Jay Cutler, QB Chicago Bears

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Although only about eight percent of the free agents available switched teams this year, it seemed that this offseason contained an unusual amount of big-name switches through free agency and trades.

A significant move came in the NFC North when Pro Bowl quarterback JAY CUTLER (left) was acquired by the Chicago Bears from Denver.

"It's all about the quarterback," says Bears general manager JERRY ANGELO. "You don't win because of wide receivers. You don't win because of running backs. You win because of the quarterback."

Bears wide receiver DEVIN HESTER echoes that sentiment saying simply, "Jay is going to make us a lot better."

Notable NFL players who switched teams this past offseason

Player	2009 Team	2008 Team	How
Source: National Football League
T Stacey Andrews	Philadelphia	Cincinnati	Free Agent
C Matt Birk	Baltimore	Minnesota	Free Agent
CB Dre' Bly	San Francisco	Denver	Free Agent
LB Keith Brooking	Dallas	Atlanta	Free Agent
C Jason Brown	St. Louis	Baltimore	Free Agent
QB Matt Cassel	Kansas City	New England	Trade
WR Laveranues Coles	Cincinnati	NY Jets	Free Agent
QB Jay Cutler	Chicago	Denver	Trade
S Brian Dawkins	Denver	Philadelphia	Free Agent
LB Greg Ellis	Oakland	Dallas	Free Agent
LB Larry Foote	Detroit	Pittsburgh	Free Agent
QB Jeff Garcia	Oakland	Tampa Bay	Free Agent
TE Tony Gonzalez	Atlanta	Kansas City	Trade
QB Rex Grossman	Houston	Chicago	Free Agent
DT Albert Haynesworth	Washington	Tennessee	Free Agent
WR Torry Holt	Jacksonville	St. Louis	Free Agent
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh	Seattle	Cincinnati	Free Agent
T Jon Jansen	Detroit	Washington	Free Agent
QB Byron Leftwich	Tampa Bay	Pittsburgh	Free Agent
QB Dan Orlovsky	Houston	Detroit	Free Agent
QB Kyle Orton	Denver	Chicago	Trade
WR Terrell Owens	Buffalo	Dallas	Free Agent
T Orlando Pace	Chicago	St. Louis	Free Agent
T Jason Peters	Philadelphia	Buffalo	Trade
RB Dominic Rhodes	Buffalo	Indianapolis	Free Agent
QB Sage Rosenfels	Minnesota	Houston	Trade
LB Bart Scott	NY Jets	Baltimore	Free Agent
S Darren Sharper	New Orleans	Minnesota	Free Agent
QB Chris Simms	Denver	Tennessee	Free Agent
DE Antonio Smith	Houston	Arizona	Free Agent
TE L.J. Smith	Baltimore	Philadelphia	Free Agent
RB Fred Taylor	New England	Jacksonville	Free Agent
DE Jason Taylor	Miami	Washington	Free Agent
LB Zach Thomas	Kansas City	Dallas	Free Agent
LB Mike Vrabel	Kansas City	New England	Trade
RB Derrick Ward	Tampa Bay	NY Giants	Free Agent

 

NFL 2009 Kickoff Weekend

 

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Ben Roethlisberger

Steelers & Titans Kickoff NFL 2009
NFL 2009 Kickoff Weekend

The NFL kicks off its 2009 season when the Super Bowl XLIII champion PITTSBURGH STEELERS host the TENNESSEE TITANS on NBC at 8:30 PM ET. Continuing a tradition that started in 2004, the previous year's Super Bowl winner hosts the NFL Thursday night season Kickoff the following September. This year's Kickoff Weekend features ...

 

New Rules for NFL 2009 Season
NFL 2009 Kickoff Weekend

The primary focus of this season's playing-rules those changes was enhancing player safety. "We want to make the game safer both for the player getting hit and the player doing the hitting," says NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations RAY ANDERSON. Following the NFL 2009 changes ...

 

Best NFL Records, Past 10 Years
NFL 2009 Kickoff Weekend

Over the past 10 years, five NFL teams have posted a winning percentage of .600 or better – led by the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (114-46, .713).

 

NFL 2009: Teams Strength of Schedule
NFL 2009 Kickoff Weekend

 

NFL 2009: Travel Miles - Preseason and Regular Season
NFL 2009 Kickoff Weekend

The total distance traveled by all teams will be 578,912 miles. This is 18,128 fewer miles than last year. The SEATTLE SEAHAWKS will travel the most this season, accumulating a total of 29,054 miles -- 256 more miles than the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS, PITTSBURGH STEELERS and CLEVELAND BROWNS will travel combined.

 

NFL 2009: Best Quarterback Performances Past & Present
NFL 2009 Kickoff Weekend

Norm Van Brocklin's NFL-record 554 yards still stands today, some 58 years later, as the best single-game passing performance The Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback tossed five touchdowns and completed 27 of 41 passes in the Rams 54-14 rout over the Yanks at the Los Angeles Coliseum.