Michael McCaskey attended the annual Brian Piccolo awards ceremony Thursday morning at Halas Hall and the chairman of the board is still beaming three weeks to the day after the Bears traded for Jay Cutler.

"I join with all the Bears fans who are looking forward to the coming season,'' McCaskey said.

General manager Jerry Angelo admitted he was genuinely surprised by the celebration by fans after the blockbuster trade. McCaskey perhaps has a better understanding of the position. Asked if a deal this big would come to the desk in his office before it was approved, he said yes.

"We paid a big price,'' McCaskey said. "Not only the draft picks, but Kyle Orton was a promising young quarterback and a great teammate in the locker room."