The Chicago Bears’ staple for their existence has been the lack of a quarterback.

So when news broke that the Bears had traded quarterback Kyle Orton, two first-round draft picks and a third-round draft pick to the Denver Broncos for Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler and a fifth-round draft pick, it was only natural to see smiling Bears fans walking the NIU campus.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Shaheen Mizyed, junior public health major, who was waiting in line at Huskie’s Pizza, 850 Pappas Drive. “I’m a die-hard Bears fan, so I just hope he can help.”

Just outside Huskie’s Pizza was sophomore art major Dan Ludewig who loved the trade but felt a bit sorry for the departing Orton.

“To me it’s bittersweet,” Ludewig said. “Of course it’s sweet, but you kinda feel for Orton too because he earned the spot. But Cutler is going to win games.”

Perhaps the happiest fan on campus was senior psychology major Irfan Bhanji. Bhanji walked proudly by the Holmes Student Center sporting his fitted Bears cap. When asked about the trade, his eyes lit up.

“Unbelievable!” Bhanji yelled with a mile-wide smile. “We haven’t had a quarterback since Sid Luckman. It’s amazing! I can’t believe it!”

When asked who is the better QB in the NFC North between Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers or Cutler, Bhanji responded, “Oh I think it’s easily Cutler.”

But in a school of about 20,000 students, there is bound to be people unimpressed by a move such as this.

Enter Johnny Mako. The senior corporate communications major prides himself as a Packers fan and disagreed with Bhanji’s claim of Cutler being the No. 1 QB in the NFC North.

“Rodgers is the best in the division, hands down,” Mako said. “I think they gave up too much for Cutler. He’s a good quarterback, but he had a good coach and good receivers, and I think he benefitted from that — pretty much the reason he had big numbers.”

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