All Bears receivers are go-to guys

The Bears don't appear to have a go-to receiver - or to need one.

Devin Aromashodu was the leading wide receiver in the opener vs. Detroit with 5 catches for 71 yards, while running back Matt Forte caught 7 passes for 151 yards.

Against Dallas, wide receivers led the way. Johnny Knox had 4 catches for 86 yards and Devin Hester had 4 receptions for 77 yards and a TD.

Aromashodu did not catch a pass against the Cowboys. Hester was targeted just once in the opener. It didn't matter. The offense flourished in both victories.

"(Since) Mike (Martz) got here with this offense, I don't think you need a No. 1," said quarterback Jay Cutler, who has thrown 5 TD passes and just 1 interception.

"I don't think you need that (one) guy because the ball is going in so many directions.

Tight end Greg Olsen had 4 catches in the opener for just 37 yards, but against the Cowboys his only catch was for a 39-yard TD.

So not only are the Bears utilizing different receivers, they're deploying them in different roles.

Cutler said he believes that, in Martz's offense, it may well be an advantage to have a variety of viable options, rather than a clear-cut, go-to guy.

"I think it's almost even a bigger advantage to have what we have," Cutler said, "a lot of weapons. We're creating so many matchups for guys.

"It keeps teams off balance. They don't know where we're going or where we are headed or what we're doing in some of these formations, so it's working out to our advantage. We have a guy like Mike Martz who knows how to take advantage of all that."

Olsen was not supposed to have much of a role in Martz's offense. Conventional thinking said the tight end was just an afterthought in his scheme, but Olsen had the catch that turned around the fortunes of the offense Sunday.

That pass was designed for him in that specific situation, and it worked to perfection.

"If you just execute and do exactly what he says to do, most times we're going to be in a pretty good position to succeed," Olsen said of Martz's system. "I think that play was a great example of that."

The game also was a great example of the offense adapting to a difficult situation.

The Cowboys were bringing all kinds of pressure in passing situations on the Bears' first three possessions. Some teams and some coordinators would have gone conservative at that point, trying to stop the blitzing by running the ball.

But Martz kept throwing it. He just called for quicker throws that attacked the area left vulnerable by the blitzers.

"That goes back to our playbook," Cutler said, "of having all these plays and carrying all this stuff just for circumstances like (that).

"Whenever some of the stuff isn't working, we can rely on some stuff that we practiced down the road. (Martz) can dial it up, and the guys know exactly what's going on.

"We did a little of that; we changed some stuff on the run, made some adjustments upfront, and everyone reacted to it properly.

"I have all the confidence in Mike and his playcalling ability, giving us the right plays and making the proper adjustments, which we did."

No one gave the Bears' offensive line much credit heading into this season, but that unit has made strides toward respectability.

If the group can handle blitz pressure as well as it did after the first three series Sunday, it will force defenses to think twice before coming after Cutler.

"I think people think that our offensive line can't handle it," said Cutler, who was sacked just once at Dallas. "I think they can. I think they're going to do that, and we're going to hit some stuff quick.

"We're going to get the ball in some of our playmakers' hands, and you saw what we could do."

If seeing is believing, the Bears' offense, and especially the line, is on its way to exceeding expectations.

Follow Bob LeGere's Bears reports via Twitter@BobLeGere. Check out his blog, Bear Essentials at DailyHerald.com

<div class="infoBox">

<h1>More Coverage</h1>

<div class="infoBoxContent">

<div class="infoArea">

<h2>Stories</h2>

<ul class="links">

<li><a href="/story/?id=409564">For Moore, playing big all that really matters<span class="date"> [9/20/10]</span></a></li>

</ul>

</div>

</div>

</div>