Bears QB Jay Cutler comfortable with Mike Martz’s system

BOURBONNAIS — After only five training camp practices, and despite no off-season, quarterback Jay Cutler already has noticed a greater familiarity and level of comfort with Mike Martz’s offense in his second year in the system.

“It’s completely different,” Cutler said after Thursday night’s practice under cooler and much less humid conditions than the first four practices. “It’s night and day. You get a lot more comfortable with the reads and where I’m going with the ball. It’s just a matter of getting the offensive line worked out and getting the timing between me and the receivers. We’re kind of playing catch-up, we don’t really have a lot of time with no OTA’s (organized team activities prior to training camp). We’ve got to make it happen pretty quick.”

Cutler says he spent a lot of time in the off-season fine-tuning his footwork because it’s essential for success in Martz’s system, and the Bears’ offensive coordinator noticed the improvement from Day One. But Martz admitted he had no idea how Cutler was able to make the improvement on his own — and Cutler’s not saying.

“I like kind of keeping him on edge,” the QB said. “I’m not going to tell him exactly what I did, just so that I might have that up on him, because he knows pretty much everything else.”

Hits keep coming:

Marion Barber’s violent running style was on display early in Thursday night’s practice.

On the same play, in 9-on-7 inside run drill, Barber initiated and got the better of a pad-popping collision with 292-pound tackle Amobi Okoye, bounced off and was rocked by sixth-round rookie linebacker J.T. Thomas.

“I told Marion he was good,” said Okoye, the 10th overall pick in the 2007 draft. “When I get my legs back I’ll be ready for him. Next time he’s going to be going backwards.”

That set the tone for a practice that seemed more upbeat with 16 free agents, including Okoye and Barber, on the field for the first time.

“Marion Barber, in the first 9-on-7 drill, showed up,” coach Lovie Smith said. “A guy like Marion Barber stepping in and setting the tempo early, all of that has to help.”

Inside job:

Training camp still isn’t a week old, but already Henry Melton has made his presence felt, flashing quickness and the ability to get to the quarterback from the 3-technique tackle spot.

Melton seemed out of place inside last season because he was listed at just 260 pounds, but in limited snaps he had 2½ sacks, fourth best on the team. This season, Melton is listed at 295 pounds, and he doesn’t appear to have lost any of the quickness that allowed him to play in 25 games at Texas as a running back. He was drafted as a defensive end, where he started 10 games for the Longhorns, but the Bears’ coaching staff quickly identified him as a player who could have a pass-rush presence inside by using his quickness against bigger guards and centers.

“I’m not saying he’s not a fit at end,” defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said. “But what you look for inside is movement and speed. He’s filled out, but he’s got tailback speed. I like guys inside a little bit shorter (because) your natural knee bend is a little bit easier. And he’s an athlete who can bend. It’s about the speed and quickness over a guard because you have to win inside. I want to keep him inside.”

One way to go:

In his second season as offensive coordinator Mike Martz “absolutely” expects to see improvement on his side of the ball despite the absence of an off-season.

“There are a lot of things that we learned last year, and resolving the offensive line is an issue, getting that kind of stabilized. There’s a lot of positive things going into the season where we would expect to be much better and become a much better football team on offense than what we were last year.”

The offense was 30th in total yards last season, 28th in passing yards and 32nd in sacks allowed.

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