T hey are both stubborn.  Blame management, but Favre didn't have to retire in the first place.  As for Cutler, he could have just ended it and forgiven the coach.  But, no, their fragile egos, need for attention, and belief the team didn't want them pushed them to the brink, and they didn't move.
7. Finally, they acted like children!  That's what it all comes down to: maturity.  All these previous comparisons reflect childish behavior.  This can be better excused for the younger Jay Cutler, but Favre has acted this way for a while.  They either get what they want, receive the attention they need, or they will act up.  Like a child.

Obviously, these are all very negative characteristics and a lot of it is speculative and based on what I've read, but I get the impression that they both responded in a similar way.  So, with that in mind, I should mention that I am not a Favre hater and I'm not a Cutler hater; I just don't like athletes that act this way.  More importantly, I don't like it when fans continually defend these actions.  Was Favre a great quarterback?  Sure.  Is Cutler a young talent?  No doubt, but I can't excuse this behavior.  Which brings me to the most obvious connection: they both have the same agent--Bus Cook.  I would not be surprised if all the above "characteristics" were fueled by their agents.  I mean, who would want his players to receive more attention?  The Agent.  Who would want to stretch out the drama and create controversy?  Agent.  Who would want the player to continue to push until he got the demand (act stubborn)?  Bus Cook; the agent.  Therefore, I will not quickly blame either quarterback entirely for displaying these characteristics.  It might have been amplified by an agent who wants attention.  And, since we are still discussing it, it should work.

The next Brett Favre?  Maybe, possibly on the field and off the field.  Or maybe he is just another tool Cook uses for his own gain.

Either way, we will sure be seeing a lot more of him now; and now it is Chicago that gets to deal with it.

For better or worse.

It's about time.

After months and months of failed efforts to have Brett Favre sent to a rival opponent, Bus Cook finally found a way to enact his revenge.  He couldn't get Favre on the Vikings, but he did manage the next best thing: he sent "the next Brett Favre" to the Bears.

Why would Bus Cook want revenge though?  Wasn't it Brett Favre who was disgruntled?  Perhaps, but this Cutler situation has me wondering how much of a role he actually plays in these controversies.  This type of national quarterback drama doesn't happen to this extreme every year, except for the last two, both sharing the same agent.  What exactly does Bus Cook tell his clients?

Maybe he tried to push Favre back out of retirement, so that he wouldn't lose his star quarterback.  Maybe he fueled the hatred toward Ted Thompson and convinced Favre he wasn't getting enough attention.  Maybe he pushed Jay Cutler to further incite his anger toward Josh McDaniels and trade talk.  He might have even convinced management that Cutler would never play with the Broncos again (even though, last night, I heard a report saying that Jay Glazer and Alex Marvez spoke to Cutler at an MMA event and he seemed less adament about the trade).  I don't know what is said behind closed doors, but when situations like these happens repeatedly, it becomes a trend.

And it all comes down to Cook's hatred toward Ted Thompson.

Think about it: he must have been upset that Thompson supposedly "pushed" his star, money-making client into retirement.  So, he would have reason to want to fuel Favre's own irritation and encourage him to seek a release so he can play with a rival.  Part one of his revenge was getting the fans to all hate Thompson as much as he did.  Part two was getting a quarterback to challenge the Packers within our division (he seems to like sending his clients to rival teams; look at Steve McNair and his move from the Titans to the Ravens).  That happened when a trade was made to the Bears for Jay Cutler.  Now Favre and Cook can get together, have a drink, and laugh at how they managed to get their revenge.

As Favre might say, they finally managed to stick it to Ted.

Okay, so that sounds crazy, but it kind of makes sense.

Doesn't it?

So, Jay Culter was traded to the Bears and now the Packers' rival finally has a real threat at quarterback.  It's time to worry, right?  This makes the Bears a difficult team to overcome in this division and probably a favorite.  We should all be scared of the Bears now.

No, not really.

Why not?  He's got a strong arm, better than John Elway, he might say.  He is considered a franchise quarterback, still young and full of potential.  But he also has an attitude problem, it seems, the kind that started this whole mess.  Besides, he hasn't proven anything yet.

But wasn't he supposed to be the next Brett Favre, with a strong arm and a gunslinger mentality?  And shouldn't we be nervous knowing the "next Brett Favre" will be wearing a Bears jersey.  Well, Brett Favre was fun to watch, but he found a way to win games even with his wreckless play (though, later in his career, he really began to struggle down the stretch).  That is why he is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time (despite the controversy of last year, he still deserves credit).  What has Cutler done so far to earn that honor?

Simply put: nothing.

One of the knocks on the Packers current franchise quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, was that he couldn't win games.  He had a 6-10 record as a starter, which just doesn't cut it, at least by the standards of Packers fans (alright, it is not considered good no matter what).  Those defending him point to the lack of defense and the tendency to give up fourth quarter leads.  Others don't buy that excuse.  So, what about Jay Cutler?

If you think he will be the next great quarterback in the division and the new number 1 among the NFC North (quite the competition he has), you need to reevaluate how you determine great quarterbacks.  And in doing so, Aaron Rodgers stock should go up within the new parameters.  Let me explain: Jay Cutler, despite the hype around him, has a losing record.  3 years ago, he came into the season and started with a 2-3 record.  His first full season, he ended up with a 7-9 record (one game ahead of Rodgers), and then last year he had an 8-8 season, for a grand total of 17 wins and 20 losses.  He faded down the stretch and blew a substantial lead he had over the Chargers.  He wasn't even considered the best quarterback in his division, as many pointed to how well Phillip Rivers played (by the way, he actually has more than one playoff victory next to his name).  Plus, he got a little help in one game from Ed Hochuli, which saved him from another losing season.

Bad defense.

Here, then, is what I mean by adjusting the definition of a great quarterback to fit one quarterback while neglecting the next.  Jay Cutler is great because he has a strong arm and a lot of hype, and bad defense loss his games.  And yet Rodgers is bad because he lost games (it wasn't bad defense) and follows a legend (remember, Jay Cutler was an effort to finally replace John Elway).  I'm not saying that everyone excited about Cutler makes this excuse, but the point is that you can't have it both ways.  It case you didn't know, Rodgers has a strong arm as well.

But we should be afraid.  Cutler is a Bear.  Our rivals have a franchise quarterback.  Sure, they might.  But they still don't have receivers (Cutler can't rely on Brandon Marshall to make big plays for him anymore) and that defense isn't as good as it used to be.  I don't think this is an immediate fix.  Plus, 2 first rounders, a third, and Kyle Orton?  Seems like a lot.  When did the Bears become the Vikings?

Oh, wait.  The Vikings only have Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels.  The Bears now have Jay frickin' Cutler.  He's the answer to all their problems (I mean, they did give up four players to aquire him).  As long as the Bears don't do anything to hurt his fragile feelings.

Sunday night opening weekend should be an interesting match up now: Cutler vs. Rodgers.  Bears versus Packers.

Let the battle begin.

Wait, how can this be?  Did Ted Thompson actually sign a free agent?  Impossible.  He never finds anyone to fill a need.  Unless we were looking for an offensive linemen.  Maybe one who is versatile, athletic, and can play all three linemen positions.  We were?  I wonder if that is Duke Preston?

Never heard of him? So what.  It doesn't matter.

And that is the point.

General Managers in the NFL have a tendency to overpay big name free agents in the first week.  A prominent example is the recent Albert Haynesworth signing by the Redskins, 100 million over seven years.  Is he a good player?  Of course.  Can he ever live up to that.  No.  Simply put, he will have to perform better than he did with the Titans to deserve that.  He could have an injury that limits his play or not play up to his contract, preferring to enjoy his newfound paycheck.  There are no guarantees, even with recognizable names (who can sometimes be a product of the system).

Management just tend to be enchanted by players.  During the first wave and the scramble to sign the free agents everyone wants (including fans). many organizations don't consider the consequence (mainly, overpaying name talents).  This year proves that it can also damage relationship.  It was Josh McDaniels devotion to Matt Cassel and desire to have him on the team that resulted in the current rift with Jay Cutler.  Was there a better way to handle this?  Maybe.  But not all is understood.  The problem is McDaniels got too swept up by the opening week of free agency (in fact, looking at the players signed by the Broncos, the entire team did) and he didn't consider the consequences.  Now he has to worry about damage control.

Is this always the case?  Of course not.  But Ted Thompson doesn't get overly affected by the scramble of the first week.  He is patient, to the irritation of a lot of fans.  But I don't think that is a bad thing.

Believe it or not, there are good athletes that are ignored in favor of the big names.  Just because a player is just not as famous doesn't mean they can't fill a need.  Sometimes, the players that still haven't made are a better choice, since they still have the drive to prove themselves.  They haven't "made it", like Haynesworth, so they keep playing in an effort to grow.  Not having a big name can mean a better team player.

So, now that the rest of the NFL threw away their money on the hyped players, Ted Thompson can calmly pick out impact players that were ignored.  And if he finds players who make a difference, even if their jerseys aren't readily available, suddenly, he is a genius.

Hopefully that is the case for Duke Preston!