If a 25-year-old Pro Bowl quarterback largely viewed as a true franchise player is not worth two No. 1 picks, then who the hell is?

Those strange noises and assorted expletives you might be hearing are screaming matches at the JoeBucsFan.com headquarters.

No, we’re not fighting over Carmella Garcia posters. There’s a lot of disagreement here over the value of Jay Cutler to the Bucs.

Many Bucs fans think two first round draft picks is too steep a price for Cutler.

To those folks I have to pose the question: If a 25-year-old Pro Bowl quarterback largely viewed as a true franchise player is not worth two No. 1 picks, then who the hell is?

We’re talking about acquring a top-flight quarterback in a division that boasts Matt Ryan and Drew Brees. Those guys are not going away.

In 2000, the Bucs traded the No. 12 pick and No. 27 overall pick for 27-year-old Keyshawn Johnson. That proved to be the right move for the franchise. And surely, Cutler at the quarterback position is more valuable than Keyshawn was at wide receiver.

In a perfect world the Bucs draft defensive players in the first and third rounds in 2009, AND Luke McCown comes out this season and proves to be a solid quarterback who avoids rookie mistakes.

The Bucs would then turn out a strong ground game and McCown could lean on that to keep him out of too many dangerous 3rd and long situations.

For 2010, the Bucs would then be in a stronger position to contend having solidified their defense through two drafts and two free agency periods, plus a seasoned McCown in his second full year.  

That’s the dream world.

The reality is if the Bucs drop two No. 1 picks on Cutler, they instantly have a super-powerful and super-young offense that could churn out a ton of points (assuming Michael Clayton can catch the ball). And they wouldn’t  have to gamble on McCown.

And that’s the key, really. Why gamble on McCown and your draft picks, when you can have a sure thing with Cutler?

Of course, with Cutler at quarterback in 2009, the Bucs would be hurting sorely on defense. But they could always turn to some veteran help in free agency (gasp) to plug holes in 2009, before fully addressing the defense in 2010.

Either way, the Bucs aren’t winning any hardware this season. But I’d much rather go into 2010 completely revamped with Jay Cutler at quarterback than gamble on Luke McCown.

If McCown doesn’t pan out in 2009, the Bucs would be almost forced to draft a quarterback in 2010. If it got to that point, that would represent their second gamble at quarterback in two seasons.

It’s not worth the gamble, if they can trade for Cutler now.