CBS Sports ranks NFL QBs: Cutler 19th

Most Bears fans are Jay Cutler defenders. Whether it's out of blind loyalty of standing behind your guy or just the fact that he is the most talented and competent QB the franchise has had in the past 20 years, Bears fans go to great lengths to defend the honor of number 6.

Whatever the case may be, any time a list comes out ranking QBs, Bears fans are generally upset about it. Usually Cutler is ranked too low or ranked below at least two or three QBs that fans perceive to be inferior.

This list should be no different. Will Brinson ranked the starting QBs in the league from best to worst but instead of just straight ranking them, he decided to break them up into labeled "groups." Personally, this is where the list derails for me. From Brinson:

Any time you rank a group of things, people get angry. And when you start ranking NFL quarterbacks and then (stupidly?) throwing labels on them, people get real angry. So be prepared to get mad at the following list of quarterbacks, from best to worst.

Now that that's out of the way, let's see what he had to say about the Bears' own Cutler:

19. Jay Cutler, Bears: Some will probably argue that Cutler should be higher, and maybe he will be after Marc Trestman actually allows him to sling the ball. For a long time, Cutler's been hampered by playing under a defense-first organization that liked to focus on the run. He's also got an offensive line that won't do its best running-of-the-bulls imitation in 2013.

He is behind Josh Freeman, Sam Bradford, Tony Romo, Andrew Luck and RGIII, among others.

He has Cutler in a group called "In limbo." This is behind groups "Elite," The next group," "Ready for a leap?" and "Young guns."

Now I don't have a problem necessirly with where Cutler is ranked (although he should be higher than 19th), I do have a problem with the group he's lumped into. I can buy the argument, but the other guys in the group are Freeman, Bradford, Philip Rivers and Matt Schaub, Alex Smith, Michael Vick and Ryan Tannehill. Bradford and Freeman are borderline busts who have shown to be mediocre "game manager" QBs at best. The best players in the group, Vick Schaub and Rivers, all have their own questions such as Cutler. Rivers has played terribly for the last two years, can he reclaim what he was or is he now on the downside of his career? Vick has injury and turnover concerns. Schaub has won a lot in recent years but he's hardly proved to be dynamic or a game changer.

So I can buy Cutler being lumped in with those guys, he has similar questions (durability, turnovers, proven winner). However, who is to say all those guys are worse than "the young guns" who have all been in the league for a year or two? Or below Cam Newton and Matt Stafford, who also have questions along the lines of Cutler.

I just don't understand why he would label all these guys who have arguably similar questions. Plus Cutler has won a playoff game (more than Stafford, Bradford or Freeman) and he's won more games over the last two seasons (17) than Newton (13), Freeman (11) and Stafford (14). Personally I think Cutler belongs in the top 15, above the likes of Rivers, Bradford, Freeman, Stafford, Newton and arguably Romo.

Here are some guys on CSN talking about the list as well.

Go and check out the whole list and leave your thoughts below.