Jay Cutler Should Lift Bears' Offense Out of Hibernation

The acquisition of Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos did not enable pigs to fly or hell to freeze over.

When they traded for the Pro Bowl-capable quarterback, however, the Bears may have done something that once seemed like an impossible task for them; find a consistent passing threat behind the center.

Cutler will enter the 2009 season as the Bears' starting quarterback after throwing for 4,526 yards and 25 touchdowns for the Broncos in 2008, with a career completion percentage of 62.5. Last season, Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman threw for a combined 3,236 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Orton and Grossman recorded completion percentages of 58.6 and 52.4, respectively, last season.

The upgrade at the quarterback position could improve the rushing offense as well as passing. Running back Matt Forte performed solidly in place of Cedric Benson, rushing for 1,231 yards and eight touchdowns.

Usually, such rookie performances entice defenses to put eight men in the box in the running back's second season. With Cutler and his strong arm posing a deep threat, however, defensive coordinators will need to be honest with their schemes.

Forte also led the Bears with 64 receptions, which begs the following question; to whom will the strong-armed Cutler throw?

This question should be directed to the Bears' wide receiver unit. Not only was Forte last season's leader in receptions, but the only receiver in the team's top four in the reception category was one who converted from the secondary and from special teams glory.

Even though Devin Hester led Chicago with 665 receiving yards, he ranked third among the team with 52 receptions. The wide receivers need to step up if the Bears wish to fulfill division-title expectations. With Cutler throwing to them, there is simply no excuse for not doing so.

On the defensive side of the football, the Bears had some unexpected problems for which they did not provide many personnel solutions like they did for the offense with the Cutler trade. After being perhaps the most feared defense of 2006, Chicago has sunk to mediocrity, ranking 21st overall in 2008.

Perhaps the most troubling characteristic about the defense was its inability to stop opponents' passing game, with the Bears' defense ranked 30th against the pass. This inability was especially evident in their mid-season game against the Tennessee Titans.

The Titans finished last season ranked seventh in rushing offense and 27th in passing offense. While Chicago managed to hold Tennessee running back Chris Johnson to eight yards on 14 carries, Kerry Collins exploited the Bears' weak passing defense by completing 30-of-41 passes for 289 yards en route to a 21-14 victory.

One of the problems associated with the Bears' passing defense was the lack of pressure put on opposing quarterbacks by the defensive linemen. This shortcoming may have been solved with the signing of Rod Marinelli as defensive line coach.

His unprecedented failure as the Detroit Lions' head coach aside, Marinelli has enjoyed solid success as a coach in the National Football League.

In 1996, he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a defensive line coach and, along with Bears head coach Lovie Smith, who served as a linebackers coach for the Bucs, helped turn the "Tampa 2" defense into a breakthrough in defensive strategy.

The "Tampa 2" system is one used by many NFL teams nowadays, including the Bears. With Marinelli's expert knowledge of the system, he can help the defensive line excel next season.

However, it will also be up to the Bears' secondary to step up its performance if it wants the defense to return to its dominating ways. This will be difficult with the departures of safeties Mike Brown and Brandon McGowan.

If the defense and wide receivers can step up their games, the Bears' acquisition of Cutler may be the big piece of their division title, and perhaps Super Bowl, puzzle.