Bears’ Eager Beaver

Jay Cutler, who has just joined the Chicago Bears, participated in minicamp training and acted so well that his new teammates were all encouraged.

“I’ve been able to meet with (Turner and quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton) and go over a lot of stuff and do some field work, so it’s coming along.It’s all West Coast offense, so it’s really similar to what I’m already used to (from playing with the Broncos). The way it’s phrased is different. What we called stuff in Denver might be a little different here. But the way you spit it out is the same.” Cutler said in an interview. Cutler has been always working his way since his broke into this team.

“Jay’s a pro,” Hamilton said. ‘He’s very sharp. He’s picking it up extremely well. After we finish our offseason workout sessions out on the field, he spends extra time here not just studying the playbook but spending time with coach Turner going through the [videotape] cutups from last year.Probably the biggest transition for Jay is just learning the rules for the protections and some of the intricacies of how our reads and progressions are in the offense.”

Bears took the same offense that Cutler has ever used in the Denver Broncos. Making 62.3% passing and 4526 yards with 25 touchdowns and an 86.0 rating.

“It’s a lot of the same formations and protections,”Cutler said of the Bears offense. “It’s just little things that I’ve got to get used to. But overall it’s gone really well and it’s really similar. Cutler began to familiarize himself with teammates’ skills. “We’ve got a lot of weapons here,”he said. “Coming from Denver, we had a lot of weapons out there. It’s similar with Greg [Olsen] and Dez [Clark] at the tight end position, and then you’ve got Devin [Hester], Earl [Bennett], Rashied [Davis] and Brandon Rideau, so it’s good. And we’ll get some of the rookies in here and see if they can add a little bit of depth for us.”

Cutler has become a main force QB of Bears, naturally he beared great pressure but he kept his head. “Anytime someone trades two first-rounders and a player for somebody, the expectations are going to be really high,” Cutler said. “I knew that going into it, which is fine. It’s going to make it fun. You know it’s going to be a challenge for us. We’re going to have to work hard in training camp and get ready for that first game. After the offseason I had, I’m just ready to play football again. It’s good to come to a great organization like this and be able to work with really good coaches and players and have a city behind you. That’s pretty much all you can ask for. So I’m looking forward to it.”

With regard to the first game against Green Bay, Cutler said out his pratical idea. “It’s important to have a good showing and win Game 1 and take it one game at a time,” he said. “I’m not going to start looking at playoffs or the Super Bowl or any of that stuff. You’ve got to take it one game at a time and get everyone on the same page offensively. That’s our goal right now.”