Cutler's Arm Stands Out in First Bears Practice

By Gene Chamberlain

It was obvious Wednesday from the velocity the football was being thrown at Halas Hall that it's not Kyle Orton’s Chicago Bears offense anymore.

The Bears held their first organized team activity workout and the speed of quarterback Jay Cutler's passes was blatantly obvious.  Receivers spent much of the time trying to get used to a quarterback who delivers a pass with much greater zip. Devin Hester dropped a short screen that came in fast and Greg Olsen bobbled one over the middle. Hester also caught a bomb for a touchdown behind Kevin Payne. Cutler adjusted his throw and it fluttered a bit but landed square in Hester’s hands on the dead run.

“I feel like we’re starting to click,” Hester said after practice. “It’s just polishing up on everything. He’s in a situation where he’s in a new offense with new receivers, so we’re polishing it up and getting used to the timing of it and the speed. Once we get that down, we’ll be good.

“He has great arm strength, probably one of the top few in the league. His arm strength is incredible.”

NFL teams get 14 organized team activity workouts prior to the start of training camp, but the players have done some pass-and-catch drills on their own after the conditioning program that goes on at Halas Hall, so it wasn’t really their first attempt to catch his passes -- although it was the first time they tried to do it full squad with defensive players trying to break up the throw.

Hester said the arm strength Cutler showed on the first throws during those drills had everyone awe-struck. Cutler’s passes arrive quickly and with the point of the ball down.
“The first couple days everybody’s eyes were wide open and saying, `Wow!’ ”  he said. “The days we’ve put in, the work we’ve put in, we’re getting used to it.”

There’s more to putting together a good passing attack than arm strength, though.
“Joe Montana didn’t throw the ball that hard, but he got it there on time so that’s not necessarily it,” wide receiver Rashied Davis said. “It’s just getting used to his ball. He’s a good quarterback. He throws a hell of a ball, has a strong arm.”

The Bears obviously don’t have any receivers as accomplished as Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal.  They had Cutler’s former Vanderbilt teammate Earl Bennett lining up opposite Hester at wide receiver with the first string Wednesday.

“With Devin and Earl and Rashied and our tight end group and the way Matt (Forte) catches the ball, I think we’ve got more than enough,” Cutler said. “Maybe add a little bit of depth with some of the younger guys and Brandon Rideau and some of those guys have got to step up a little bit, so it’s going to be fun.

“It’s going to be good competition out there of guys going out there and battling a little bit and trying to make a spot.”

Cutler and offensive coordinator Ron Turner have been collaborating away from the field to make the transition in the playbook easier. Cutler is watching a lot of digital video cut-ups from last year’s Bears offense. Turner wants to make sure to take advantage of Cutler’s arm strength as well as his mobility. The Bears couldn’t roll Orton or Rex Grossman out.

“We will have some designed movement plays, obviously,” Turner said.. “We’re moving the pocket with him and then he has the ability to create things on his own.

“When it’s not there, if the coverage isn’t what we wanted, if it’s protection breakdown or whatever and the receivers, that’s something they’ll have to get used to and something we’ll work on definitely more than what we’ve done in the past.”

Not only does Cutler have to learn the offense and get used to the receivers, but he’s got to become a leader. That part will take some time. There were questions about his leadership in Denver.

“I think a quarterback’s got to be a coach on the field and you’ve got to get the best out of every single player you have out there, and it’s a delicate process,” Cutler said Wednesday. “I can yell at some guys and you can lightly push other guys. It’s a tip-toe act and I’ve got to feel out the guys and kind of see what their pressure points are and how much you can push them, and that’s going to come in time.

“We’ve got a lot of time throughout the summer and camp, and just getting to know each other. We’ve tried to do as much on the field and hang out off the field with these offensive guys and just get a feel for what makes them tick.”

ALSO

• The Corey Graham move to safety has come faster than earlier anticipated. He played free safety with the second string all practice and Josh Bullocks was at backup strong safety. "I played free safety a little in high school and in two games in college and that's all," Graham said. "It's a lot different because you're just in the middle of the field by yourself where at cornerback I was always on someone and turning and running up the field. The technique is totally different." Craig Steltz was the starting free safety and Kevin Payne the starting strong safety.
• With Graham at safety and cornerback Charles Tillman working out only during individual drills, Zack Bowman got to play with starters at cornerback.
• Dusty Dvoracek's poor play last year and injury past has landed him out of favor and he is behind Anthony Adams at nose tackle with both now healthy. Tommie Harris sat out practice and Israel Idonije played his spot with starters. Rookie third-round pick Jarron Gilbert lined up as the backup behind Idonije.
• Linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer, coming off surgery, watched as Nick Roach continued playing starting strong side linebacker.
• Barring a signing with another NFL team, former Bear Rex Grossman is reportedly going to try to play in the new UFL which starts in October. No NFL team has expressed a keen interest in him at this point.
• Caleb Hanie certainly did nothing to calm the fears of those who think the Bears are in trouble unless they get an experienced backup. He threw the only two interceptions of the day, one to Jamar Williams and the other to cornerback Woodny Turenne.
• Josh Beekman, who started at left guard last year, remained at that spot while newly acquired Frank Omiyale was with the backups.