They were piling up QBs that year because they had no idea who could play, but they needed to address the O-line first if any of them were going to succeed.
I wouldn't necessarily consider the Raiders game to be a representative sample. I'd imagine Cutler will face much more blitz pressure and better DB's in most of his opponents this season. But the kid does same to have "it". After recovering from his diabetes, he's really looking good now. Definitely has the strong arm.