Bears’ Cutler steps right into leadership role
When the Bears decided not to meet center Olin Kreutz’s asking price, and the 12-year veteran departed for New Orleans, a temporary leadership vacuum was created.
It’s only natural that quarterback Jay Cutler would fill the void. Just the nature of his position lends itself to a leadership role, and Cutler is more qualified than ever to take on that duty.
“He was learning the offense as we went last year,” offensive coordinator Mike Martz said. “He knows the offense very, very well now. So now, when you step into the huddle, he can talk to guys about, ‘Hey listen, don’t forget to tighten down your split over here.’
“During timeouts, he knows what to say to the team about the play that I’ve called. Before, it was just trying to remember and think about the things that (he had) to do. He’s past that. He’s grown way, way past that, and now he can read and react and not think about things so much. He’s really playing exceptionally well.”
And, in his third year as a Bear, Cutler said he has the confidence to let a teammate know when he’s not playing well — but he’s never hesitated to do that.
“I did that the last couple years,” Cutler said. “I have no problem doing that. Old or young, everyone is accountable out there. If you’re not doing your job, you’re hurting 10 other guys out there. We’ve got to hold everyone to a standard.”
Maintaining perspective:
Anyone who watched Monday night’s loss probably saw safety Major Wright whiff on Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, allowing him to score on an 18-yard run.
Coach Lovie Smith saw it, too, and he didn’t like it, but he didn’t overreact.
“So,” Smith began, “the second preseason, (Wright’s) first year starting and he struggled in the second preseason game? We’re not going to get rid of him just based on that, I promise you that. He was outstanding the first game. It happens like that from time to time. We’ll correct the things that he messed up on the second time. He’s a good football player. He’s going to help us win a lot of games around here.”
Making strides:
In Year 2 of Mike Martz’s offense, quarterback Jay Cutler has been impressed with the strides made by his wide receivers.
While the Roy Williams-Johnny Knox competition has been a hot topic, Cutler has been focused on the group as a whole.
“I think Devin (Hester) has probably had one of the best camps of his career this year, so it’s exciting,” Cutler said. “We’ve just got to get everyone on the same page and hammer out the little details. We’re really close.”
Hester has 3 catches for 46 yards, while Earl Bennett has 4 receptions for 65 yards.
Injury update:
Linebacker Lance Briggs (knee), nose tackle Anthony Adams (calf), tight end Kellen Davis (back), defensive end Corey Wootton (knee) and cornerback Mike Holmes did not practice Thursday.
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