Bears Football Blog

Cutler leads Bears to victory in Denver

When you boil it down, all the buildup to Jay Cutler's return to Invesco Field to face his former team was about five minutes and seven seconds at the end of the second quarter Sunday night.

All the venom for the Broncos' former quarterback -- and there was plenty of it -- resulted from a series of missteps that happened before the trade five months ago and hopefully can be put to rest after the Bears' 27-17 victory before 70,098 noisy and hostile fans.

Josh McDaniels didn't think Cutler was the long-term solution, not measured against Matt Cassel anyway, and when Cutler found out about it, he blew his top. When the new coach wouldn't promise to commit to Cutler long term, that was it.Continue

Broncos will take best shots vs Cutler

They will take their shots at Jay Cutler here Sunday night.

In a place called Wrigley's Chicago Bar in Golden, they will stage a contest in which participants will deface Cutler jerseys. They wanted to burn them, but the local fire department wouldn't let them. And they will sell "Cutler Sucks" T-shirts.

In the stands, the fans will jeer him and display signs detailing their displeasure over how Cutler orchestrated a trade to the Bears.

On NBC, Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Andrea Kremer will scrutinize how a player as talented as Cutler could be traded as he is entering the prime of his career.

On the field, the Broncos will try to give him something to remember the city by -- a souvenir lump on his head, perhaps.

Former teammates seem intent on doing most of their talking with their shoulder pads, however. Continue

Manning and Bowman not ready for preseason action

The Bears continue to bring defensive backs Danieal Manning and Zack Bowman along slowly, increasing their workload each day. But don't expect them to be ready for the exhibition Sunday night in Denver.

The coaching staff is very cautious when it comes to hamstring injuries such as they each have. Manning looked fluid going through warm-up drills Thursday, but that isn't the same as going full speed against an opponent.

"We haven't gotten him into the mix completely right now," coach Lovie Smith said of Manning. "We just wanted to get him out there and start the process, which we've done. He's doing a little bit more each day. Doesn't seem to be having any problems."

Smith wouldn't say Bowman is ahead of Manning in the rehab process. Neither played in the first two exhibitions. Continue

Cutler uneven in debut

It was only a dressed-up scrimmage for the purpose of selling tickets.

No, Jay Cutler isn't going to resemble Kyle Orton this season, even if it was the kind of uneven, sometimes head-scratching preseason effort the Bears are used to.

A night after Orton threw three interceptions for the Denver Broncos, Cutler should've had two.

He can thank cornerback Reggie Corner -- we know why he isn't named Receiver -- for dropping one that hit him in the numbers. It came on Cutler's first throw after firing off his back foot deep for Devin Hester and getting picked off by Leodis McKelvin in the first quarter of what turned into a 27-20 victory for the Buffalo Bills on Saturday night at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Continue

Cutler deal saves draft holdouts

- Jay Cutler, the gift that keeps on giving, has done more than simply generate intense fan interest in training camp. He has spared the Bears the indignity of drafting and paying a first-round pick both this year and next.

A week into NFL training camps, first-round members of the Class of 2009 were finally starting to reach terms as extended contract holdouts began agreeing to deals. The situation is fluid, but as of Friday night, eight of the top 14 picks remained unsigned. None of this seemed of much interest to the Bears, who were the first team in the league to have all their guys under contract, marking the third time in four years they pulled that off. Continue

Cutler getting to know receivers

After working out plenty on their own at Halas Hall in the five weeks since the offseason program, Jay Cutler and his receivers were so amped up for the start of Bears training camp Friday that they were on the field getting loose 30 minutes before the first practice.

The exuberant crowd at Olivet Nazarene University reacted with every throw by the Bears' new quarterback. The receivers struggled to stay on their feet at times on the tightly cropped grass. To no one's surprise, tight end Greg Olsen looked to be the preferred target. And, yes, Cutler went deep and connected a couple of times as the Bears marked the beginning of the 2009 campaign on a perfect afternoon. Continue