Here's the catch: Bears expect Jay Cutler to have effect on receivers
Bears expect Cutler to have big effect on young receiving corps
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May 24, 2009
BY BRAD BIGGS
bbiggs@suntimes.comNo comment by Bears general manager Jerry Angelo has been parsed and dissected more than when he said, ''It's all about the quarterback,'' two days after last season ended.
Interpreted at the time as perhaps a challenge to Kyle Orton, what Angelo meant was that the quarterback drives the entire show. He is what creates the great canyon between the haves and the have-nots, the latter being a group the Bears know intimately. Now, with a wide-receiver corps that offensive coordinator Ron Turner said consists of two players who have caught passes in the NFL -- that's bad news for Devin Aromashodu and John Broussard, receivers down the depth chart who have combined for 11 career catches in other cities -- they are ready to put Angelo's words to the test.
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During his three seasons with the Broncos, quarterback Jay Cutler showed he could bring out the best in young receivers.
(Al Podgorski/Sun-Times)
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Of all the expectations placed on the broad shoulders of Jay Cutler, the biggest will be to prove Angelo right with a top-four cast of receivers that, for now, features Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, Rashied Davis and rookie Juaquin Iglesias. Keep in mind that Angelo acknowledged before the draft that if the Bears hadn't dealt for Cutler, they likely would have used their first-round pick on a receiver.
Now it's up to Cutler to find a Brandon Marshall and an Eddie Royal in the bunch, young receivers who exploded instantly with him in Denver. Marshall, a fourth-round pick in 2006, had 102 catches in 2007, Cutler's first season as the Broncos' full-time starter. Royal, a second-round pick, had 91 catches as a rookie last season.
You've heard over and over that young receivers are supposed to struggle. It's the refrain that was used with Dez White, David Terrell, Mark Bradley and Bennett. But young receivers haven't had growing pains with Cutler, who helped Bennett to 79 receptions when Bennett was a freshman at Vanderbilt in 2005.
''[Cutler] takes over the offense,'' Hester said. ''He makes things happen. It's like having Michael Jordan on the team. Michael Jordan makes everyone on the team better.''
So what does Cutler do that other quarterbacks playing with young receivers fail to accomplish? His career completion percentage is 62.5, which easily would top the Bears' all-time list. He throws the deep ball well. He keeps plays alive with his athletic ability with an eye toward making a play downfield, not tucking and running.
''I think Jay has a knack for throwing it in places where he gives them a chance to make plays,'' said Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger, who held the same position with the Broncos during Cutler's first two seasons. ''His accuracy is excellent. I've never seen anyone throw the deep ball like him. He throws it as hard as he needs to for a fast guy and can touch it for a guy who is not so fast. I was shocked how he could touch the ball into certain places where guys can make plays. Maybe that comes from being at Vanderbilt, where he didn't always have the top receivers in the nation. There are not many quarterbacks in this league who can do what he can.''
As Turner said, there is a difference between being accurate and putting the ball where the receiver can make a big play.
''An accurate pass might get completions, but you get nothing, no yardage after the catch,'' Turner said. ''Ball placement is critical. What Jay does is he throws it out in front of them. Or if he has to throw it behind them because of where they are, the ball is behind them.''
The guy who has to make the jump is Hester, who had 51 catches for 665 yards (13-yard average) and three touchdowns in his second season as a receiver. Twenty-five of those receptions came in the final six games, and the Bears have been saying he turned the corner at that point. When you consider some of the deep balls he and Orton just missed on, it's easy to project numbers for Hester that would have made his final statistics dramatically different. The Bears didn't show much of the deep ball Wednesday at the first organized team activity, but rest assured they are counting on it.
''Regardless of what happened [at quarterback], Devin was going to make the move this year,'' Turner said. ''He showed it at the end of the season last year. He's had a tremendous offseason. Even before we made the trade for Jay, he was in here working hard.
''He was thinking, seeking something and then making an adjustment. Now he's reacting to adjustments. He's just playing so much faster; he's so much more confident.''
Cutler's saying the right things, even if NFL Network showed his receivers putting the ball on the ground left and right earlier in the week. If Angelo's right, Hester will make strides toward being the No. 1 receiver the Bears publicly say he can be even if he doesn't quite get there. Bennett is expected take off. Iglesias has the tools to be a productive possession receiver, and Davis only can benefit from a move back to the slot, where he belongs. The tight ends have to be factored into the equation, and Matt Forte led all NFL running backs in receptions last season.
''I think we've got more than enough,'' Cutler said. ''Maybe add a little bit of depth with some of the younger guys and Brandon Rideau. Some of those guys have got to step up a little bit, so it's going to be fun.''
DEVIN HESTER
EARL BENNETT
RASHIED DAVIS
JUAQUIN IGLESIAS
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