First things first, we have to look at the quarterbacks. Clearly, their starting QB is Cutler. There have been no signs that there's any kind of battle for the starting job between Jay Cutler, David Fales and Jimmy Clausen. Despite consistent messages from the new coaching staff downplaying any official assignments, it's pretty much impossible to consider anybody but Cutler will be the starting QB.
Let's talk about Jay Cutler for a bit. He's a polarizing player, no doubt about it. In many ways, I feel very bad for Cutler. He's the target of a LOT of vitriol from so-called Bears "fans", and I feel a lot of that is undeserved. If you consider the state of the Bears offense for the large majority of the time he's been in Chicago, you've got to cut the guy some slack.
Let's look at his time with the Bears. Before I get to his passing targets, I want to discuss the offensive line. Until the Bears drafted Kyle Long, Cutler had very little protection in the pocket. With the exception of 2013, he was among the league leaders in sacks every season. His first three years with the Bears, Cutler was sacked 110 times. That's not a typo. In comparison, in his three years in Denver, he was sacked only 51 times. Keep in mind, when quarterbacks get sacked, defenses do NOT hold back, so each and every one of those leaves a dent. New rules are helping to protect quarterbacks, but even sacks that don't count due to penalties still do their damage. If nothing else, this proves was a tough SOB Jay Cutler is. In his other three years on the Bears, Cutler absorbed another 95 sacks. His lightest year was in 2013, when he actually had an o-line that played an entire season together. It should be no surprise when you hear that Cutler had his highest QB rating of his career in 2013 at 89.2. It makes a big difference when you have people protecting the QB.
Now let's consider Cutler's offensive weapons. In his earlier years, these are the names of Cutler's starting wide receivers: Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, Rashied Davis, Johnny Knox, Devin Aromashodu, Dane Sanzenbacher, Roy Williams (his last year before retirement). Notice anything special about that list? Yeah, you got it. There was NOTHING special about that list. In 2012, Cutler's top target was Hester for a couple years. If that's not a red flag, I don't know what is. Finally, in 2012 the Bears traded for Brandon Marshall, who was a big target for Cutler in Denver, and the Bears finally had somebody for Cutler to throw to. However, in 2012, Marshall was the ONLY good option for Cutler to throw to, so he routinely was double- and triple-teamed, so there were still a lot of problems. In 2013, the offense finally showed some signs of life, but by that time Cutler had already been labeled as a pouty, turnover-prone, jerk-face loser who couldn't run an offense.
Now, I'm not about to declare Jay Cutler as an elite NFL quarterback. He just isn't. I'm also not going to say he's worth the crazy extension the Bears gave him in 2013. In my opinion, there isn't a football player in the world actually WORTH that much money. But, I will say Cutler is an above-average NFL quarterback, and one of the best quarterbacks the Bears have ever had, and that's proven in his stats.
Enough about Cutler. Let's talk about the rest of the offense. We're already more than aware of the unfortunate injury to Kevin White, who the Bears acquired with the seventh pick in the 2015 draft. The pin they inserted into his shin will likely keep him out for his entire rookie season. Given the fact they picked him up to replace Brandon Marshall, who the Bears traded in the off-season, that leaves an unfortunate hole in their wide receiver ranks. Alshon Jeffrey is a legitimate #1 wide receiver, and will fill that top spot nicely, though a 1-2 combo of Jeffrey and White would have been fun to watch. The Bears picked up the talented Eddie Royal to fill the slot receiver role, and they also have Marquess Wilson, who's been waiting in the wings, though his development has been delayed a bit due to some injuries he's had to fight through. Filling out the wide receiver ranks is rookie Cameron Meredith, who had a pretty impressive preseason.
Other passing targets Cutler has to throw to are tight end Martellus Bennett, and the ever-reliable running back Matt Forte. If Kevin White went injury-free in training camp, the Bears would have an embarrassment of riches to work with. As it is, there's some talent left sitting on injured reserve, but hopefully next year will show us what the Bears have in store for us.
For the run game, which the coaching staff has already promised we'll see plenty of this year, as is John Fox's staple, the Bears are always in good hands with Matt Forte. I expect this to be a very good year for Forte, and I would not be surprised if Forte ended the season as one of the top five running backs in the league, especially if you're including his receiving numbers, which are second to none among the NFL's best backs. Behind Forte are Jacquizz Rodgers, Jeremy Langford and last year's draft target Ka'Deem Carey.
All that talent means nothing if there's no help from the offensive line. Returning Pro Bowler Kyle Long returns, replacing the right tackle Joshua Mills, who the Bears released on waivers after the 2015 training camp. It might take a little bit of time for Long to shine in that role, but once he figures it out, he'll be a huge boost to Cutler's protection. If Long and the rest of that crew can give Cutler time, the Bears could have some great offensive games this season.
All in all, the Bears are primed to do some great things this year. Adam Gase is a very respected offensive coach, who has a lot of experience with successful offensive schemes, having spent time with Peyton Manning in Denver. As long as the defense does their job, I hope we're all laughing at the end of the season at those unfaithful, fair weather fans who predicted the Bears would end up in the bottom of the barrel when the 2015 season ends. In the meantime, I'll be watching them and hoping for the best. You know - doing what fans do.
