I know I don't speak for everyone in the AFC West, but we were glad to see Cutler go. I always thought he had a potential to light things up that none of the other opposition QBs really had (especially JaMarcus Russell); it was woefully inconsistent, sure, but he was dangerous. He was not a QB for whom you rubbed your hands in anticipation when you saw him lining up under center (like, again, Russell) because you knew he could beat you. The trade for Kyle Orton replaced him with a QB right in-between -- no anticipation but no fear either, just "oh, it's this guy." I always thought the Bears got the better end of that swap.

Based on what I've seen so far this season of the Bears, they're good enough to take out the Falcons -- no small feat -- and hang with the Saints, one of the upper echelon teams of the NFC. Next week's not gonna be any easier, though. I thought they looked pretty good, and I'm certainly not looking forward to them being on the Bolts' schedule.