Jay Cutler Looking Worth It

Cutler's skills rise above his mouth

Jay Cutler is a bit of a hassle, huh?

He could do better to keep his mouth shut, and the people reporting on his comments could do better to not make every one of them seem like such a big deal.

Whether or not his distractions are ultimately good for the team will rest largely on whether or not Cutler plays quarterback at an all-pro level.

But after his second preseason game, let's just say the hassle is looking worth it.

Naturally, it's preseason, so there's only so much to be gleaned -- first-string players are rarely trying their hardest in preseason, nor should they -- but Cutler's performance against the New York Giants on Saturday proved why the Bears traded so many picks for him in the first place. To be frank, he's very good.

Cutler went 8 of 13 for 121 yards in just three series under center Saturday, leading touchdown-scoring drives of 80 and 92 yards, respectively, one of which he capped off with a throwing touchdown of his own. And it was the way Cutler threw, not just the numbers, that was so impressive. He fit balls into spaces no Bears quarterback of the past 30 years has been able to do. He can hit passes with remarkable accuracy on the rollout. He can stand in the pocket and release the ball a split second before he's hit and somehow still put enough on it for a first down. It's all very exciting stuff.

Cutler looked great. He made Earl Bennett look like a star in the making. Matt Forte had plenty of room to run. The Bears offense looked fantastic, and whether that skill carries over to the regular season or not, for a night, it appeared the Cutler trade -- including the verbal barbs, past and future -- is entirely worth it.

Eamonn Brennan is a Chicago-based writer, editor and blogger. You can also read him at Yahoo! Sports, Mouthpiece Sports Blog, and Inside The Hall, or at his personal site, eamonnbrennan.com. Follow him on Twitter.

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