Cutler in good shape after another practice
Based on the way he played in the first meeting with the Detroit Lions, it might seem Jay Cutler would want to avoid them rather than rushing back from a groin injury for Sunday’s rematch.
But Cutler went through a second straight full practice Friday, this time outdoors, without any problems and is scheduled to start.
“He had a very good practice again,” coach Marc Trestman said, “and he looks like he’s good to go.”
As was the case Thursday, Cutler, who is officially listed as “probable,” got all the practice reps Friday in preparation for what the Bears hope will be a better offensive performance than they delivered in Week Four.
Cutler was picked off three times and lost a fumble on Sept. 29 at Ford Field, compiling a 65.6 passer rating, by far his worst complete game this season. The fumble, forced by longtime nemesis Ndamukong Suh, was returned four yards for a touchdown. One of his interceptions was returned to the Bears’ two-yard line to set up another TD.
“You learn from your mistakes,” coach Marc Trestman said. “He had a ball-security issue backed up, which we consistently work on day in and day out. He had a high throw. I think those are mistakes that he learned from, and I think we saw that as he moved on. We’ll see this week.”
Since that game, Cutler has 4 touchdowns and no interceptions with a passer rating of 122.7 and just 1 sack.
“It was hard to watch after the fact,” Cutler said. “It’s even harder to watch now, because it was just silly stuff that I was doing; that we were doing out there. So we can limit the turnovers. They’ve got a hot hand on offense, (and their) defense is playing well. It’s going to be a tough matchup. They’re coming off a bye, so they’ve had ample opportunity to prepare for us.”
Bad timing:Defensive end Shea McClellin (hamstring), coming off a career-best, 3-sack performance Monday night against the Packers, did not practice Friday and is doubtful against the Lions on Sunday.The 2012 first-round pick suffered the injury during a drill in Thursday#146;s practice.#147;On a personal level, I feel bad for him if he doesn#146;t play because he really had a god game last week,#148; coach Marc Trestman said. #147;He was moving in the right direction, so I#146;m certainly disappointed for him. We#146;ve said it all year, we#146;ve got to find a way to do it with the guys that we have, and that#146;ll be David Bass and Cheta (Ozougwu); he#146;ll probably be up and we#146;ll go from there.#148;The 6-foot-4, 256-pound Bass (No. 91) was claimed on waivers after he was cut just before the start of the season by the Oakland Raiders, who drafted him in the seventh round out of Missouri Western State. He has played in the previous four games and had a personal-best 3 tackles against the Green Bay Packers. #147;He has athletic ability, and he#146;s strong up front, he can move around, and (defensive line coach) Mike (Phair) is working hard to continue to develop him. We think he#146;s got some upside, and he#146;s certainly going to get an opportunity to play if this thing goes as we think it will.#148;Ozougwu (No. 76), who played in two games last season for the Bears, is expected to be promoted from the practice squad. The 6-foot-2, 255-pounder was originally a seventh-round pick of the Houston Texans in 2011 out of Rice University.Who needs practice?It was back to the usual this week for backup quarterback Josh McCown, which means no work with the first team, although that wasn#146;t a problem when he had to relieve Jay Cutler three weeks ago.#147;Josh didn#146;t take any reps when we went into Washington,#148; coach Marc Trestman said. #147;That#146;s how we#146;ve operated, and that#146;s what we did this week. With only two days, Jay needed every rep anyway, and we had to make sure that what we were seeing in his workouts were the same that we saw in a competitive practice, and they were.#148;McCown still played at a high level when he took over after Cutler#146;s groin injury vs. Washington, compiling a 119.7 passer rating, the second highest of his 11-year career.Health beat:Linebacker Lance Briggs (shoulder), long-snapper Patrick Mannelly (calf) and defensive tackle Jeremiah Ratliff (groin) did not practice this week and are out for Sunday#146;s game. Quarterback Jay Cutler (groin), cornerback Charles Tillman (knee), linebacker Blake Costanzo (back), tight end Dante Rosario (ankle) and guard James Brown (illness) were all full participants in practice and are probable.For the Lions, rookie starting defensive end Ezekiel Ansah (ankle) did not practice and is doubtful. Starting free safety Louis Delmas (knee) did not practice, but he is probable, as are strong safety Glover Quin (ankle) and wide receiver Calvin Johnson (knee), who were limited. Running back Reggie Bush (knee) did not practice but is also probable. Wide receiver Nate Burleson (forearm, limited) is out.Ÿ Follow Bob#146;s Bears reports on Twitter @BobLeGere.