Jay Cutler

So no one should be calling for Jay Cutler's benching after seeing this ONE game. He'll make Lovie Smith sleep better at night, but let's hope nothing else.

Hey look Ma, Greg Olsen!

We finally saw some highlights from tight end Greg Olsen! After not getting enough from that position during the preseason, it was nice to see Olsen with the redzone grab. Hopefully Martz has found a well-derserved spot for Olsen in this offense.

Continue reading "Collins impresses in Bears' final preseason game"

! Here's what else to watch for tonight before the roster cuts on Saturday:

Who needs starters?

Jay Cutler, Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Olin Kreutz, Earl Bennett, Hunter Hillenmeyer, Major Wright, Nick Roach, Caleb Hanie and Craig Steltz. That's the list of Bears that will be sitting out tonight's contest. I've heard some hubbub about not seeing Cutler tonight, but I don't care in the slightest. I don't want to see him take unnecessary sacks in a meaningless game for one series. Here's to scrubs!

Continue reading "Joe's Preseason Preview: Bears at Browns"

Well, if this third preseason game was any indication of how the regular season will look, Bears fans are in for a bumpy ride. The Bears' offensive woes continued against the Cardinals as the first-team unit failed to score any points. Here are my notes from Saturday night's 14-9 loss to the Cardinals.

Continue reading "Bears' offense can't finish against the Cardinals"

erms, the Bears finally signed veteran back-up Todd Collins to "provide insurance" behind Jay Cutler if Caleb Hanie isn't ready to return by the season opener. Don't expect much out of him tonight though. He'll likely see most of his action next week. Do you feel safer already?

Continue reading "Joe's Preseason Preview: Cardinals at Bears"

nemen Chris Williams and Lance Louis were beaten by their rushers to allow two consecutive sacks of Jay Cutler, of which there were five in the first half. (Four by new Raider Kamerion Wimbley, who most often beat Chris Williams in one-on-one match-ups.) It was an ugly start. The offensive line improved over the first half, opening a hole for Forte on an 89-yard TD run, but their protection needs considerable work. Mike Tice should start earning his paycheck.

Continue reading "Bears hit early snags against Raiders"

ing for during Saturday night's contest.

-Jay-Mart: Part 2

 Okay, so nobody quite expected Jay Cutler to be pulled after only eight plays. This time around Cutler should play into the second quarter, giving fans a slightly clearer picture of what this offense will look like when the regular season rolls around. All of Mike Martz's bells and whistles won't be on display, but the basics of the system should come into view.

Continue reading "Joe's Preseason Preview: Raiders at Bears"

y notes from tonight's 25-10 preseason loss to the Chargers:

-He wasn't in the game for long, but Jay Cutler looked well enough in the eight plays he was on the field. He completed both of his pass attempts to Johnny Knox for 47 total yards. Otherwise it was hand-offs and a sack for Jay tonight in a bland offensive gameplan. Still, there's a noticeable difference on that side of the ball thanks to Martz. We'll see how it looks going forward. Some fans were surprised at Cutler only playing one series, but I was fine with it. He'll get plenty of reps in the next two games. Though I honestly doubted Lovie's claim of playing his starters close to a half. Yeah, right.

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Still, it will be fun just to see Jay Cutler again. Getting the starters out healthy is their main concern. (Speaking of which, keep an eye on Brian Urlacher to see if he's really at full-speed.)

Continue reading "Joe's Preseason Preview: Bears at Chargers"

first night and a half. 

Jerry Angelo traded away this year's first rounder for quarterback Jay Cutler last off-season and his second-rounder for the late Gaines Adams. With no picks in the 2010 NFL Draft until round three, the Chicago Bears can't afford to swing-and-miss on any "projects" this year. No more Michael Okwo's or Dan Bazuin's or dare I say, any Danieal Manning's. Jerry Angelo can't reach past a player's worth. He'll need to focus on players that have experience at playing ONE position, not these safety/corner/return man combinations of which he seems so fond.

Continue reading "Chicago Bears Draft Preview"

an break out in a route and catch a pass, but Manu's here to help out with the run game and protect Jay Cutler at all costs. However, the move leaves the Bears with four tight ends on their roster and provides plenty of questions as to the future of Greg Olsen. With such a weak offensive line free agent market, Manumaleuna was the next best thing.

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Completing the circle of "Lovie's guys," Bears defensive line coach Rod Marinelli was promoted to assistant head coach and defensive coordinator on Friday. The move was among many staff decisions made by Smith and GM Jerry Angelo. Shane Day, quality control coach with the San Francisco 49ers, was hired to become the new quarterbacks coach and Eric Washington was promoted to defensive line coach. Seattle's Mike DeBord was signed on Tuesday, assuming the tight end coaching vacancy. 

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y sat down with Bears brass, followed by a trip to Tennessee to have dinner with Bears franchise QB Jay Cutler. After Jay expressed his support for Martz, Lovie Smith hired the man he wanted all along.

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Take that to the bank. That should be more than low enough. Jay Cutler and the offense should have no trouble tearing apart the second-worst defense (worst pass defense) in the NFL. Matt F

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Lovie Smith's job status could have been decided already. Jay Cutler was going to have a poor season either way, right? That being said...

Eff you Minnesota. Seriously. Take that Brett Favre. Hope you enjoy playing the first weekend of the playoffs because you just lost out on the number two seed in the NFC. 

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By the end of the first quarter Bears QB Jay Cutler had already tossed two interceptions. The Baltimore Ravens had already exchanged those gifts for fourteen points. After six total turnovers and nary an offensive score to be found, the lesson was obvious. I already knew my Bears sucked. Now I know they suck, have given up on their coach and may not win another game this season.

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Though so far Lovie's been focused on trying to win meaningless games and not the future.

Jay Cutler needs to establish a rapport with his younger receivers, especially if the staff wants them to make an impact next season. Nothing can truly simulate game experience, so what is the harm in getting some rookies out there? Chris Williams has three games to showcase some hope at left tackle, because there's no other option available after the failed Orland Pace experiment.

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When Jay Cutler likes a receiver, he's going to look for them. Period. Just see what Johnny Knox has done this season. Aromashodu's 8 catches for 76 yards and one impressive endzone grab came only because Devin Hester was on the sidelines. As the only big wide-out on the roster, Lovie Smith must be able to see the match-up problems he can cause. He may not be Randy Moss, but with Cutler he won't have to be.

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in concern, but he's not putting his team in the best position to succeed at it.

Switching sides, Jay Cutler should fare much better than his trip to Lambeau. Two things support my position: First, it's a home game. Second, it's not at night or in prime-time. The problem is the offensive line is the same amount of awful no matter what time it is. Chris Williams didn't look all that great at left tackle last Sunday, but at least I know he still has a pair of knees. (Sorry Orlando Pace.)  I'd say running the ball would help keep that pressure off Jay, but we all know that's an unlikely prospect. Chances are we'll have to air it our at least 30 times and probably over 40. That being the case, I want to see 6-8 catches from Greg Olsen and 15-20 from my wide receivers. 

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So what did I learn from this much-needed win?

Unfortunately, not much. Jay Cutler injured his hand during the contest but it certainly doesn't look to be anything overly serious. Ron Turner put an obvious emphasis on running the ball, force-feeding the ball to Matt Forte and Kahlil Bell 38 times for 120 yards. Cutler only threw 18 times, a sure side effect of an injured hand. Still, the Bears went downfield early, attacking a porous St. Louis secondary. Devin Hester made his best catch of the season and Earl Bennett caught his first career touchdown.

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Continue reading "Bears are demolished by Vikings 36-10"

Continue reading "Joe's Gameday Preview: Bears at Vikings"

Well, it wasn't a barrage of Jay Cutler interceptions that led to Chicago's loss to Philadelphia at Soldier Field Sunday night. Instead of tossing red zone picks, Cutler played smart and checked down to his receivers, setting up four Robbie Gould field goals. Thing about field goals is, a touchdown's better than two of them. That simple math led to the demise of Lovie Smith's team and the deflation of their playoff hopes as they fall to 4-6.

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lay an egg when they play the Eagles this Sunday night? Easy: they're playing at home.

It's true, Jay Cutler has not fared well in night games this season, tossing a whopping 11 interceptions after dark. But his play at home has been steady if nothing else, and the Bears are beyond desperate for a victory. 4-6 would provide an early end to meaningful football in Chicago, but 5-5 would keep them relatively alive for a wildcard berth.

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Ten penalties and five Jay Cutler interceptions prevented Chicago from leaving Candlestick Park with a victory. I won’t bother boring you with the minutiae.  The final score: San Francisco 10, Chicago Bears 6.

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Their awful half was wholly responsible for this loss, just like in Cincinnati.   

Jay Cutler and the offense moved the ball fairly effectively for most of the game, but penalties and bay play-call’s prematurely halted drives early, leading to punts instead of scores. Cutler played almost as well as he has all season, completing 29 passes for a whopping 369 yards and three scores, all to Greg Olsen. Unfortunately, an interception with a little less than seven minutes to go sealed the victory for Arizona. He was under pressure all day again, sacked four times and hit eight more. At this rate, Cutler won’t last all season, especially if the Bears have to keep abandoning the running game.

Continue reading "Bears can't catch up to Cardinals, lose 41-21"

Still, the victory was not without its major flaws, as Jay Cutler’s battered body can attest to. Chicago’s franchise QB was sacked five times, not including a “Jay-Roughing” penalty on massive Shaun Rogers which left Cutler’s mouth bloody. I’m officially coining the term “Jay-Roughing” to be used on roughing the passer calls. So I should get a quarter every time you say it. I hope I don't make too much money off it though, as Cutler needs to stay mostly upright during his lengthy stay under center for Chicago.

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dams at defensive end and Nathan Vasher filling in at times at the free safety spot.  

Jay Cutler and the offense shouldn’t have much opposition from the Browns. Their dead-last-ranked defense gives up over 400 yards and 25 points a game. If O-Coordinator Ron Turner can’t reach 30 points, it should be considered a bad offensive day. Matt Forte will have no better chance for a break-out game than against Cleveland’s front seven. As much as Turner may love throwing the ball with his new favorite, Matt Forte will have to carry this team to the playoffs.

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It simply isn’t working. 

-Jay Cutler and Matt Forte aren’t the problem, the offensive line is. Sure, Jay will throw a ball or two into triple coverage, but that’s his style. He’s single-handedly kept the Bears in games they had no business winning, even while working with a receiver corps no one gave any credit. Speaking of which, Devin Hester was one of the lone bright spots against the Bengals, showing true wide receiver ability.

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Of course, that will be an easier task if Jay Cutler and the offense jump out to an early lead.

Cincinnati’s defense is rated 22nd overall, giving up over 350 yards a game, most of which coming through the air. Still, they only give up 19.7 points a game (noticing a trend?), which mean Marvin Lewis is perfecting the “bend but don’t break” defensive scheme. Cutler’s Bears are putting up close to 24 points a contest, so if the averages hold true, Chicago should escape this one with a victory. But nobody wins a single game on paper.  

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A Jay Cutler interception on the first drive and a Matt Forte lost fumble in the third quarter (after a Forte recovered fumble the play before) took at least six points off the board. Cutler also overthrew Greg Olsen early in the second quarter in the middle of the field to end another Chicago drive. Cutler needs to keep his red zone mistakes down and Forte MUST curb this fumbling problem he’s discovered. 

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t even listed on the injury report, so expect to see Chicago’s two burners on the outside for Jay Cutler. 

Speaking of Franchise Jay, it may be time to see an aerial assault from the Chicago Bears. Atlanta has the 10th best pass defense in the league, letting opposing quarterbacks complete only fifty-seven percent of their passes. However, Cutler was the only quarterback to win at the Georgia Dome last season when he helmed the Denver Broncos. With the right play-calling, Cutler can expose the Atlanta secondary for some big plays.  

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It was unimpressive statistically, but Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears dominated the Detroit Lions in the second half en route to a 48-24 win on Sunday. 

Even though Detroit’s offense ran 76 plays compared to Chicago’s 50 and racked up nearly 400 yards, it wasn’t enough to overcome losing the field position battle. All of the Lions’ 13 drives started from within their own 30-yard line. Out of the Bears 13 drives, only three started behind the 30. With that kind of field position,

Continue reading "Bears Demolish Lions in Second Half of Blowout Win"

o turn it into a streak, with the Chicago Bears playing their second victim.  

For Jay Cutler and the offense, it should be a fairly simple philosophy: don’t turn the ball over. Detroit’s defense is allowing an average of close to 29 points a game and 400 yards to their opponents this season. Options on the ground or through the air should be open to Ron Turner and this still-developing offensive system. The wide receivers must continue to make strides with Cutler, but their progression has been a pleasant surprise after the fervor from writers (including me) over the off-season. 

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Despite a Jay Cutler interception and fumble, the Bears found a way to win. After three heart attacks and defibrillator attention, I found a way to write this story. 

After getting great field position on the opening drive, Robbie Gould missed a field goal, giving the Seahawks good field position of their own. Driving the ball down the field, back-up QB Seneca Wallace dropped the ball off to running back Julius Jones who broke two Bear tackles en route to a 39-yard touchdown. Two Olindo Mare field goals put Seattle up 13-0 with five minutes left in the first half.  

Continue reading "Cutler leads Bears to 25-19 win in Seattle"

If they don’t, they can only blame themselves.

Bear down and happy Jay Cutler day!

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on Pittsburgh Steelers!

A week after his less-than-stellar outing against the Green Bay Packers, Jay Cutler came home to Chicago and proved to be worth the king’s ransom that was paid for his services. Though there is certainly room for improvement, this is a win the Bears desperately needed.

Continue reading "Bears Shock Steelers with Late Field Goal"

This certainly has been a troublesome week for Bears fans after a confounding opener in which Jay Cutler threw four interceptions and Brian Urlacher dislocated his wrist, ending his season. With a load of criticism being heaped Jay’s way and a depth chart shuffle since Monday, the Bears now have to focus on Sunday’s match-up to avoid starting this season 0-2. Unfortunately their mountain to climb is steep, as the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers are coming to town.

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Like it goes in the NFL, the quarterback is going to get most of the blame. Jay Cutler threw four interceptions in Chicago’s 21-15 loss to the rival Green Bay Packers Sunday night.

To his credit, three of those interceptions came in the first half, and the Bears were still only down eight points. Ron Turner’s play-calling did nothing to stop the bleeding, as he completely abandoned Matt Forte and the running game in the first half. Maybe Turner didn’t realize that you should take the ball out of your QB’s hands when he’s throwing interceptions? You let him settle back down with some hand-offs and then ease him back into throwing. Cutler is not Tom Brady; he gets emotional and needs to be reigned in every now and again. Deal with it.

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What I’m pretty sure you heard is that Jay Cutler is a Chicago Bear. 

  

Wait, you didn’t know that? Stop reading this blog. Now. 

For the informed, let’s get you ready for this Sunday night opener on the not-yet frozen tundra! Lovie Smith and the Bears are coming off a solid preseason where they saw glimpses of what their new QB was capable of. Their first-team offense scored 17 first-half points on both the Giants and Broncos while the defensive starters held their counterparts to only a field goal in each of those contests. 

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After a Zack Bowman interception on the first play from scrimmage, Jay Cutler took the field and handed off to back-up running back Kevin Jones six times, leading to a Robbie Gould field goal. Matt Forte didn't even play. After those first seven plays, it was scrub time.

Continue reading "Bears Answer Few Questions in Victory Over Browns"

;Crybaby Cutler” t-shirts and “There’s no “Jay” in team” signs, Jay Cutler came out and delivered a strong performance against his former team. Fighting a raucous crowd and two near safeties on the first drive, Cutler handled the pressure and led Chicago to seventeen points in the first half, matching the output of the Giants contest.

Continue reading "Cutler Embarasses Broncos in Denver"

As much as Jay Cutler and Josh McDaniels say this game doesn’t matter, you know they’re itching to embarrass the other guy just a little bit. I personally can’t wait to see our defense pick off Kyle Orton, but that’s just me.

Continue reading "What to Watch for: Bears at Broncos"

the naysayers please sit down?

After a sub-par performance in his first preseason game as a Bear, Jay Cutler had to listen to a week of Chicago fans moan and groan about the offense’s slow progress. That certainly won’t be the case this week.

Continue reading "Cutler and Bears Dominate Giants"

istent performance at best from the Bears, who were without key pieces on both sides of the ball.

Jay Cutler made his long-awaited debut under center for Chicago and the immediate results were less than stellar. Cutler did his best to get developing receiver Devin Hester the ball on numerous occasions, as the two still need to feel each other out. This led to a few off throws and even an interception deep down the field on an underthrown pass to Hester.

Continue reading "Cutler Doesn't Meet Hype Against the Bills"

Chicago still has a great chance to win the division behind Jay Cutler (giggity) and Matt Forte. Minnesota is still their main competition, as any team with Adrian Peterson is dangerous. Green Bay will be much improved, but it they get over nine wins I’ll be shocked. Detroit… well they’re Detroit. I doubt this will be the year they finally break through. But at least it can’t get any worse, right? 

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Including first round picks Jay Cutler and Chris Williams as well as third round picks Earl Bennett and D.J. Moore. Coming off a winning season though has Commodores entering uncharted waters h

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After the miraculous acquisition of Jay Cutler (which I still can’t believe happened), and then the signing of Orlando Pace, Jerry Angelo could have sat out the rest of free agency and skipped the draft and Bears fans would have been content. Not one to rest on his new QB’s laurels, Angelo refuses to let up.

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n related Bears news:

The Denver Broncos used the third round pick from Chicago (acquired in the Jay Cutler deal) in a package to move back into the second round to pick tight end Richard Quinn.  In the more puzzling move out of Denver, they sent their original first round selection in 2010 to Seattle so they could draft cornerback Alphonso Smith in the early second round (37th). They still have Chicago’s first rounder, which means Denver thinks they’ll finish ahead of the Bears in the standings, thus keeping the higher pick. (Could be an interesting topic of discussion, given the lackluster divisions each team occupies.) Denver’s day was odd. Giving up a first-rounder next year is risky, given 2010’s believed status as a better draft class.

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s General Manager Jerry Angelo traded away a small chunk of this year’s draft in the now epic Jay Cutler deal. So instead of at 18, his first pick comes off the board at 49, in the middle of the second round. Also, his instead of two third round picks at 84 and 99, he is left with the latter, a compensatory pick awarded for losing Bernard Berrian in free agency last off-season.  Still, even with those losses, Angelo has a great deal of work ahead of him on this draft weekend with seven picks total (One in each round 2-6, two compensatory picks in round 7). What should he do? What do the Bears need? I break it down right here, right now.

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Jay Cutler is a Chicago Bear. I said it. I can’t believe it. This was a pipedream. All I wanted to hear was that the Bears expressed their interest and were on the phones trying to make an offer. I did not even fathom the idea that they could actually land a franchise quarterback. General Manager Jerry Angelo not only called the Broncos, but pulled the trigger on a massive blockbuster trade, acquiring the Pro Bowl QB from Denver.

Continue reading "Chicago Bears Trade for Cutler, Sign Pace"

quo;s been chomping at the bit to chime in about Chicago acquiring disgruntled Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos. Cutler was offered in a three-way deal that would have sent Matt Cassel to the Broncos, Cutler to the Buccaneers, and first and fourth-round picks to the Patriots. The deal never materialized, but Cutler is still fairly upset at the lack of loyalty shown by new coach Josh McDaniels and may have expressed a desire to be traded.This deal won’t happen, as much as I would love to see it. Denver was only trading Cutler when they were getting their choice of quarterback in return. The Bears have nothing of note to offer them (unless they like Kyle Orton more than we do), but it’s still worth it to Angelo to call and see what it would take.

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On the first play of Denver's Monday Night game against New England, Jay Cutler injured his finger on Vince Wilfork's helmet. This must have messed with Coach Mike Shanahan's usual pre-planned 15-play commencement to every game. Seeing the immediate innaccuracy of Cutler's throwing after the bang-up, more run plays started to get dialed. Since Selvin Young was out of the game, it was 33-year-old back-up Michael Pittman's job to carry the load. Soon thereafter, during the same long drive downfield, Pittman was injured and taken out of the game. Thus third-stringer Andre Hall had to carry the ball. And on his first touch, he fumbled it. The drive was simply doomed from the beginning.

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They have always had a great running game ,but the passing game picked up under young quarterback Jay Cutler. The talent is there on their defense, however they struggled against the run and that was very detrimental to their effectiveness on the defensive side of the ball. Not being able to stop the run took the Broncos off balance and made them weaker against the pass. This year they look to stop the bleeding and be far more competitive in the AFC West.

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #18: The Denver Broncos"