Martz likes what he sees from Cutler so far

Bears coach Mike Martz is amused at all the questions he gets regarding his relationship with quarterback Jay Cutler.

Both have been described, euphemistically, as strong-willed, stubborn and opinionated. But anyone expecting a destructive clash of personalities has so far been disappointed.

"That tickles me," Martz said when asked after Saturday's morning minicamp practice how he and his quarterback were getting along. "I love this 'Jay Watch' kind of thing. But it's crazy, because he's everything you want as a coach. He's all about winning and about perfection. He wants to be a great player, and he wants to be on a great team. For me, there's no problem. I don't know what the issues have been in the past, I don't really care what they are. We connected right away, and I think the world of him, both as a player and as a man. I'm very pleased with him."

For now, it's all good in Martz's world, as he continues the installation of his offense, which includes throwing the ball to specific areas rather than to specific players. That's new to Cutler, but he's caught on quickly.

"He hasn't done that before," Martz said. "I guess normally it's an adjustment, (but), if it was for him, it didn't take him very long because he's done it right away. That ball comes out of (his hand) long before the receiver comes out of the cut. That's kind of who he is, a guy who can get rid of the ball that quick and see things as well as he does."

It doesn't take long to notice that the Bears' new offense will involve more movement before the snap of the ball. At times on Saturday, the only players not moving in 11-on-11 segments were Cutler and his offensive linemen, as three wide receivers, a tight end and a running back all shifted before the snap.

Asked about his overall offensive philosophy, Martz referenced one of the winningest coaches in college football history.

"You're trying to make the defense defend the entire field," Martz said. "The old Florida State coach Bobby Bowden did a clinic I went to. And (even when) he was backed up on the 2-yard line, the name of the clinic was: 'One of us is fixin' to score, and it ain't you.' I kind of like that."

This will not be an offense that methodically grinds out yardage a little bit at a time.

"Get there early," Martz advises Bears fans. "Don't miss the first play. We'll play fast, and we'll attack as much as we can. We just want to take control of the game, and when you're a good team and when you're playing well, you can do those things.

"We don't want to slow the game down. We want to speed it up. So it's opposite of what a lot of people like to do, and (we) just attack. We want to be in an attack mode no matter what."

It's not that the Bears' offense is ready to challenge the potency of Martz's St. Louis Rams offense, "The Greatest Show on Turf." It isn't, and Martz knows that.

"We're getting better," he said. "That's all we ask, that they don't make the same mistake twice and that we get better every practice. We're not where we need to be, obviously, and we're still making mistakes that we're (eventually) not going to make. But I like their progress; love their effort. I think it's terrific, so I'm very pleased with it so far."

• For more on the Bears, visit Bob LeGere's blog at dailyherald.com.